| Alongside the General Minister and his
Definitory, the Constitutions of the Order provide for a "General
Secretary for the Missions". His job is to "further
our missionary presence in the world and to develop a more
profound and authentic missionary awareness among ourselves".
(III CPO, Mattli 1978, 42).
The
“Mission Secretary” fulfils a prophetic role in
the Fraternity, which, with all its commitments and challenges,
must never forget its primary vocation to witness to a genuine
life in Christ. A large part of his time is spent serving
the Order as “Promotor of Solidarity”. In this
capacity he works to foster economic equality in the Order,
making possible the work of the friars – formation,
missionary activity, evangelisation and social development
- in countries that are poor in financial resources. The Order
stresses that solidarity with the friars is aimed at building
international structures of justice for everyone. “To
be in solidarity means taking care of each brother or sister,
especially of those who are excluded from sharing in the benefits
of society. Listening to the cry of the poor we must work
to ensure that global solidarity becomes a new social order”.
(VI CPO, Assisi 1998, 22).
The "Promotor of Solidarity is first
and foremost a “Promotor of evangelisation”. This
is why the promotion of solidarity is always connected to
other fundamental aspects recalled in the Capuchin Constitutions:
- Solidarity lived with the poor (Const .59,5; 60, 4-5)
- solidarity of personnel (Const. 176)
- solidarity with the friars (Const. 131,4)
- inculturation of the Gospel (Cost .177,3)
- interreligious dialogue (Const. 175,4)
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