From their experiences in the Arabian Gulf to the indigenous communities of the Amazon and East Timor, the CPO speakers reflect on how to transform insights on charism into a method and a shared responsibility in the face of the profound changes in the contemporary world.
The second day of reflections at the Order’s Ninth Plenary Council, held on October 14, featured presentations on interculturalism and the Order’s missionary history. These themes encourage us to understand how to navigate a world undergoing profound and rapid changes.
Challenges in the Gulf and Missionary Identity
During the first morning session, Bishop Paolo Martinelli, OFMCap, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, spoke about his firsthand experience in the Gulf (United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen). In this region, 34 Capuchin friars serve approximately three million Catholics from over 100 nationalities. The fraternities present in this area represent a true “laboratory of interculturality in faith and charism,” addressing crucial challenges such as interreligious dialogue, ecumenical dialogue, the tragedy of the war in Yemen, and the impact of new technologies. Drawing on the Magisterium and the words of Pope Francis, Bishop Martinelli recalled that mission is not merely an accessory but is synonymous with the very identity of the Christian: “I am a mission on this earth.” He affirmed that every friar must be formed in a radical missionary openness, even ad gentes, embracing interculturality as an authentic “sign of the times” in a globalized world. Finally, he urged the brothers to overcome the polarization between those who focus solely on proclaiming the Kerygma and those who focus on human promotion, finding the perfect synthesis in “witness”—where one’s concrete life communicates the love of Christ, following the example of St. Francis.
Memory and Shared Responsibility
Next, Dr. Patrizia Morelli, Director of the Capuchin Historical Archives and Central Library, explored the deep connection between the Archives—which represent the Order’s historical memory—and its forward-looking action, namely its mission. The central message of her reflection was that a charism generates a lasting mission only when individual insight is transformed into “memory, preparation, method, and shared responsibility.” Through a historical overview, Dr. Morelli showed how the Capuchin Friars Minor have gradually learned to structure their presence in the world. As early as the Constitutions of 1536, it became evident that the mission needed to be regulated and rooted in community life, leading then, between the 19th and 20th centuries, to the development of increasingly specialized linguistic, theological, and cultural training, and to the establishment of dedicated educational institutions such as the International College of St. Lawrence of Brindisi.
Firsthand Accounts from the Mission Fields
The afternoon sessions were devoted to listening to the friars who work directly in the mission fields.
Fr. Paolo Maria Braghini recounted his experience in Belém do Solimões, in the Amazon, where he arrived in 2006 to find a territory that had been abandoned for fifteen years and was home to 72 indigenous villages. After years of extreme material hardship and isolation, a turning point came in 2010 thanks to a change in approach inspired by the example of Jesus: to train and empower the indigenous people so they could become active participants in the emerging Church. Fr. Paolo recalled that evangelization must spring from an intense life of prayer, from genuine fraternal communion, and from poverty shared with the most vulnerable—not from mere activism.
The mission to East Timor:
Fr. Isidorus Yoseph Jawa, an Indonesian missionary sent to East Timor in 2010, testified that in a context marked by historical wounds and occupations, a simple fraternal presence is in itself a powerful Gospel message. He emphasized that mission work requires listening and “becoming a brother” even before preaching, while carefully avoiding “missionary functionalism.” He concluded by stating that the traditional model of mission work is outdated: the boundaries between sending and receiving provinces are disappearing, and young nations like East Timor are now preparing to send young friars of their own to Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, thereby bringing about true universal brotherhood.
