In recent months, the Order has been deeply engaged in intensive preparations for the Ninth Plenary Council of the Order, which will take place in Rome in October 2026. Approximately thirty delegates, representing the Order’s nine conferences, are expected to attend the Ninth Plenary Council.
The call for a gathering of the entire Order arose during the 2024 General Chapter, which focused on the themes of mission, fraternal collaboration, and the St. Lawrence International Fraternities. Based on this guidance, the General Minister and his Council decided to convene a CPO; consequently, in July 2025, a preparatory commission was established and immediately set to work.
On October 1, 2025, a document (including a questionnaire) was sent to all the friars, divided into the three themes that characterize the IX CPO. The purpose of the text-questionnaire was to raise awareness among all the friars regarding the theme and, at the same time, to listen to their perspectives, opinions, and suggestions, thereby gathering insights and challenges from around the world. The questionnaire allowed for responses at the individual level, or as a fraternity or as a circumscription, in order to hear from the entire Order and, in this way, compile the responses into an Instrumentum Laboris (cf. Prot. No. 00622/25). Participation by the friars was substantial: the preparatory commission received many contributions from all the Capuchin conferences, from the circumscriptions, from many fraternities, and from individual friars who wished to personally convey their views. This is a sign that the topic resonates within the Order.
Instrumentum Laboris
Based on the responses to the questionnaire, the commission worked diligently in the early months of 2026 to draft a document titled Instrumentum Laboris. This document will serve as the starting point for the work of the CPO itself next October, providing the delegates with material to study and prepare for; furthermore, by sharing it with the friars, it will help everyone remain attuned to the topic. In this regard, we are invited to familiarize ourselves with and study the text: on a personal level, within the fraternities, and within the circumscriptions.
Visual Identity
The preparatory process and the celebration of the CPO are also accompanied by a logo and a slogan that summarize its content and objectives. Here is the slogan: The missionary dimension of our charismatic identity in the Church and in today’s world.
The logo was designed in keeping with the visual identity of the journey the Order has embarked upon toward the 500th anniversary of the Capuchin Reform, making it immediately clear that all the reflection taking place within the Order during these years will culminate in 2028. Here are the details of the logo’s elements:
- The friars and their colors: two figures of friars holding hands represent “Fraternal Collaboration” and the Gospel mandate to go “two by two.” The various shades of brown in their habits reflect the universality and diversity of the Capuchins throughout the world.
- The hidden letter “M”: The negative space (the blank area) formed between the two friars subtly forms an “M,” which represents the central theme of the CPO: Mission.
- The arch-shaped cord: the cord encircles the entire composition to symbolize universal brotherhood and reflect the international nature of the St. Lawrence of Brindisi Fraternities.
- The text: The letters “IX” and “CPO” are combined to announce the event in a clear and direct manner.
An Instrument for the Order
The Plenary Councils are an instrument that allows the Order to focus its reflection on issues of particular importance in the present day, approaching them from various perspectives—spiritual, theological, pastoral, and so on—in order to answer the fundamental question: “How are we living our Capuchin Franciscan charism today?” The Plenary Councils of the Order began shortly after the Second Vatican Council, and to date, eight have been held, addressing crucial themes for us such as fraternal life, poverty, minority, prayer, our role as a prophetic sign in the world, formation, and so on. The most recent one, held in 2015, focused on the grace of working. At the conclusion of each CPO, a final document consisting of “Guidelines” or “Propositions” is approved. Over time, these texts have become a sort of internal “magisterium” for the Order, guiding reflection and the constant renewal of its way of life.