On the 14th September, at the General Curia of the OFM, the Definitory met the Friars Minor who work at the Holy See for a dialogue and discussion in preparation for the 2025 Chapter of Mats.
During the meeting, the General Definitors listened to the suggestions and observations of the brothers who work in the Roman Curia, in order to have a "Catholic", i.e. universal, gaze for a synodal path of the Order in harmony with that of the Church.
In fact, the Chapter of the Mats will take place from 1 to 7 June 2025, in which both friars and lay people, sent by each Conference of the Order, will participate. A practice recovered from the Franciscan tradition to allow full participation to be extended to others and not just the friars.
Listening to the brothers involved in the Holy See, where the journey towards the next Synod is experienced in an intense manner and with a view broadened to universal dimensions, was very useful and fruitful: "This meeting is held once a year to to thank the friars who serve in the Vatican - said fr. Ignacio Ceja Jiménez, Vicar General - and to encourage them to continue to serve in the best possible way, because they represent the face of the Order. The Minister General asked them to talk about synodality, so the meeting focused on the themes of dialogue and listening".
Looking toward the Chapter of the Mats 2025, the Definitory asked the Entities of the Order to also celebrate their own Chapter of the Mats at a local level, always with the method of listening to lay people, both men and women, proposing to direct attention towards three fundamental nuclei:
The results of the Chapters of Mats of the various Entities, summarized at the Conference level, will provide the material for the General Chapter of Mats in June 2025
