The last part of the afternoon on August 29, 2024 saw a change of pace: after the discussion of economic issues, the General Minister, Br. Roberto Genuin gave his presentation on the “Figure and Role of the General Councilor and Open Issues.” In the discussion, Br. Roberto described the figure of the Councilor, starting from the commitment that he performs namely, that of “giving help to the General Minister – with his own knowledge, insights, convictions, experience of life, experience of following the Lord, freedom and maturity of judgment – so that the Minister can gradually form his personal conviction on the most appropriate way to act.”
Specifying that “the General Council is not equivalent to a board of directors of any company or business,” Br. Roberto then clarified that the Councilor must be guided “by criteria that come from above, from the Gospel and from our charism.” These clarifications give rise to some indispensable requirements for those who fill the role of General Councilor. First, it is necessary that “the Councilor has a personal and strong experience of following the Lord”; next, it is important that the Councilor is available to serve the brothers and therefore has the willingness and availability to learn or increase proficiency in some language. The minister, insisting on the duty to serve the brethren, pointed out that “good health is also required of the Councilor to enable him to sustain the significant fatigues of long journeys and different climates, foods and schedules.
Describing the figure and role of the Councilor, Br. Roberto brought attention to their number, recalling that “the Regulations for the Celebration of the Chapter (art. 31) entrusts the task to the ceti to discuss the issue and propose one or more candidates.” From the discussion among the capitulars, first in the ceti and then in the assembly, the necessary number of councilors to serve the Order will also be determined. At the end of his presentation, the Minister reminded the capitulars that “the Councilors, although an expression of an area, are Councilors for the whole Order” and therefore “can and should be available to travel a little bit everywhere.”
The discussion on the economic report resumed in the first part of the morning on August 30. The ceti secretaries, one by one, were called upon to present their reflections and any requests for clarification from their respective groups. Overall, the General Bursar’s report was received favorably by the Chapter members, noting its clarity, accuracy and competence. For several ceti, the report illustrated how the Order’s economic situation, though subject to the critical issues of recent years, is quite stable. However, there were some suggestions made, such as including in the report also the specifics of the conferences (and circumscriptions) and some other aspects of the Order.
Brother Justin then concluded his presentation in response to the solicitations presented in the room, reiterating what he had expressed the previous day, namely, that “with a serious commitment to transparency, we can live our vocation peacefully without too many difficulties.” At the end of the morning, the Chapter members met again in their groups to continue their discussion on the figure and role of the General Councilor.
