"How good and how
pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Ps 133:1)
The Irish Provincial
Minister, Hugh McKenna embraces our new Minister General, American friar,
Michael Perry,OFM, after his election in Rome
He succeeds our brother
now Archbishop José Rodrígiez Carballo, OFM, who was appointed
by Pope Francis to the Vatican position
of Secretary of the Congregation of Religious.
Michael, in
an interview after his election, rightly said that the friars are united,
energised and challenged by the ministry of the new pope, whose name honours our
founder, St. Francis.
Pope Francis "has energised us, but he also has challenged us just by who he is. His authenticity challenges us to rediscover our own authenticity. By his example he calls us to simplify our lives and to speak less and demonstrate more who we are."
“It's not a matter of promoting the Franciscan ‘brand,’ but of demonstrating that simplicity of life means greater life for all people, it means greater access to all that people need to have dignity and survive on this small, tiny planet we have. It means respecting creation so that we do not destroy the environment in which we live.”
Michael is honest: “Pope Francis has taken the name of the person we hold as a model, who calls us to live faithfully the Gospel. I think how short we fall sometimes in living the Gospel. This man has lived for a very long time what he is calling all of us to take on."
Pope Francis "has energised us, but he also has challenged us just by who he is. His authenticity challenges us to rediscover our own authenticity. By his example he calls us to simplify our lives and to speak less and demonstrate more who we are."
“It's not a matter of promoting the Franciscan ‘brand,’ but of demonstrating that simplicity of life means greater life for all people, it means greater access to all that people need to have dignity and survive on this small, tiny planet we have. It means respecting creation so that we do not destroy the environment in which we live.”
Michael is honest: “Pope Francis has taken the name of the person we hold as a model, who calls us to live faithfully the Gospel. I think how short we fall sometimes in living the Gospel. This man has lived for a very long time what he is calling all of us to take on."
