Lights, shadows and collaborative commitments in South Asia, Australia and Oceania
The 12 leaders of the Conference of South Asia, Australia and Oceania (SAAOC) met in Singapore from 18 to 21 February. The meeting was chaired by the President of the SAAOC, Br. Derrick Yap, and was also attended by the President of the East Asia Conference (EAC), Br. Lino Gregorio Redoblado, and the General Definitor of the Franciscan Conferences of Asia and Oceania (FCAO), Br. John Wong. The meeting included an afternoon session with four members of the General Curia who were passing through Singapore, Br. Francisco Gomez Vargas and Br. Dennis Tayo of the General Secretariat for Mission and Evangelisation, and Br. Daniel Rodriguez Blanco and Br. Taucen Hotlan Girsang of the General Office for JPIC.
During the meeting, the leaders discussed the “lights” of the Conference, which include an overall growth in the number of new vocations, with solemn professions and ordinations in many Entities over the past year. Other major strengths in many SAAOC Entities include a strong sense of interculturality and healthy fraternal life, relationships and projects. The Ministers were grateful for the creativity in Franciscan life and ministry, with the development of new forms of evangelical presence and mission. The friars present also recognised that there is a healthy sense of mutual support and inter-Entity collaboration in the Conference, with excellent attendance at the two annual meetings of SAAOC Ministers, one in person and one online. Some positive results of inter-Entity and inter-Conference collaboration include the ongoing Asian Franciscan Formators Training (AFFT) course and the Franciscan Network in Asia for Peace and Integral Ecology.
Among the common “shadows” in the Conference is the negative aspect of interculturality, which sometimes manifests itself in regional or cultural divisions among the friars, in lack of trust between some friars and in different personal moral codes. Another challenge faced by many SAAOC Entities is that of formation to the realities of the 21st century, the lack of experienced formators and the gap between formators and friars in initial formation. It was also noted that some applicants to the Order have a very low level of academic qualification or faith background. Some ministers struggle with the lack of trust between some friars, the presence of disruptive friars and the lack of cooperation of some senior friars. It was recognised that in some Entities there is a lack of vocations and in many places there is a lack of qualified personnel to take on responsibilities. Many Entities face the challenge of a highly secularised society and a highly clericalised Church.
The decisions of this SAAOC meeting in February 2025 are as follows:
Formation & Studies
1) To support the renovation of the Centre for Evangelisation (Sampaloc, Philippines);
2) To develop a proposal for an inter-Conference certificate course in English as a Second Language (ESL) for FCAO friars preparing for future studies/ministries/missions;
3) To develop a proposal for a 6-month on-line Italian language course for FCAO friars preparing for future studies in Italy;
4) To continue to support and develop the Asian Franciscan Formators Training (AFFT), including a proposal for a new Ongoing Formation Programme for Directors of Ongoing Formation (PDOF) and update modules for current formators in the FCAO;
5) To ask the General Curia to update the Ratio Formationis Franciscanae to include more aspects of formation for lay friars.
Mission and Evangelisation
6) To convene the New Forms Working Group (NFWG) established at the New Forms Meeting in Vietnam in January 2025;
7) To promote the Online Primer Course (OPC) on Interculturality in Asia, Australia and Oceania;
8) to develop a proposal for a one-year programme for the preparation of missionaries after solemn profession.
JPIC
9) To continue to support the ongoing efforts of the Franciscan Network in Asia for peace and the integrity of creation.
Safeguarding of minors and vulnerable adults
10) To bring together all the FCAO Safeguarding Directors in a Safeguarding Support Team for ongoing formation, collaboration, mutual support and learning.
Administration
11) To produce updated job descriptions for all SAAOC roles – President, Vice-President, Bursar, Secretaries and Animators;
12) To review and update the SAAOC Statutes with reference to those of the EAC.
Proposed Franciscan Foundation for Asia
13) To support the current preparatory plans for the proposal to establish a Franciscan Foundation in Singapore to serve financial needs of projects in the FCAO Entities and beyond.
Source: OFM
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