At the Fraterna Domus house (Sacrofano, Italy), from Wednesday, May 21 to Friday, May 23, around 120 superiors general gathered for the first assembly of this year of the Union of Superiors General (USG). The theme was being witnesses of hope.
The event featured presentations on hope in the Bible, testimonies from young religious men and women about how they live hope in religious life, workshops on interculturality, the service of authority and synodality, and patrimony management. Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod, also encouraged us to proactively enter this phase of reception and local implementation of the Church's call to pastoral conversion: in relationships, processes, connections, and ministries to walk with Jesus among the marginalized and distant, where He meets us.
Alberto Toutin, our Superior General, shared with us some key takeaways from his experience over those days:
“What resonated most with me were the reflections on Hope. I write it with a capital H because it is none other than God who offers Himself as the One who waits for us. I believe that often what we hope for falls short compared to what God is and offers us—because we don’t let Him enter the depths of our lives, we lie to ourselves or don’t dare to look at who we really are, we tame Him by making Him an ally of our hopes, even well-intentioned ones, like when we pray for vocations to the Church, for the healing of the sick, or for peace. But we are not willing to pay the price of praying for peace, to recognize the seeds of violence within ourselves, to suffer the scandal of the triumph of the unjust, or to cry in helplessness over the loss of a child, of a family, of a home in an airstrike. Yes, we hope, but we are not ready to endure the waiting with that virtue of perseverance and trust placed in the Lord for whom nothing is impossible. To wait as God asks the prophet Jeremiah of those in exile, to whom He promises to gather and bring back to their land: ‘Ask now and see, can a man bear children?’ (Jer 30:6). And God sees men with their hands on their hips and pale faces as if giving birth. So, is it only the poor who can truly hope? Are we willing to wait for what we hope for as if giving birth to it, with both pain and trust, sensing that God does not abandon us?
God, in bringing about the Hope of peace, justice, and victory over evil, counts on us. May others, in our patient and trusting waiting—within us, our communities, and in the welcoming, open-armed Church—find reason and encouragement to keep hoping without losing heart. Then we will be witnesses of hope.”
Video summary of the meeting: https://goo.su/BdUzit
05/24/2025