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N. 5 - SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 1999 English Edition      GENERAL CONGREGATION 24 August - 3 September 1999 Bamberg "THE MISSION OF CARMEL FOR THE  THIRD MILLENNIUM"     CONTENTS GENERAL CONGREGATION 1999: CHRONICLE THE PARTICIPANTS OPENING ADDRESS OF THE PRIOR GENERAL REPORT OF THE GENERAL COUNCILLOR FOR  EVANGELISATION REPORT OF THE GENERAL COUNCILLOR FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE REPORT OF THE GENERAL COUNCILLOR FOR LATIN AMERICA  REPORT OF THE GENERAL COUNCILLOR FOR FORMATION A CENTURY COMES TO A CLOSE: THE SOCIAL,  ECCLESIAL AND CARMELITE DIMENSION OF THE COMING JUBILEE OPEN TO THE FUTURE OF GOD

GENERAL CONGREGATION 1999
CHRONICLE

The General Congregation of this six-year period took place from 24 August to 3 September 1999 in our monastery in Bamberg, Germany. About sixty friars representing all the Provinces, General / Provincial Commissariats and General Delegations took part.

Tuesday, 24 August

After morning prayer, at 10.00 a.m., the participants met in the main hall where Fr. Christian Körner, prior of the house, welcomed the delegates on behalf of the local community and of the Province. The Prior General, Fr. Joseph Chalmers, thanked the Upper German Province for the welcome given to this Congregation. He then greeted all those present, including Fr. Ulrich Dobbman, General Definitor, representing the Discalced Carmelites. Fr. Ulrich, on behalf of the OCD Superior General, thanked the assembly for the invitation and wished all those present a fruitful time for the whole Order. Each participant then introduced himself briefly.

The Prior General then gave his introductory talk, emphasising ten main points: Creative Fidelity, Vocations, Formation, Culture, Finance, Carmelite Family, Social Communications, Justice and Peace, Organisation of the Order, Mission.

At about 11.45, Fr. Tarsicio Gotay, General Secretary, presented to the participants the overall programme, the daily timetable and the moderators. After some discussion, the participants approved, with some slight changes, both the programme and the timetable. The time-table was as follows: 7.30 morning prayer, 8.00 breakfast, 9.00 first session, 11.00 second session, 12.30 lunch and rest, 15.00 third session, 17.00 Eucharist, 18.00 dinner, 19.00 evening prayer or lectio divina followed by free time. Those appointed moderators were: Frs. Carlo Cicconetti (Ita), Mario Esposito (SEL) and Antonio Silvio da Costa Junior (Flum).

The third session in the afternoon was given to working in seven language groups. Each group was to examine the talk of the Prior General and to propose other points of consideration for the Order. At the second part of the third session, the secretaries read the reports of the groups to the assembled members.

The day concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist and a barbecue in the monastery garden.

Wednesday, 25 August

Fr. C. Cicconetti, moderator for the day, invited the members of the General Council to present their reports. At the first morning session,
- Fr. Anthony Scerri gave his report on evangelisation in Africa, Asia and Australia;
- Fr. Míceál O'Neill presented the situation of the Order regarding Justice and Peace;
- Fr. Alexander Vella communicated the dates of various activities in the field of Formation;
- Fr. Wilmar Santin gave a report on the present situation of the Order in Latin America.

Work in the language groups took up the second morning session. The participants were invited to discuss the reports of the General Councillors. The group secretaries then reported the results of the discussion at the third session in the afternoon.

The Prior General announced that, due to the elevation of Fr. Lucio Renna to the episcopate, the General Council nominated Fr. Josef Jancar, from the General Delegation of Bohemia and Moravia and at present living in CISA doing his doctorate in Canon Law, Procurator General; and Fr. Tarsicio Gotay (Arag-Por) General Delegate for the Carmelite Laity.

Thursday, 26 August

Fr. Mario Esposito, moderator, greeted all those present and made a few announcements including a message of good wishes from the General Congregation "Titus Brandsma" in Colombia. He then invited the Provincials, Commissaries and Delegates to give a brief presentation on the state of their areas, including the replies to the following questions:
1. What are the three principal strengths in the life and apostolate of Carmelites where you live?
2. What are the three most noticeable weaknesses?
3. What are the three most important things which would help to improve the presence of Carmelites and the work that they do, and make them more qualified?

In order to facilitate communication and discussion, the places where Carmelites are present were divided into seven geographical areas. When each area had given its report to the assembly, the participants were given time to ask questions or add information. During the three sessions of the day, the following areas gave reports: the Upper German Province, the Lower German Province, the Polish Province, the General Delegation of Bohemia and Moravia, the Province of the Netherlands, the British Province, the Irish Province, the Provincial Commissariat of Zimbabwe (Hib), the Province of Catalonia (& Venezuela), the Province of Castille, the Arago-Valentina Province, the Province of Betica, the General Commissariat of Portugal, the French Delegation, the Italian Province, the Provincial Commissariat of the Congo (Ita), the Neapolitan Province, the General Commissariat of "La Vergine Bruna", the Maltese Province (& Bolivia, Italy), the PCM Province of the United States (& Peru, Mexico). At the end of the third session, it was decided that, because time had run out, the presentations would be continued the following day.

Friday, 27 August

Fr. Mario Esposito, moderator, began proceedings by asking the Provincials and Commissaries who had not given their reports on the previous day to do so now. The following areas then gave their reports: the Province of St. Elias of the United States (& Trinidad, Vietnam), the Provincial Commissariat of the Antilles (Arag), the Provincial Commissariat of Venezuela (Baet), the General Delegation "Titus Brandsma" of Colombia, the Province of Rio de Janeiro, the Province of Pernambuco (& Mozambique), the Provincial Commissariat of Paranà (GerS), the Provincial Commissariat of India (GerS), the Provincial Commissariat of the Philippines (Neer), the Indonesian Province and the Australian Province.

At the third session in the afternoon, Fr. Alexander Vella gave a talk on Lectio Divina. He traced the development of the practice of Lectio Divina from the beginnings of the Church to the present day, its deep imprint on the Rule and on Carmelite life. Fr. Vella also expounded the traditional way of the practice of Lectio Divina. After the talk, the participants had the opportunity to ask for clarifications and to share their experiences on Lectio Divina.

The Eucharist, in memory of our deceased members, was very expressive. At the offertory, each General Councillor invited the members of his region to recall and mention the names of deceased brothers from that region.

Saturday, 28 August

Fr. A. Silvio da Costa Junior, moderator, intoned the Flos Carmeli and made some announcements. He then invited Fr. Nicola Barbarello (Neap) to introduce Mr. Salvatore Schirone, a Carmelite Tertiary from Bari (Italy), who would be giving the conference of the day. In his paper which was entitled "A Century Comes to a Close: The Social, Ecclesial and Carmelite Dimension of the Coming Jubilee", Mr. Schirone spoke on three points: (a) A synthesis of the century, (b) Post-modernism, God, History and the Church, (c) the Church and Carmel at the dawn of the Third Millennium. At the end of his talk, the participants were able to ask for clarifications and comment on the paper.

The second session was free for those who wished to visit the town. During the third session in the afternoon, the members of the General Congregation broke up into seven groups to answer questions presented by the speaker of the morning. These groups then reported their findings in the hall.

Sunday, 29 August

Day of rest. At 9.00 a.m., after morning prayer and breakfast, most members of the Congregation went on an excursion, led by Fr. Christian Körner. The excursion was to the concentration camp in Dachau and to the Carmelite monastery in Straubing.

The participants arrived in Dachau at about 11.30. At midday they celebrated the Eucharist, remembering Blesseds Titus Brandsma and Hilarion Januszewski, two Carmelites who were martyred in Dachau. The penitential rite of the Eucharist was celebrated in the main chapel of the camp while the proclamation of the Word and the Eucharist were celebrated in the Carmel of the Most Precious Blood of the Discalced Carmelite nuns (founded in 1964). This monastery is situated at the edge of the concentration camp. After the Eucharist, the nuns welcomed the members of the group in their various parlours where a picnic lunch was served. After lunch and until 3.00 p.m., the participants could visit the museum, the two barracks still standing, the crematorium and other memorable places.

From Dachau the participants went to Straubing where the Carmelites have a large monastery and a big church in the baroque style, very rich in art and pictures of Carmelite saints. The community of five friars welcomed the international group with great joy and hospitality. One of the friars gave the group a guided tour of the church and monastery, pointing out the most prestigious works of the house. The community also invited the whole group to dinner in a restaurant. The group returned to Bamberg about 11.00 p.m.

Monday, 30 August

Fr. C. Cicconetti, moderator, read a message of good wishes from the Lay Carmelites of the Italian Province gathered in Sassone. He then asked Fr, Pere Soler, General Bursar, to present his report on the financing of the reconstruction works at St. Albert's International Centre and at the General Curia house. At the conclusion of the report the rest of the first session and the following session were used for questions, clarifications and proposals.

The third session in the afternoon was left free for regional meetings of the Asia-Australia and Latin American regions.

Tuesday, 31 August

During the morning sessions, Br. Günter Benker (GerS), a young Carmelite, read his paper entitled "Open to the Future of God". Br. Günter's thesis is that our Order will only have a future if it respects its past, accepts the present reality as it is, and lives in the future a contemplative fraternity in the midst of the people of our modern society. After the presentation, Fr. M. Esposito, moderator, invited the assembled brethren to express their views concerning the contents of the talk. This was a very useful exercise.

For the afternoon session, the participants were asked to go back into their groups and to reflect on what they had heard during the past days and to come up with three or four important points for the coming General Chapter.

Wednesday, 1 September

This morning Fr. Alexander Vella, General Councillor for Formation, gave a talk on the new Ratio Institutionis Vitae Carmelitanae. The moderator, Fr. A.S. da Costa Junior, informed those present that the time allotted to this point was to be divided into three parts of one hour each: (a) Fr. A. Vella's talk, (b) a group session on the latest draught of the RIVC, (c) reports of groups and other proposals of the assembly.

At 3.00 p.m. the participants gathered in the hall for further information from Fr. Pere Soler, General Bursar.

After the third session, the members of the Congregation were accompanied by Fr. Richard Winter, Provincial (GerS), to the Viezehnheiligen sanctuary dedicated to fourteen saints. There they celebrated Eucharist at 6.00 p.m. followed by dinner at a near-by restaurant.

Thursday, 2 September

The moderator, Fr. C. Cicconetti, made some announcements and then invited Fr. Vincenzo Mosca (Neap) to say a few words on the Domus Carmelitana, which will be inaugurated on 25 September 1999. Then the group secretaries, who had met on Tuesday afternoon, conveyed their reflections on the themes to be considered by the General Chapter 2001. Those present also made suggestions as to the place and time of the Chapter.

The same points concerning the General Chapter were continued during the third session. After that Fr. A. S. da Costa Junior and Fr. Joseph Chalmers, Prior General made a few comments. Fr. Antonio spoke of the "Isisdore Bakanja Project" started by the Rio de Janeiro Province to help homeless people. The Prior General mentioned a few projects which the General Council has for the future:
a) For the 750^th anniversary of the Scapular (in 2001), to deepen the spirituality of Carmel, the following are envisaged:
-- a mariological symposium for experts will be held in September of next year;
-- a joint letter of the O.Carm. Prior General and the OCD Superior General addressed to all the members of the Carmelite Family;
-- a joint meeting of the O.Carm - OCD General Councils in Aylesford next May.
b) The publication of a booklet in several languages giving an overview of the different components of the Carmelite Family.
c) The blessing of St. Albert's International Centre, Rome, on 9 October 1999 on the occasion of its reconstruction and its centenary.

The session ended at 4.00 p.m. giving time to the members of the Congregation to answer various questionnaires.

Fr. M. Esposito moderated the last two sessions. The members of the General Congregation revised and voted on two proposals and one decree:
* Proposal 1: To share equally the travelling expenses to the General Chapter.
* Proposal 2: To establish a small commission for the financing of the General Council.
* Decree: About the financing of the works at the General Curia house and St. Albert's International Centre.

To conclude the General Congregation, Fr. Joseph Chalmers, Prior General, gave a resume of the work done during these days and the challenges which the Order must face in the new millennium. He then thanked Fr. Richard Winter, Provincial, and Fr. Christian Körner of the Upper German Province for their welcome and hospitality, the translators, the members of the secretariat, those in charge of the liturgy, the moderators and all the participants who during these weeks showed a great sense of unity and by their participation contributed in various ways to the success of this meeting.

The General Congregation concluded at 5.00 p.m. with the celebration of the Eucharist presided by the Prior General.
 

THE PARTICIPANTS
 

Gremiales
 

Rev.mus P. Joseph Chalmers, P. Gaspar Mondéjar, P. Anthony Scerri, P. Míceál O'Neill, P. Wilmar Santin, P. Alexander Vella, P. Pere Soler i Anglada, P. Carlo Cicconetti, P. Tjeu Timmermans, P. Robert Kelly, P. Richard Winter, P. Luis Gallardo, P. Nicola Barbarello, P. Rafael Leiva, P. Piotr Spiller, P. Antonio Silvio da Costa Junior, P. Joâo José Costa, P. Leo McCarthy, P. Amadeo Zammit, P. Mario Esposito, P. David Hofman, P. Manuel Bonilla, P. Heribertus Heru Purwanto, P. Anton Beemsterboer, P. Piet Wijngaard, P. Juan de Dios Sanz, P. Luigi Nasta, P. Henrique Martins, P. John Welch, P. Bernhard Bauerle, P. William Harry, P. Ivaní Pinheiro, P. John McGrath, P. Eddie Albino, P. Tomás Ciscar, P. Manuel Sánchez León, P. Thomas M. Kizhakemury, P. Jean Marie D'Undji, P. Jan Fatka, P. Hugh Canavan, P. Gianfranco Tuveri,

Prior Generalis Vices-Prior Generalis Consiliarius Generalis Consiliarius Generalis Consiliarius Generalis Consiliarius Generalis Oeconomus Generalis Prior Provincialis Italiae Prior Provincialis Neerlandiae Prior Provincialis Hiberniae Prior Provincialis Germaniae Superioris Prior Provincialis Arago-Valentinae Prior Provincialis Neapolitanae Prior Provincialis Baeticae Prior Provincialis Poloniae Procurator Prioris Provincialis Fluminis Januarii Prior Provincialis Pernambucanae Prior Provincialis Americae PCM Prior Provincialis Melitae Prior Provincialis Americae S. Eliae Procurator Prioris Provincialis Australiae Prior Provincialis Catalauniae Prior Provincialis Indonesiae Prioris Provincialis Germaniae Inferioris Prior Provincialis Britanniae Maioris Prior Provincialis Castellae Commissarius Generalis "La Bruna" Commissarius Generalis Lusitaniae Commissarius Provincialis Americae PCM Commissarius Provincialis Americae PCM Commissarius Provincialis Americae PCM Procurator Commissari Provincialis Paranae Commissarius Provincialis Zimbabuae Commissarius Provincialis Philippinarum Commissarius Provincialis Antillarum Commissarius Provincialis Venetiolae (Baet) Commissarius Provincialis Indiae Commissarius Provincialis RD Congolensis Delegatus Generalis Bohemiae et Moraviae Delegatus Generalis Colombiae Delegatus Generalis Galliae

Periti
 

P. Tomás León,  P. Francis Kemsley,  Fr. Pat Mullins,  P. Martin Segers, P. Christian Körner,  P. Vincenzo Mosca, P. Cees Bartels, P. Rogerio De Lima,

Provinciae Baeticae Provinciae Britanniae Maioris Provinciae Hiberniae Provinciae Germaniae Inferioris Provinciae Germaniae Superioris Provinciae Neapolitanae Provinciae Neerlandiae Provinciae Pernambucanae

Secretariatus
 

P. Tarsicio Gotay, P. José Maldonado, Fr. Roberto Russo, P. Anthony Cilia, P. Attard Mark, P. Redemptus Valabek, Miguel Norbert Ubarri,

Secretarius Generalis Secretariatui addictus Secretariatui addictus Director CITOC Interpres Interpres Interpres

Liturgiae addictus

P. Godehard Wegner (GerS)

Convitati

Fr. Günter Benker (GerS)
Salvatore Schirone (TOC)
 

OPENING ADDRESS OF THE
PRIOR GENERAL
 

We are now only two years away from the next General Chapter which will be the first of the new millennium. At the General Chapter, according to article 272 of the Constitutions, the Prior General is to give a report on the spiritual and temporal state of the Order.
At the last General Chapter, held in September 1995, the newly elected General Council was asked to prepare a Global Plan of its work for the following six years. This was done and the Plan was discussed at the Council of Provinces, held in Lisieux in 1997. It will be for the General Chapter to evaluate the work of the General Council and how far we have fulfilled what we set out to do. At this General Congregation I propose to present my view of the challenges which face the Order as we enter the new millennium. A challenge is an ambiguous reality. To some, it can appear as a problem; I believe, however, that a challenge is an opportunity from God for the exercise of creative fidelity. This report is intended as a remote preparation for the General Chapter. Perhaps from this General Congregation can come some concrete proposals for the next Chapter.

1. Creative Fidelity

The primary challenge for us as individuals and as an Order is unchanging. We are called to be constantly faithful to the charism which God has given to us in trust for the Church and the world. Being faithful does not necessarily mean repeating what has gone before. Times change and so we must change our way of living and presenting the charism so that it can be an effective vehicle of evangelisation in a new era. We do not of course change the charism but the way it is presented; we also add to it and enrich it by how we live it in our own day.

God speaks to us in many ways. One of these ways is through the cultural changes which our world is undergoing at present. We cannot claim to be faithful to God if we do not ponder the Scriptures but equally we cannot claim to be faithful if we do not listen to what God is saying to us from the heart of the world.

We need to be creatively faithful, that is we must seek new ways to incarnate our charism in response to the new needs which emerge from the cultures in which we live. We also must pay attention to the issue of inculturation. The Carmelite way will be expressed differently according to the culture in which it is planted. Several of our traditional "missions" are now coming of age and responsibility is being passed from the missionaries to the younger, native vocations. This can be a painful process for everyone involved but it is like the pangs of childbirth because from the pain, will emerge new life. The fundamental Carmelite values will remain the same but how they are incarnated can and must differ according to the particular culture and circumstances.

All consecrated men and women "must continue to be images of Christ the Lord, fostering through prayer a profound communion of mind with him (Cf. Phil 2, 5-11), so that their whole lives may be penetrated by an apostolic spirit and their apostolic work with contemplation." (VC 9). There can be no doubt that in the eyes of most people Carmel stands for prayer, contemplation, the interior life. Carmelites do many different things, and that is one of our strengths, but in all these different apostolic works we are expected to express our spirituality. We are also called to community and to apostolic service in the midst of the people. The vast majority of our houses are parishes. Was this a choice which the Order made or has it come about through accident? Do we wish as an Order to make a choice about the direction of the whole Order in regard to what our major apostolic thrust is to be? Clearly the work we do affects how we incarnate our charism. Is this a matter to be left entirely to individual Provinces or should the General Chapter give some broad principles as guidelines? Are the principles in Constitutions 91-116 on the apostolic mission of Carmel sufficient or is something more needed?

2. Vocations

The vocational situation in the Order differs dramatically according to the geographical situation. The Provinces in Western Europe, the United States and Australia do not seem to be attracting the number of vocations which they did in the past. Despite the best efforts of vocation promoters, it seems that the situation has changed, at least for the time being. Many established Provinces have had to face closing various houses. This can be a very painful process but it is absolutely essential to prune the branches so that others may grow. If we do not close communities when necessary, it will mean that the men will suffer because they will have to do more and more work to cover what was done by more people in the past. Community life will also suffer.

Other parts of the Order are receiving very many vocations at present. Of course, as in any situation care must be taken in the selection of candidates. Bitter experience tells us that if a problem personality is not dealt with adequately during the period of candidacy or initial formation, that individual becomes a much greater problem in the future. I do not believe that it is a good idea to accept whoever comes knocking at our door. Discernment is necessary. Jesus chose his close collaborators and suggested to others that their vocation lay elsewhere (Cf. Lk. 8,38). Even so, not all the disciples chosen by Christ made a great success of their vocation!

I think that the words of Vita Consecrata, n. 64, are worth remembering in this context, " ...if the flourishing of vocations evident in some parts of the world justifies optimism and hope, the lack of them in other areas must not lead either to discouragement or to the temptation to practice lax and unwise recruitment." (VC, 64).

Both the lack of vocations in some parts of the world and the abundance in other parts presents a challenge to us. What is God saying to us as an Order in this situation and from this General Congregation is there any response we want to make?

3. Formation

We will have an opportunity later in this meeting to examine the proposed new Ratio Institutionis Vitae Carmelitanae (RIVC) together and you will have the opportunity to express an opinion on it. I believe that it is very good. We also have good Constitutions. We have many more Carmelite sources available to us than in the past. Great progress has been made in the area of research and publishing. However the work of formation is obviously not accomplished by reading books, no matter how good these may be. In the new draft RIVC, we have a very good theory of formation at all levels but what is the reality of formation in our Provinces? It is natural to be defensive of our own little corner but I plead with you to be honest - at least with yourself. If the situation of formation in your Province or Commissariat is perfect, then you can block out the next section. If, however, you know that the situation is not perfect, what are you going to do about it and what can we as an Order do?

First of all, what are we forming people for? Obviously we are forming people to be good Carmelites but this is a very complex reality. We cannot be good Carmelites if we are not good human beings. There are certain basic human skills which are required to make life in society bearable. If these have not been learned in the home environment, they must be quickly instilled at the beginning of formation. There are several elements which must be borne in mind in the formation process. There is the human level, the intellectual level and the spiritual level. These elements obviously influence one another. All of these must be worked upon throughout the whole of life. These three elements are like the three legs of a stool. If one is out of balance, the whole stool is unbalanced. It is quite possible to have an intellectually brilliant person who reacts childishly whenever things do not go his way. There are others who disparage the intellectual side of life. The three parts of the human person ideally grow together in harmony.

No-one of course is perfect but hopefully all of us are on the spiritual journey. This journey requires a great deal from us because we are called to pass through the desert where we are purified and we grow to maturity in Christ. It is a great temptation to give up the journey because it is too difficult and settle down to mediocrity. In the document Vita Consecrata, the Pope points out the importance of the various phases of the formation process. He writes of the middle years that this phase can present the risk of routine and the subsequent temptation to give in to disappointment because of meagre results (VC 70). Every Province loses men after solemn profession and after ordination. Is there anything we can do about this situation? Is it inevitable or is it because of some lacuna in their formation which we can do something to correct?

In Vita Consecrata, the Pope points out: "Those in charge of formation must therefore be very familiar with the path of seeking God, so as to be able to accompany others on this journey" (VC 66). Those who know something of the path of seeking God, know that there are moments of disappointment and disillusionment, times perhaps when we feel like the Prophet Elijah who sat under a bush and had no desire to continue. Because of the number of options which are available nowadays, it is not uncommon for an individual to give up the consecrated life and/or the priesthood when he experiences some darkness. He may hope that in this way, he will escape the darkness. He may of course succeed in doing so for a time by filling the emptiness with many new things and new relationships, but he simply takes his problems with him and will have to face them in a new guise at another time. It is vitally important, I believe, that in the process of formation, which lasts the whole of one's Carmelite life, we should be helped to first of all be aware that darkness, disillusionment and disappointment are normal stages on the journey and are not necessarily signs that one should leave the consecrated life.

One of the effects of the initial formation process is to help some people find out for themselves that the Carmelite life is not their way to God. In an ideal world, this would be discovered before noviciate but life is not always ideal and perhaps it is only through the actual living of the life for a few years that one discovers that God is calling elsewhere.

We have a profound impact on those who come to us, even if they decide not to continue walking the same path as we walk and so we have a sacred duty to give our candidates the best formation we can possibly give them. This involves providing suitable formators which in turn means carefully choosing and forming these people. Every Provincial and Council has to balance a whole host of values but formation must be one of the most important. Is forming formators more important than holding on to all our apostolic commitments?

Within the concept of formation itself, various values must be balanced. I did all of my post-noviciate initial formation in St. Albert's International Centre (CISA) in Rome. The system was not perfect but I believe that I learned a great deal there and not just in an intellectual sense. I certainly met many Carmelites whom I probably would not have met if I had not been in Rome. I also had the opportunity to learn and practice other languages. Most Provinces now seem to prefer having most if not all initial formation within the Province itself This certainly expresses one value but obviously it is not the only value. It is not always the same as having initial formation within one's own culture as there are several Provinces which have men in initial formation from various cultures. We are members of an international fraternity and nowadays we hear a great deal about the world becoming a global village. In what way do these elements affect our formation policies? Are we doing enough to foster the internationality of the Order? If not, what more can we do?

As I visit the Carmelite communities throughout the world and talk to the men, I am aware that there are many problems with formation. There is a serious lack of formators. This means that sometimes unsuitable people are given important roles within the formation process or that individuals are withdrawn from what they want to be doing in order to fill a sudden gap. One thing that is staring us in the face is the need for Provinces and Commissariats to work together in formation for the good of the candidates. I am very aware of the problems of joint formation and that experiences in the past have not always been happy ones. I am also aware that each Province has its own particular culture and that when two Provinces try to work together, even within the same country, there can very often be serious clashes of cultures. Because of these problems, I have suggested a number of times another approach to joint formation. If truly joint formation is not possible, is it not possible for one Province to have a noviciate or student house to which candidates from other Provinces are made welcome? This already exists in one or two areas but perhaps needs to be extended. It is the noviciate or student house of one Province and its policies are respected by these other Provinces sending candidates. These issues need to be discussed at local levels but perhaps this body can make some suggestions.

At the General Chapter 1995, a cultural policy was accepted. When the time came for the General Council to put it into practice, some difficulties became apparent. First of all there were some cultural difficulties in understanding the meaning of the word "culture" as used at the General Chapter 1995. Then there was the difficulty of understanding how the work of the proposed "Delegate for Culture" would impinge on the work of the Institutum Carmelitanum or with that of the General Councillor responsible for the area.

The General Council decided to nominate a Delegate for Culture, Fr. Paul Lennon (Hib), whose role would be to promote higher studies within the Order. For a number of reasons not a great deal has been done in the area. It is of course important for Provincials to promote higher studies within their Provinces or Commissariats. My question for discussion with regard to this area is: What more could / should we be doing in this area?

Regarding the Institutum Carmelitanum in Rome, what does the future hold? Is there going to be an endless supply of suitably qualified Carmelite friars to continue the work of the Institute? How will the increasing changes in global communications affect the Institute? What about a "Virtual Institute", that is, whose members live in different parts of the world but who plan things together and who communicate regularly? Could that work and how? What about joining forces with other Carmelite Institutes throughout the world and putting a Carmelite library on the Internet? It is vital that friars who have the capacity for research be given the time to pursue this. Pastoral work is of course important but so also is academic research. Those who are capable of this must be given the support necessary to carry out their work. If they are doing research within their own Provinces, they must be somehow "protected" so that they are not overwhelmed by other work.

5. Finances

Later in this meeting we will receive a report on the finances of the Order and on the work done on the General Curia building and CISA. At this point I would like to raise some questions for discussion. The Order, as most Orders in the Church, is changing, in the sense that the Provinces in the developed world are declining and the great rise in vocations is occurring in the under developed parts of the world. In practice this means that there will probably be less money to pay for projects than in the past. Can we begin to consider what our options are before hasty decisions are forced on us?

Is there a way of making the General Curia less financially dependent on the Provinces? Several times the General Council have appointed men to positions simply because they live in or near Rome in order to save costs, or we have decided not to do something we believe would be of value in order to save money. Hopefully in the long term, when the debts for the refurbished CISA are paid off, this will provide a very good source of income for the General Curia. In the past an attempt was made to make the Curia more independent by means of the Financial Plan but this did not raise as much money as was expected. Is it worthwhile to consider setting up a development office for the General Curia? How could this work? Would this involve a change in the terms of reference of the General Economic Commission which has a role of technical advice to the Bursar General? Could the General Economic Commission also be given the task of seeking funds from business or charitable sources for the work of the Order as a whole? Several Provinces have something like a development office. Would the setting up of a similar office for the General Curia impinge on the fundraising of the Provinces?

6. Carmelite Family

I am sure that all of us from our own experience would agree with the insight expressed in the post synodal document, Vita Consecrata: "The participation of the laity often brings unexpected and rich insights into certain aspects of the charism, leading to a more spiritual interpretation of it and helping to draw from it directions for new activities in the apostolate." (VC 55).

The Carmelite Family has grown and developed greatly in recent years with many new members and new groups. New ways of understanding the relationships between the different components within the Carmelite Family are emerging. These developments have been a great enrichment for all of us. At the General Chapter 1995, a desire was expressed to define more clearly who are members of the Carmelite Family. We have a very wide description of the Carmelite Family in the Constitutions (Cf. art. 28).

I do not think that we are in a position to give a strict definition of the Carmelite Family nor perhaps would we want to at present. There are, however, certain issues which we need to face in the future. One of these issues is the position of the traditional Third Order within the Carmelite Family. In some places this is a very flourishing reality while in others there are no Third Order members. So what is the importance for us of the Third Order within the Carmelite Family? Some prefer to use the term "Carmelite Laity". Are we talking about the same thing?

Another issue arises about the Third Order Rule. The present legislation was approved by the Holy See in 1976 for a limited period of time. We need to present some updated legislation. What should be presented? In some Provinces the Rule of St. Albert is the preferred inspiration for the Third Order with the present Third Order Rule acting something like Constitutions applying the Albertine legislation to lay life. For others this is a serious error. Representatives of the Third Order have been asked about this at a meeting in Fatima (September 1998) and the questions will be presented again at the meeting of the Carmelite Laity in Sassone (April 2000). A text has been sent to Third Order directors so that they will pass it on to some groups for study and comment. This text is based on the present Third Order Rule with some modifications made by the Commission for Carmelite Laity. So what should be done regarding the Third Order Rule? Must there be one Rule for all or is it possible to have two groups, one following the Rule of St. Albert using the present Third Order legislation like Constitutions and the other group following the Third Order Rule as it has always been with modifications to incorporate modern documents?

7. Social Communications

Clearly the area of social communications is one of rapid change. Several of our Provinces have excellent publications and now have home pages on the Internet which attract a lot of attention. The General Curia as you know has its own home page. In 1998 we appointed Fr. Henk Hoekstra (Neer) as the General Delegate for Social Communications. He proposed a course on this topic and this was presented during the annual Ongoing Formation Course in January 1999. In CITOC 1999, n. 2, you can read the message of the group which attended the course. They make a number of suggestions which I reproduce here and which could be the basis for further discussion:
1. Encourage all Provinces to produce Internet pages.
2. Make a commitment to provide Internet equipment to parts of the Order where there are not sufficient means.
3. Put a strong statement on the need for communication training in RIVC - technical, spiritual and social.
4. Move into CD design and production.
5. Establish provincial communications group.
6. Establish international communications group, which would provide a forum for the General Delegates for Culture (Higher Studies), Communications and Formation to work together.
7. Discuss social communications at international meetings (e.g. General Congregation, Bamberg 1999).
8. Produce video in various languages on Carmel.
9. Set clear objectives for each year (Year 1, acquire the equipment; year 2, learn how to use the equipment; Year 3, produce useful materials with the equipment.).
10. Establish divisions for electronic publications in the major institutes of the Order.

What more can we do as an Order in the area of social communications? How can we best use these modern means for the good of the whole Order and for our mission in the Church and the world?

8. Justice and Peace

As a contemplative fraternity at the service of God's people, we take to heart the words of Vita Consecrata that the Christ encountered in contemplation is the same who lives and suffers in the poor (VC 82). The same number speaks of the option for the poor as being inherent in the very structure of love lived in Christ. "All of Christ's disciples are held to this option, but those who wish to follow the Lord more closely, imitating his attitudes, cannot but feel involved in a very special way. The sincerity of their response to Christ's love will lead them to live a life of poverty and to embrace the cause of the poor." (VC 82).

As an Order we have made an option for the poor but what does that mean in practice? What effect should this option have on our structures and on the way we carry on our mission?

There seems to be a problem with this issue in our Order. In many places it seems to be a tired topic with not much life left in it. Those who are committed to working in the area of Justice and Peace tend to be rather isolated. The other members of the Province rightly insist that they are in fact working for and with the poor. There are in fact many wonderful works going on in the Order to help the poor and marginalised. However, I think that Justice and Peace takes a step beyond working for the poor. It poses some questions: Why are there so many poor not just in under-developed countries but also in the wealthy countries? Why is the number of homeless in our cities inexorably increasing?

We do not only evangelise the poor; we need to be evangelised by them. I think that the Gospel looks different from the standpoint of the poor. So what is the future for Justice and Peace promotion in the Order as a whole and for the structure of the General Council?

9. Organisation of the Order

Under this heading I want to open up some reflection on the future structures of the Order. In some areas where there is a dearth of vocations, is it not time to consider the possibility of amalgamation? We have the example of the new Italian Province. Unification is a delicate process which requires preparation and understanding. I do not believe that this is a process to be undertaken only as a last resort; we need to plan for the future and to use our resources in the best way possible for the good of the mission of the Order as a whole and of course for the sake of the Kingdom.

The structure of the regions seems to work very well in some parts of the world and not so well in other areas. Do we need to rethink this structure? If so, any suggestions?

We also need to reflect on the structure of the General Council. This group is elected by the General Chapter to serve the whole Order. I want to raise the question of how the structure of the General Council as laid down in the Constitutions actually functions. Under the heading of "Finances", I have mentioned some issues which the Order needs to face regarding paying for the work of the General Council. I think that we also need to examine the structure of the General Council from the financial point of view. It is easy for a General Chapter to decree that several International Commissions be set up but someone has to pay the expenses. Also the number of members of the Council has financial implications. I can categorically state that this General Council is very careful about spending money so the cost of the style of government outlined in the Constitutions is approximately what has been presented in the annual accounts. Can the Order continue to bear this financial burden and does it wish to? Is this the style and structure of General Government that the Order needs now and for the future? Do we wish to make some proposals about the structure of the General Council for the General Chapter to consider?

10. Mission

"Those who love God, the Father of all, cannot fail to love their fellow human beings, whom they recognise as brothers and sisters. Precisely for this reason, they cannot remain indifferent to the fact that many men and women do not know the full manifestation of God's love in Christ. The result, in obedience to Christ's commandment, is the missionary drive ad gentes." (VC 77).

The Order has always had a missionary thrust and Carmelites have preached the Gospel and planted the Order in many new lands. In recent years we are witnessing a new missionary thrust. We have opened a mission in Mozambique and in Trinidad. We have begun a process in Vietnam which will hopefully lead to a foundation in the future with strong roots. The next foundations we hope to make are in Kenya, Burkina Faso and Romania. Other places are calling to us - Lithuania, Hungary, Russia, Liberia, Cameroon and China. In order to begin a process of making foundations in these countries we need men who are willing either to go to these places or to dedicate time and effort in working towards a future foundation. Also Provinces need to be willing to take responsibility for these new missionary thrusts.

One issue which we must face is how we as an Order wish to share our Carmelite values with cultures in which we are not as yet present. The Upper German Province faced this issue nearly thirty years ago when it desired to make a foundation in India. It was not possible to send German Carmelites to live in India and so they choose suitable candidates in India and brought them to Germany where they received their Carmelite formation and completed all their studies. They then returned to India where they were responsible for founding our Order in that country.

That experience of the Upper German Province has been a model for other experiments in the more recent past. The political situation in Vietnam is such that foreigners would not be allowed to enter the country as missionaries. Through the work of the Donum Dei Missionary Family, we found ourselves with approximately twenty candidates for the Order. This seemed to the General Council and others to be an invitation from God which we accepted thanks to the North American Province of St. Elias and the Asian Region.

However in the case of Vietnam and other countries too, another element has entered. The established Provinces no longer have the vocations to be able to send several men to set up a formation community in another country. The idea which the General Council has followed in these cases is to involve several Provinces in the project. This may mean that one Province can send men while others will support the project financially as is the case in Mozambique. Another possibility is that two or more Provinces will collaborate in the same mission by sending men for a joint project.

However there also exists the case where it is not possible to send men to a particular country where we wish to establish ourselves or where candidates are presenting themselves. Two particular cases come to mind. The first is in Lithuania where we have recently received an invitation to return with the promise of getting back any of our churches. The second is in Cameroon where, through the work of Donum Dei Missionary Family, we have several candidates. Our brothers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have very generously offered to be involved in the selection and formation of these candidates despite their own difficult situation. Other similar cases exist. The question which I would like to pose to you for your reflection and for the General Chapter on this issue is what approach should we as an Order have in cases like this? Various Provinces have welcomed young men from other cultures in order to form and send them back to their own culture to found Carmel there. Clearly there are a number of difficulties involved in this approach. Is this the best way forward for the Order? Are there other possible approaches? What is the desire of the Order regarding growth of the Order in countries and cultures where as yet we are not present? I do not necessarily expect clear answers from this forum but perhaps we could formulate the questions and make proposals for the General Chapter to consider.

Conclusion

My hope is that this General Congregation will be a fruitful preparation for the General Chapter. There are many challenges which face us but these provide opportunities for us to be creatively faithful to our vocation to be a contemplative fraternity at the service of God's people. Let us seek together responses to these challenges. Christ, who calls us to follow him is with us for "wherever two or three gather in my name, there am I in there midst" (Mt. 18,20).
 

REPORT OF THE
GENERAL COUNCILLOR FOR
EVANGELISATION
 

Introduction

As children of men and children of our age, we have been greatly influenced by Freud, Jung and modern psychology. As a result of this and of a long Greco-Roman history of philosophy, we have become engrossed in ourselves and our inner self, we have become self-absorbed individualists, creating the illusion that we are the centre of everything on the individual level, on the community level, on the national level and even as a species. But as children of God, we Carmelites are the sons of the Prophets, brothers of Our Blessed Lady, walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ in order to live for others and to give witness to the universality of the salvation which Jesus Christ brought to humanity by his cross and resurrection. For us Carmelites, therefore, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there are no boundaries or frontiers, neither Australian Carmelite nor Italian Carmelite nor Indian Carmelite nor Congolese Carmelite nor Brazilian Carmelite. And so, Christ becomes the centre of everything on an individual level, on the community level, on the national level and on an Order level.

Since our last meeting in Lisieux in September1997, much has happened in the Africa, Asia and Australia region.

1. Africa

Burkina Faso: In July 1998, Fr. Eugene Kabore (Baet) and myself met Bishop Anselme Sanon of Bobo Dioulasso, who welcomed us and helped us find a suitable location for a new foundation. We made our recommendations to the Province of Betica and the Province took the decision to start the foundation in December 1999 with two Burkinabes friars, one Spanish and one Italian.

In Burkina Faso there are two communities of Missionary Family "Donum Dei" in Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso. We owe a debt of gratitude to them for our vocations from Burkina Faso

Cameroon: In July 1998, Fr. Carlo Cicconetti, Italian Provincial, Fr. Jean-Marie D'Undji, Commissary Provincial of the Congo and myself met in Butembo, Democratic Republic of Congo, to discuss the future of vocations to the Order in Cameroon. With great generosity the Commissariat of the Congo accepted the responsibility for the formation of Cameroonese vocations with a view to eventually returning them to Cameroon. It was also decided that formators from the Congo would go to Cameroon once or twice a year to meet the young men there and help them discern their vocation before moving them to the Congo. In spite of the war in the Congo and at great sacrifice, Fr. Jean-Marie has recently visited Cameroon in order to initiate the plan. The Italian Province is already committed to the Congo, Romania and Colombia both financially and in personnel. It will, therefore, be necessary to find another Province to collaborate with the Congo in this project. I have approached one Province. The matter is under consideration.

In M'Balmayo, Cameroon, there is a community of Missionary Family "Donum Dei" and it is thanks to them that we have many young men interested in the Order.

Democratic Republic of Congo: The Congo is at war and in an economic and political mess. However, the Carmelites there at present are well and flourishing. We remember in prayer and with deep sorrow the murder of our Br. Jean-Floribert Mandro Kamaragi by thieves who, it seems, were also politically motivated. We congratulate our Congolese confreres for the progress they are making.

In the Congo there is a new community of the Hermanas de la Virgen María del Monte Carmelo.

Kenya: Nairobi is a centre for advanced studies and Kenya is an area worthy of our missionary attention. The General Council decided that we should investigate the possibility of a foundation there. I approached the Upper German Province and the Indian Provincial Commissariat and the brothers from our Indian Commissariat have generously accepted to send men to Kenya. We also have Kenyan students in our Provinces of Catalonia and Arago-Valentina. Together with Fr. Manuel Bonilla, Provincial of Catalonia, we visited Kenya in June 1999. We gained much useful information. On this occasion, here in Bamberg, I hope to have a meeting with the Provincials of Upper Germany, Catalonia, Arago-Valentina and the Commissary of India to discuss further the future of the mission in Kenya.

The cloistered nuns from Utrera (Spain) will be making a foundation in the diocese of Machakos, Kenya, next October. Four Kenyan and three Spanish nuns will form the community. This will be our first foundation of enclosed Carmelite nuns in Africa.

There is also one community of Missionary Family "Donum Dei" in Nairobi.

We also have some 400 Third Order members looked after by Fr. Joseph De Marie, a Consolata Father, who has made this his apostolate for the past 35 years. He obtained the approval of the then Prior General, Fr. Kilian Healey, and the permission of his superiors to carry out this apostolate. As he is getting on in years, he is looking forward to the arrival of our friars in order to hand over the care of the tertiaries to them.

Liberia: We have some vocations in Liberia thanks to the "Corpus Christi" Carmelite Sisters (CCC) who had a house there but who, since the war broke out, have gone back to the United States. The idea of planning for the establishment a foundation there is still in its very early stages.

Mozambique: At our last meeting in Lisieux (1997), I had mentioned that we were planning a foundation in Mozambique. This foundation became a reality in August 1998 when Br. Amilton Vidotto and Fr. Severino de Freitas Castro, both from the Province of Pernambuco, were installed by the archbishop of Beira in the mission of Gorongoza. Since then, Fr. Telesforo Machado (Pern) has joined these two brothers. The De La Salle Brothers have built a new school in the mission. Our brothers have made extensive repairs to their residence and four houses for teachers. They have also acquired a four-wheel drive vehicle to visit the out stations of the mission and travel on very rough roads. They still need much financial help to repair the church, two boarding houses and a kitchen for school children that come from afar and board at the mission. Much credit and thanks go to the Province of Pernambuco for supplying men, to the Province of Ireland for great moral and financial support, for the Provincial Commissariat of Zimbabwe for their care of the brothers in Mozambique and much moral support, to the Provinces of Britain, PCM and Commissariat of Portugal for much needed financial assistance.

In Mozambique we also have four communities of Hermanas Carmelitas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús to whom we also owe a debt of gratitude for encouraging vocations to our Order.

Tanzania: Our first Tanzanian brother, Paul Kaigalura (Brun), who was solemnly professed this year in Naples, will be ordained priest next 12 September. There are five other Tanzanian brothers in the Commissariat of "La Bruna". Great praise goes to the Commissariat of "La Bruna" which, small as it is, has a true missionary spirit and is willing to make great sacrifices for the missions.

In Tanzania we also have the Suore Carmelitane Missionarie di S. Teresa del Bambino Gesù who were instrumental in the promotion of vocations and in the process of discernment of these vocations.

Zimbabwe: Like the Congo, the Commissariat of Zimbabwe is going from strength to strength. Our brothers there have built a new wing to the house of studies in order to accommodate the growing number of students. We praise God and the brothers for the great work being done in Zimbabwe.

In Zimbabwe we have the Handmaids of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a Carmelite congregation founded by Bishop Donal Lamont (Hib). They have about 100 professed sisters and some 20 missions. They work very closely with our friars.

Rwanda: We need to keep in mind and in our prayers our Hermanas de la Virgen Maria del Monte Carmelo who have a house in Rwanda and live under great pressure and suffering because of the war between Hutu and Tutsi. They bear true witness to the Gospel of love in the midst of hatred.

2. Asia

China: The Chinese race constitutes more than one fifth of the world's population. Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore are the principal centres of Chinese population although, of course, there are large or small communities of Chinese people in many countries of the world. Last January and February, therefore, I visited these four countries (Cf. CITOC 1999, p. 47-49).

India, Indonesia, Philippines: I have put these three countries together because all I can say about them is that they are all doing very well in terms of apostolates undertaken and of vocations, and are the promise of great things for the Order.

The Indian Provincial Commissariat has two new communities, one in Kerala and one in the North of India. In India we also have three houses of the sisters of the Istituto di Nostra Signora del Carmelo.

The Province of Indonesia has started a community in East Timor. In Indonesia there are two monasteries of cloistered Carmelite nuns. The Hermanas de la Virgen María del Monte Carmelo have several houses in East Timor, East Java and Jakarta. Then there are the Putri Karmel and the Congregation Carmelitae Sancti Eliae (CSE) both founded by Fr. Johanes Indrakusuma (Indo) and seeking affiliation to the Order. The Third Order of Carmel is also strong and growing in Indonesia.

In the Philippines we have five monasteries of enclosed Carmelite nuns. Also two houses of the Suore Carmelitane Missionarie di S. Teresa del Bambino Gesù, three of the Congregazione della nostra Signora del Monte Carmelo, nine of the Suore Carmelitane della Nostra Signora and one of the Missionary Family "Donum Dei". The Third Order is large and flourishing in the Philippines.

Vietnam: At our last meeting in Lisieux (1997), the Vietnam project was still in the future. It is now a reality. The Province of St. Elias has taken responsibility for the project with the collaboration of the Provinces of Indonesia and Australia.

There are now four Vietnamese students in the United States for their initial formation and several others waiting in Vietnam.

3. Australia

The Australian Province, since its last Chapter, has set up two formation communities and appointed a full-time vocations director. This has come at the cost of returning the parish of Pennington, which we looked after for nearly a century, to the archdiocese of Adelaide. However, there is a sense of guarded optimism and hope for the future of the Province.
 

REPORT OF THE
GENERAL COUNCILLOR FOR
JUSTICE AND PEACE
 

1. The Letter to the Provinces

In 1996, we sent a letter to all the Provinces asking them to name Justice and Peace promoters in their Provinces if they had not already done so and to forward the names of all named Justice and Peace promoters to Rome. Following on this there would be contact with the members of the commission and arrangements made to conduct training programmes in the different Provinces. This letter got a notable response from the Provinces. It was followed by the naming of promoters in some of the Provinces, and some meetings with commissions and promoters by the members of the International Commission. More progress needs to be made in this direction.

2. The Work of the International Commission

The International Commission met in Dordrecht in 1996, Madrid in 1997 and in Rome 1999. The Dordrecht meeting was devoted to a reading of the results of the General Chapter 1995. A short document was published. The 1997 meeting worked on the project to establish promoters in each of the Provinces. This year, 1999, the Commission for Justice and Peace met the Commission for Charism and Spirituality. The two commissions looked at their understanding of the Carmelite Charism and the ways in which they can be of service to the Order. The Commission for Justice and Peace then continued by working on two important proposals, to have an International Carmelite NGO (Non Governmental Organisation) recognised by the United Nations and to organise a formation course for promoters in 2001. The commission contributed to the Carmelite Spiritual Directory, and to the renewal of the RIVC. It sees as its major objective to contribute to the formation of the members of the Carmelite Family in the area of their mission to Justice and Peace. The commission sometimes answers direct requests for help and support from individual members of the Order. The Titus Brandsma Bulletin has proved a useful instrument for communication. There is room for development in this area.

3. The Situation in the Provinces

Latin America. The parish of Los Rosales opened a social centre with a variety of services for the poor. The brothers in Colombia continue to work for justice through the campesino missions and the base communities. In Brazil there is a promise of a new commission formed through INTERCAB, therefore a commission of the Carmelite Family. Some Carmelites are involved with the people in the struggle to overcome problems related to the land.

Asia. The interest in Justice and Peace remains high in the Philippines, in relation to the formation programme and involvement with the organisations of the local people. Just recently a whole change has come about in Indonesia. The Church and the Carmelites are taking on new positions in supporting the people more openly in their struggle against corruption and dictatorship. In India the work has not begun but there interest is beginning.

In Australia the Province named a new promoter with a special interest in the spirituality of Justice and Peace.

In North America the commission of the Province of the PCM which has a long history has continued to support projects through the CCF (Carmelite Charity Fund) and the CDF (Carmelite Development Fund). The statement offered to the recent Provincial Chapter contains strong guidelines for the future. The Province of St. Elias has maintained its Commission for Spirituality and Justice.

In Northern Europe the commission in the Netherlands continues to take an interest in the areas of health, migrants, etc. The commission organises study days for the members of the Province. Two such days took place recently, one on the topic, "Where should we search for the face of God? and Are we sometimes looking in the wrong places?" The second was devoted to the situation of migrants, with the challenging idea of, "Let's not accept any more". The commission still meets five or six times a year. In Ireland a new commission for social awareness was set up. This commission has organised study days, shared in the campaign against the debt and the death penalty and shows real signs of making further contributions. The two German Provinces named a joint commission which was responsible for a project to help young people get an experience of life in the poor countries of the world. In Britain the commission has had it mandate renewed by the recent Provincial Chapter with a view to having a group that will help the rest of the Province reflect on its own experience of injustice and how to overcome it.

In Mediterranean Europe the commission of the Iberian Region has been very active, along with the local NGO and the work of the parish of Saragossa which continues to offer clear leadership in the area of taking care of the poor in an urban setting. In Malta, the Province named a commission. The members of the Province took part in a series of meetings on the topic of the Carmelite perspective on Justice and Peace. In Italy, the Italian Province named a new Justice and Peace promoter. In addition a number of initiatives have taken place. These include the work of the parish of Torrespaccata and the chaplaincy team in Sandro Pertini Hospital (Rome). The social centre in Carmine Maggiore continues to offer a variety of services to immigrants and to the local poor. The Roman committee of the Carmelite Family has continued to meet and to reflect on the experience of each of its members. It has now been meeting regularly for over seven years.

The situation in Africa is hard to assess. In Zimbabwe the Church has a very good record in matters of Justice and Peace. Des Clarke, who for many years co-ordinated the work of Justice and Peace died just a few months ago. His successors are being sought. In the Congo the situation is critical. With the tragic entry of violence into one of their own houses the brothers are being made more and more aware of the problems of justice. Since the resignation of Fr. Joseph Abad (Aust) from the International Commission it has been difficult to find an African replacement on the Commission.

4. The Proposal for an NGO at the United Nations

The UN is a place to be in dialogue with the world on the central issues

affecting our world today. There are about forty religious congregations, which now have NGO status at the United Nations. These NGOs are able to contribute to the debates which take place at the UN headquarters in New York and Geneva. The UN welcomes the participation by Religious Order is so far as the Orders support the aims of the organisation. Religious Orders have the possibility, indirectly, to influence the formulation of those aims.

Proposal . . . . . . . . .

1. that the work should be done in order to have the Carmelite Order recognised as an NGO by the United Nations. This will include establishing what will be the principal aim of the Order in relation to the work of the United Nations.
2. that this NGO should be an NGO of the whole Carmelite Family. We need to bear in mind that the Discalced Carmelites have already made their application and the idea has not yet been discussed with the members of the affiliated Congregations.
3. that the NGO should have an office in New York and a permanent representative. Failing that, it should at least have a number of part-time representatives. The representative or representatives should take part in the work of the committees related to the ideals of our Order, adding their voice and experience to that of numerous other Religious Orders who are there at present.
4. for this proposal to be accepted our channels of communication must serve to communicate the decisions and aspirations of the United Nations to the members of our Order and through them to a wider public.

To support the work of training Justice and Peace promoters in each of the Provinces it is deemed necessary to have a course along the lines of the international ongoing formation programme of the Order. The proposal is as follows: a course lasting three weeks, aimed at exploring the work of Justice and Peace from a Carmelite perspective, consisting of a study of actual situations, the Scriptures, the Carmelite charism, and the social teaching of the Catholic Church. The course will be open to 60 participants, from the whole Carmelite Family. It will take place in Aylesford in 2001. Notice will be given as soon as possible about the programme and the cost of the course. The members of the International Commission will be in contact with the leaders of the Carmelite Family to help encourage their members to take part.

6. A Manual for Promoters of Justice and Peace

In the last few years, a group of Justice and Peace promoters from a variety of Religious Congregations including the Carmelites produced a manual to help in the training of Justice and Peace promoters. The 200 page A4 size manual, in so far as we can judge, has been well received. It is published in English, Spanish, French and Italian. There is also talk of a German edition coming out. In the Philippines the Claretians published a slightly edited version of the text in an attractive book form.

In conclusion I wish to thank the members of the Order who have served and those who continue to serve on the International Commission, Provincials and Commissaries, who have shown their interest and support for this work and the members of the General Council, who continue to keep this work as a priority.
 

REPORT OF THE
GENERAL COUNCILLOR FOR
LATIN AMERICA
 

1. Introduction

To be able to understand the actual work going on in Latin America we must remember the meeting of Carmelite Superiors of Latin America celebrated in September 1990 in Jacarepagua - Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). At that meeting it was decided that all activities will be developed at Carmelite Family level in which the priority should be given to formation, especially the formation of formators.

Fr. Domingo Fragoso (Flum) as General Councillor organised two courses for formators. These courses came to be known as FOCAL (Formators of Latin America). The sisters helped in the preparation of the courses and also participated in them. The first FOCAL was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It lasted 40 days. The second FOCAL was held in Caracas (Venezuela) in 1994. It lasted for 35 days. In this course some of our students participated.

2. Superiors meeting - Camocim 1996

In September 1996 another meeting of Latin American superiors was held at Camocim in the North-eastern part of Brazil. There it was decided to continue with FOCAL courses and that there should be a team to co-ordinate the Carmelite Family in Latin America. This team will be formed by four persons elected by the General Council. Fr. Wilmar invited Fr. Carlos Mesters, Fr. Josu6 Ghizoni, Sister Marlene Frinhani (General Superior of the Irmas Carmelitas da Divina Providencia) and Sister Josefina Baraldi (Provincial Superior of the Congregation Suore Carmelitane di Santa Teresa del Bambino Gesù).These people, all from Brazil, were chosen for economic reasons: there is no fund to pay for trips from one country to another as those selected are from the same country, it is easier for them to meet in Sao Paolo without much expenses. Sr. Josefina died in a car accident a year later, she was substituted by Sr. Celina Dalazoana.

3) FOCAL

In keeping with the decisions taken at the superiors' meeting, three FOCAL were organised, each focusing on a level of initial formation.
a) FOCAL III (Postulancy)

This meeting was held on September 1998 at Los Teques (Caracas). It was a meeting of superiors of the Carmelite Family of Latin America in which 22 superiors or delegates participated. Theme: "To let our mendicant origin, the situation in Latin America and the new trends in spirituality question us."

Principal Decisions
-- The Latin American Carmelites Superiors Meeting will be held in September 2000 at Lima (Peru).
-- FOCAL will take place in the years 1999, 2001 and 2003. The 1999 FOCAL will focus on initial formation at the level Juniorate and it will be held in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic).
-- To use Internet as a resource: E-mail (electronic mail), Electronic Library, To design a web page for Latin America.
-- CRESCAR (Course of Revitalisation in Carmelite Spirituality), to consider biblical formation. The women's Congregations took the challenge presented by this proposal and started the experience of biblical formation together, making use of the human resources in Brazil. The purpose is to form cadres for the whole of Latin America.
-- Parish Apostolate: To spread Carmelite spirituality and to emphasise our charism in the parishes where we are present.
-- Meeting of Carmelite teachers.
-- Young Carmelites Meeting: To create an international awareness concerning gatherings of young Carmelites in initial formation, and to send a written invitation to persons of other countries who would like to participate.

It was also decided that the superiors of the First Order will organise a separate meeting of directors of Postulants to work a common program for this level of initial formation in order to be able to have a common noviciate in the future.

5. Meeting of directors of postulants

According to the decision of superiors, this meeting was held in Merida, Venezuela in February 8 to 13, 1999. Fourteen formators participated. A common program was worked out for the Postulancy. It was stated that there are 68 postulants in Latin America and that 34 of them are Spanish speaking and 34 are Portuguese speaking.

6. Another experience of common noviciate

In 1997 in Graciosa - Paranà (Brazil) a common Noviciate was established with novices from the Provincial Commissariat of Paranà and the Provinces of Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco and 2 Bolivian novices belonging to the Province of Malta. In the 80's a similar experience was made at Camocim de Sa6 Felix (Brazil). The result was also good. The Commissariat of Paranà and the Province of Pernambuco continue having a common noviciate. The Commissariat of Paranà is responsible for this common noviciate.

7. Numbers of students in initial formation

During FOCAL V held in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) from August 3 to 17, 1999, the following statistic of students in initial were counted:

8. Meetings of the joint commission O.Carm - OCD for Latin America

Over the last six years, meetings of this joint commission have been taking place. The participants in this commission have been Frs. Albano Quinn, Bruno Secondin, Carlos Mesters, Pedro Arenas, Tarsicio M. Gotay, Tito Figueirôa de Medeiros and Wilmar Santin, O.Carm., Juan Berdonces, Oswaldo Azuaje, Patricio Sciadini, Raú1 Tapia Santamaria, Rómulo Cuartas and Silvio José Biez, OCD. The first meeting of this commission was held in Ecuador, the second in Puerto Rico. During this second meeting a study was made as to the manner in which Carmelites read the Bible. This study has been published both in Spanish and Portuguese.

Guatemala - 1996: The theme of the meeting was "New paradigms of sainthood. A re-reading of some Carmelite saints from Latin America". This study has been published in Spanish by the Discalced Carmelites of Ecuador. It will also be published in Portuguese.

Curitiba - 1998: The theme was: "The prophetic dimension of Carmelite Spirituality". It will be published by the Discalced Carmelites of Mexico.

Mexico - 1999: The theme was: "The Apostolic Dimension of Carmel". To be also published by the Discalced Carmelites of Mexico.

9. Visits

I have at least visited twice all convents and Carmelite houses of our Order in Latin America.
 

REPORT OF THE
GENERAL COUNCILLOR FOR
FORMATION

THE NEW RATIO INSTITUTIONIS VITAE CARMELITANAE
 

In 1988 the Order published its Ratio Institutionis. It was the first such since renewal by Vatican II. Among religious institutes, we were among the first to draw up our own Ratio Institutionis. And not only that; it is one of the best. The definitive text was the fruit of a long and laborious process. It involved consultation, meetings and revisions including the majority of experts and formators in the Order. There was also an international congress of formators who extensively discussed the document.

I do not think I exaggerate when I say that the RIVC 1988 is the best document that the Order has produced since Vatican Council II. I am convinced that it heralds a break-through in the understanding and presentation of our charism. It is the first time that the charism is officially characterised by the three elements of contemplation, fraternity and service. The intuition is that there is an underlying, basic element which unifies the three areas, and which is described as the desert experience. The presentation of the charism made by the RIVC was little by little accepted by the Order and enlivened the contents of the new Constitutions approved by the General Chapter of 1995.

In the meantime, besides the new Constitutions, various important Church documents had been issued, which made revision of our RIVC necessary. Besides, this revision was already foreseen by the RIVC itself (n.133) and prescribed by the Constitutions (n. 129). 1990 saw the document on formation in religious institutes, Postissimum Institutioni come to light. In February 1994, the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life published the document Fraternal Life in Community. The Synod on consecrated life in October 1994 offered its reflections, later elaborated in the apostolic exhortation Vita consecrata (1996).

One of the first concerns of the Prior General, immediately following the General Chapter of 1995 was that of the revision of the RIVC, to whose elaboration he himself had made a notable contribution. This task was given to me as Councillor General for Formation.

The text of 1988 was very fine, and so it was supposed that the revision would be very simple, practically bringing the document up-to-date by including the new documents of the Church and the Constitutions. From the beginning my project was broader. I did not wish that the new RIVC merely look to the past and particularly to the recently approved new Constitutions, but that it look ahead, namely, that it take some steps forward in the understanding and presentation of our charism in view of future Constitutions. This general criterion for the revision of the RIVC was shared by the International Formation Commission, set up by the General Council. Each of the geographical areas of the Order was to be represented: North America (Fr. David McEvoy), Latin America (Fr. Tarsicio M. Gotay), Northern Europe (Fr. Christian Körner), Southern Europe (Fr. Domenico Lombardo for the first two years and then Fr. Giovanni Grosso), Africa (Fr. Jean Marie D'Undji), Asia-Australia (Fr. Dionysius Kosasih).

The following is the process followed by this commission in the revision of the RIVC: each regional representative organised for two successive years a meeting of the formators of his region to study the RIVC and to suggest changes and improvements of the text; the commission then met to study these suggestions and take necessary decisions. For the editing of the new text the commission charged three of its members, Giovanni Grosso, Christian Körner and myself. During these last two years this subcommission met four times for about ten days each time. The first draft of the first part was sent to all provincials and formators in April 1998. From suggestions received we drew up a second draft which was mailed to the same parties a few months ago. Now I present to you the rest of the RIVC; we are open to your suggestions. The formators will be able to make suggestions on the last two parts and also to study the whole document at the international congress for formators to be held in San Felice del Benaco, Italy, from September 28 to October 5 of this year. The International Formation Commission will meet in Rome immediately following the congress in order to evaluate all the suggestions. Then the subcommission for the text will prepare the definitive text to present to the Prior General and his Council for their approval. We hope to complete the whole project so that the General Council can approve the new RIVC at its plenary session of March 2000.

In the elaboration of the new text, the subcommission took as its basic text the RIVC 1988 and sought to preserve the same structure and the same contents as far as possible. But at the same time it had as a general criterion what I already mentioned, namely to take a further step in the clarification of our charism. Besides, in the revision of the 1988 text, it used the following criteria:

• it kept in mind the path of the Church and of the Order from 1988 to the present and the new documents issued by the Church and the Carmelite;
• it kept in mind the experience and sharing among formators, especially during regional meetings;
• while maintaining the anthropological and psychological principles of the RIVC 1988, it sought to frame them better in a theological-spiritual style;
• it sought to use a style and language pedagogically sensitive;
• it sought out a certain balance between various sensibilities (remember that the RIVC is for the whole Order; every region and Province should make necessary adaptations in their formation programmes);
• it sought to simplify the document, eliminating various repetitions in the RIVC 1988.

At the beginning of the document we wished to place a citation from the final document of the General Chapter of 1995 which illustrates the concept of journey in our tradition. This citation serves as a key to the reading of the whole new RIVC in which we present all of formation as a dynamic process. This idea is already present in the first paragraph of the Introduction as our response to the love and call of God. In the Introduction, besides a synthetic recall of our charism and spirituality, we also wanted to frame our formation discourse within the world in which we live, by which we are influenced and to which we are sent as evangelisers. The last paragraph of the Introduction reminds us that the one charism of Carmel should be expressed and incarnated in diverse cultures, eras and places. This is an important principle which from the very beginning points out that what is said in the RIVC must be received and inculturated in the concrete reality of each Province.

Part I, "The Process of Formation", has three chapters. In the first, "Called to the following of Christ," we try to give the theological and pedagogical principles which should be the basis of our formation. Much of this material is taken from the RIVC of 1988.

The second chapter, "Called to Carmelite life", presents the charism of the Order in function of formation. In this part there is something notably new which actually we do not believe changes anything but only clarifies what was already contained in RIVC 1988 and which the new Constitutions state about the charism. The RIVC 1988 presents the Carmelite charism as made up of three elements: the contemplative dimension, fraternity, to live in the midst of the people. Then, after having presented Elijah and Mary as inspirational figures, the document speaks of the desert experience as the fundamental experience that unites all the elements of the charism. N. 28 is clear: "In Carmelite spirituality the desert is the contemplative life," and it continues clarifying this idea of contemplation as it is understood in our spiritual tradition. We of the commission and many formators at the regional meetings asked ourselves: What is the difference between the contemplative dimension as the first element of the charism and the fundamental and unifying experience of the desert which the document itself identifies with contemplation?

The Constitutions take up the presentation of the charism drawn up in the RIVC 1988. They begin with "the experience of the desert as a dynamic, unifying process" of the three basic elements of the charism and then present them one by one. But also in the Constitutions there is an identification implied between the desert experience and contemplation. Thus n. 15 ends the section on the desert experience with the words: "When, through this process, we are able to see reality with the eyes of God, our attitude towards the world is transformed by his love and the contemplation of the loving presence of God expresses itself in our life of fraternity and of service." Then, in the paragraphs which describe the three elements of the charism, it is quite clear that the Constitutions implicitly present the contemplative dimension as the one which unites the other elements of the charism (Cf. beginning of nn. 16, 19, 21).

To our commission and to many formators it seemed that the new RIVC should clarify the truly unifying element of our charism. In the first draft sent to all provincials and formators in April 1988, we spoke only of the three elements which make up our charism - contemplation, fraternity and service - the first of which is the unifying element. The reaction to this model was positive, but the group of formators of Northern Europe suggested another model which we adopted in the second draft and which we present to you. Contemplation is presented as the heart of the Carmelite charism, namely as the dynamic element which unifies all the elements of the Carmelite charism (n. 26). Contemplation is understood as a process of "a progressive and continual transformation in Christ worked in us by the Spirit, by which God attracts us toward Himself by means of an interior process which leads from a dispersed periphery of life to the more interior cell of our being, where He dwells and unites us to Himself" (n.27). It is a process which demands an ascetical commitment (n.28) and which leads us to the desert experience (n. 29).

In this second draft, the first element of the charism is prayer, understood as the transforming experience of God. There is a strict bond between prayer and contemplation because prayer "is the door to contemplation" (n.31). Also, "in the Carmelite tradition, often contemplation and prayer are identified" (ibid). In the other elements of the charism - fraternity and service in the midst of the people - we tried to underscore the bond with the contemplative dimension. In this sense n. 45 on "Prophets of Justice and Peace" is particularly well phrased; it is largely inspired by the chapter on Justice and Peace of our confrere Cf. John Welch's book The Carmelite Way.

I would like to note two small, additional items in this chapter on the charism which I think are significant. Firstly, at the end of the presentation of each element of the charism, we indicate how to form candidates in the respective dimension. It is a first attempt to pass from theory to practice. We now know the charism well; we must begin seriously to live what we write with much expertise. The second point that I would like to note is the richness of citations from Carmelite sources especially in this chapter, but present also in the whole document. It is a way of recuperating our rich spiritual tradition and to rouse the reader to a better knowledge of it.

The third chapter of Part I speaks of "Subjects and Mediators of Formation". Here the basic idea is that formation is mainly the work of God and the person who responds to the call. But in this work God makes use of various mediators. As a Marian Order, we wished to follow the indications of "Potissimum Institutioni" which lists Mary among the various mediators of formation. Following the new Constitutions, we also specified the role of major superiors in formation.

Part II of the document is dedicated to the stages of the process of formation. Here we tried to simplify the material contained in RIVC 1988, avoiding the repetition of things already said in Part I. Also, we used the same scheme for all the stages, namely: a) objective and description of the phase; b) those responsible; c) structure and contents; d) criteria for discernment. In this last point we included some indications which in RIVC 1988 were found in various appendices for the evaluation to make in each stage. The phase which appears much richer than the RIVC 1988 is "formation for ministry" because we answered the request of many formators who wished to accent this section somewhat more, given that the greater part of Carmelites and of our candidates are called also to ordained ministry.

Part III, "Programme of Carmelite Studies" is completely new. My predecessor as Councillor General for Formation, Eutiquio Garcia Lazaro, had already worked extensively on a Ratio Studiorum Carmelitarum. He had consulted many of the Order's experts and he left behind a rich documentation in the archives of the General Curia. In those days there was the idea of drawing up a single Ratio Studiorum for us and our Discalced brethren; later it was seen that the propitious moment for this project had not yet arrived. Our International Formation Commission decided, from the very beginning of its work, not to publish a second document but to include the Ratio Studiorum in the Ratio Institutionis. We are aware that what we have produced is only a first attempt which will be enriched in a future revision by the experiences resulting from the new RIVC.

The scope of this "Programme of Carmelite Studies" is to guarantee that all our confreres in initial formation in every part of the Order receive the basic elements of a good Carmelite formation. Naturally, every Province will adapt the programme to its own concrete situation, emphasising some aspects and adding others. Since the majority of participants in this General Congregation are provincials, I would like to take this occasion to underscore the importance of encouragement to do higher studies. Because of our decentralised structure, the cultural level of the Order actually depends a great deal on the concern, or lack of such, of the provincials. They are called to encourage or even demand that all those who are capable do specialised studies. The new RIVC suggests that preference be given to the following areas: Sacred Scripture, spirituality, mariology, liturgy, history, religious life and patristics. This is a very concrete indication. I would ask you provincials: it is still more important that you concern yourselves seriously and concretely to prepare formators for your Provinces. Very few of our formators have received a specific formation in order to undertake the task you have asked them to do. It is a great lack of seriousness which will have a negative effect on the formation of our candidates, despite all the good will of the formators who had to improvise in order to be such.

My great satisfaction in preparing this new RIVC was in being able to involve the greater part of our formators and many other confreres in its composition. The work of consultation is not yet finished because I wait for your reactions and those of the international congress of formators. When approved, the new RIVC will be a document which mirrors not only the vision of the small subcommission which actually edited it, but that of all who are at present committed to the ministry of formation.

Finally, I would like to note that we wrote this document not only for formators and for candidates, but with the intention that it serve as an instrument of on-going formation for all of us who are still on our way towards an ideal which is never fully achieved. Therefore, it is important that once approved and printed, the new RIVC be translated, under the leadership of the provincials, as soon as possible into one's own language, when this is necessary. Also they should see how all their confreres can come to know it.
 

A CENTURY COMES TO A CLOSE

THE SOCIAL, ECCLESIAL AND CARMELITE
DIMENSION OF THE COMING JUBILEE
 

Twilight

We are witnessing the twilight of the twentieth century. This period has been called "post-modern. "It marks the end of modernity. It is the "Twilight of the Gods", the twilight of those ideologies that have dominated and devastated the world through tyrannies of the right and of the left. We are very much a part of this sunset: it circumscribes the horizon, the limits of our line of sight. Anyone who speaks about the twentieth century must realise he not an outsider but a participant in its demise; he is not just a passive observer but is hastening the arrival of its night and with it the hope of a brighter future. When he speaks about the dying century he is telling his own story and talking about his own memories. He cannot be objective or achieve the necessary distance to speak about and understand his own past. Time must pass; time becomes memory and memory becomes anecdote and only then does history reveal its meaning.

Since I am the one speaking about the end of the century I must tell you who I am - only then can my reflections be understood and put in their proper context.

I am a married lay man with two children I have done some theological studies and earn my living as a religion teacher in a State High School. I am also a lay member of the Carmelite Family. For me being a Carmelite is not just a label, but a way of life, a way of following Jesus Christ according to the guidelines of the new constitutions (Cf. n. 28).

I was born in 1965 so my experience of this century is confined to its last years. My knowledge of such crucial periods as the two World Wars, comes from books. I am an observer and participant but only in the epilogue. All the same my observations take on significance if Oscar Wilde's words are true "Life can only be understood by looking at it from its end." The Jubilee will come at the midpoint of my life. The first half of my life, adolescence and youth, coincides with the declining years of the 20th century and the second half, maturity and God willing old age, will occur in the early years of the new century and the new millennium.

I realise that mine is but one view of the century. I find consolation in the words of Franco Venturi, "The twentieth century, for me, is the continually repeated attempt to understand it." I do not pretend to say and explain everything, but I feel confident I do have something to say about this century; I will corroborate my views as far as possible with the opinions of famous writers; I would point out that tendency which in my opinion is characteristic of post-modernity - the loss of historical memory; and I will try to find new directions for the Jubilee Church and, in the church, for Carmel the heart of the heart of the world.

1. A Synthesis of the Century

The Short Century

Eric Hobsbawm coined the phrase, the Short Century. In the introduction to his book Age of Extremes, Hobsbawm recounts an episode that found little echo in the media but was symbolic of those events which start and end the Short Century. In the light of the recent war in Kosovo this takes on even greater relevance. I will quote the entire page. "On the 28 June 1992 President Mitterrand of France made a sudden, unannounced and unexpected appearance in Sarajevo, already the centre of a Balkan war that was to cost many thousands of lives during the remainder of the year. His object was to remind world opinion of the seriousness of the Bosnian crisis. Indeed, the presence of a distinguished, elderly and visibly frail statesman under small-arms and artillery fire was much remarked on and admired. However, one aspect of M. Mitterrand's visit passed virtually without comment, even though it was plainly central to it: the date. Why had the President of France chosen to go to Sarajevo on that particular day? Because the 28 June was the anniversary of the assassination, in Sarajevo, in 1914, of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, which led, within a matter of weeks, to the outbreak of the First World War. For any educated European of Mitterrand's age, the connection between date, place and the reminder of a historic catastrophe precipitated by political error and miscalculation leaped to the eye. How better to dramatise the potential implications of the Bosnian crisis than by choosing so symbolic a date? But hardly anyone caught the allusion except a few professional historians and very senior citizens. The historical memory was no longer alive."

In this preface we find the space and time co-ordinates of the short century. It is contained between these two events and two dates 1914 - 1991. The subtitle of the Italian translation of this work gives us another key to reading the century: the era of the great catastrophes. The end of history is forgetfulness, a loss of memory. The author goes on to say, "The destruction of the past, or rather of the social mechanisms that link one's contemporary experience to that of earlier generations is one of the most characteristic and eerie phenomena of the late twentieth century." It is a paradox that the era which discovered the importance of history and of historicity should lose its memory and its understanding of the meaning of history. Dramatic and unforeseen events have indelibly marked our history. What are they?

Total War

Without a doubt war, universal war, has been a characteristic of our century. There were thirty-one years of war from the Austrian declaration of war on Serbia, June 28, 1914, to the unconditional surrender of Japan, August 14, 1945 - four days after the explosion of the first atomic bomb. The twentieth century has been the century of world war. This was total war not just because it involved all the world powers but because in our time politics and the economy are so interconnected that the war reached into every corner of life. War, hot and cold war, has been our first universally shared, global experience. War is a phenomenon with political and economic implications. Hobsbawn speaks of the century as a sandwich, a tripartite structure. There was a golden age (the thirty years immediately after World War II) between two devastating periods - the catastrophe that went from the First World War to the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and the period of decomposition, uncertainty and crisis that has followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

From Crisis through World War to Further Crisis

Crisis

Paradoxically the thirty-year golden age marked the beginning of the real crisis: the moral crisis.

It was already apparent in the 1950's that the world crisis was not just an economic and political phenomenon but a social and moral crisis as well. It was a crisis of those beliefs and presuppositions that had underpinned modern society since the modern thinkers vanquished reactionaries at the beginning of the eighteenth century. These were the humanistic and rationalist beliefs and values shared by both liberal capitalism and communism in their mutual resistance to a fascism. These were the seeds of an epochal turning point: post-modernism.

2. Post-modernism: God, History and the Church

The End of Modernity

In the 1950's Romano Guardini wrote in The End of the Modern Era "modern times have come to an end even if our new era does not yet have a name." Later writers have given this new era a name: post-modernism. Its very name demonstrates its ambivalence: a time that comes after modern times, a time that is not yesterday but is not yet tomorrow.

This not a temporary name to be used until something better and more definitive can be found. Post-modernism reveals its most authentic characteristic in the prefix "post." It is a time following something else, it is a time of ambivalence, indecision, a new adolescence for humankind. As humankind emerges from a crisis of ideology it is in some way de-humanised - it can no longer see its way forward.

Modernity was born in the eighteenth century with an agenda: "to develop an objective science, a universal morality and law, and an art that was independent - each of these following its own internal logic." (Habermas 1983). Inevitably it failed and provoked the fragmentation of knowledge and consciousness - as Yeats said, "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world."

Modernity broke with tradition; it considered tradition an obstacle on the road to progress and liberty. At the same time it never ceased to seek out at least the "essential character of the accidental" (Paul Klee, the painter). Poets are the most sensitive of bellwethers - they perceive and anticipate the times. For Baudelaire (1863) - modernity is "the transitory, the fleeting, the contingent, the goal of art - art's other goal is the eternal." There is a growing realisation that the unity that existed between life and feeling has been broken - still the search for eternal truth is not abandoned; poetry strives to express and preserve a wholeness in the fragment.

The twentieth century sought to suppress art's other goal (the eternal). It killed all nostalgia for the eternal, and slipped consciously into decline and fragmentation. Life is pointless. Experience is reduced to a sequence of present moments, memory is lost, history is ransacked and time loses its meaning. All that remains is instant gratification, there is no depth, no search for the truth.

The arc of modern history goes from the headlines of all-encompassing world visions to their inevitable collapse. It ends with the shipwreck of that naïve optimism about the human condition, and creates a cultural milieu that can be defined as nihilism, the loss of all passion for truth, the loss of any ideal worth fighting for.

According to Horkeimer and Adorno the "dialectic of the enlightenment" in its thirst for power and domination led to Auschwitz and Hiroshima. Modernity carried within itself the seeds of its own destruction.

The "short century" is coming to a close. It leaves in its aftermath a great void and a sense of malaise. "The enlightenment is dead; Marxism is dead; the workers' movement is dead - and I'm not feeling very well." (Neil Smith).

The Return of God

Our common experience of the void has prompted authors to seek ways of describing the post-modern: "a time of poverty," "night-time of the world," "loss of fatherland," (Heidegger), "time of exile." People realise that not only have they lost God, but that they have become accustomed to this loss. It is a true, total and definitive exile - one loses even a nostalgia for home. One of the Hebrew Fathers said, "The true exile of the Jews in Egypt was that they learned to put up with exile."

In spite of all this, from the depths of this fathomless void the need for something Other is unexpectedly being born. There is a new longing for salvation; a yearning for something completely Different from what humanity has produced on its own; a genuine hope for the living and true God who will sweep away idols and ideologies along with the death and destruction they have brought in their wake. The void has reawakened hope. But this hope alone will not produce something or Someone. The return of God is not a return to God - or at least it is not a return to God in the most obvious and simplistic way: a return to Catholic culture and tradition. It is a search for the "lost temple." This lost temple is not the one our fathers knew, rather it is something more original, more exotic and mysterious, something less tied to structures and ideologies.

The end of ideology - socialist or capitalist - has been accompanied by a crisis for traditional religions, above all a crisis for Christianity. Traditional religions still display the traits of absolutism and dogmatism - things instinctively rejected by today's culture. For this reason traditional religions don't seem to offer viable alternatives.

This is one reason why the current return to God presents the ambivalent phenomenon of an authentic need of the spirit interwoven with simplistic and facile religious ideas. On the one hand we see new religious movements and sects springing up in the Western World, and a new fundamentalism in the Eastern World.

These two phenomena have one thing in common: they both reject history. The former rejects history by ignoring it. There is a denial of tradition, a flight from reality and commitment. The latter, fundamentalism, denies history by stopping it; tradition is frozen, there is no evolution in our understanding of truth. Sects are destined to augment the process of social fragmentation; fundamentalism will increase separatism and antagonism. In reality both of these phenomena are symptoms of the sickness they claim to cure. The real sickness is the loss of memory, the loss of history.

The End of History

After Auschwitz the silence of God became the silence of history. The proverb "Historia magistra vitae (History is the teacher of life)" lost its meaning. History can no longer teach us anything. Eliot anticipated this in his poem Gerontion (1920). Gerontion is an old man who personifies Europe at the end of its civilisation - he mocks us:
History has many cunning passages, contrived corridors
And issues, deceives with whispering ambitions,
Guides us by vanities. Think now
She gives when our attention is distracted
And what she gives, gives with such supple confusions
That the giving famishes the craving. Gives too late
What's not believed in, or if still believed,
In memory only, reconsidered passion. Gives too soon
Into weak hands

Time is fleeting, one cannot grasp the present moment, "now" seems almost not to exist, we are aware of the present only when it is past. We arrive too late, or too soon. Time offers us its fruits when we are not yet ready. We are incapable of seizing the favourable moment, the full meaning of time. We are like those children described in Matt 11, 16-19, who cannot agree upon the game and thus lose their time of freedom and celebration. Our age has not only radicalised this new sense of time, this inaccessibility of the present by emptying it of meaning, but it has already experienced the inevitability of repeating the same errors of the past. This was predicted by a poet, Montale:
History teaches us
Nothing about ourselves
To be aware of this
Does not make it more true or more just.

For those things that count, peace for example, history is no help. Kosovo teaches us this. And what is even more upsetting is that being aware of this in no way helps us to find meaning or sense in history. History, in the sense of memory, has come to an end.

The Church

In our new cultural climate a genuine return to God is only possible through a recovery of memory and this is what the Church has done in that great aggiornamento (John XXIII) the Second Vatican Council. Among the traditional religions, only the Church has understood the nature of our times, and that she must renew herself completely if she was to remain faithful to the will of her founder and the guidance of the Spirit. Paul VI pointed out that the real problem was the gulf that had been created between culture and the Gospel (Cf. EN 20). This problem remains fundamental today (Cf. "progetto culturale orientato in senso cristiano" promoted by the Italian Episcopal Conference.)

For John Paul II, the Vatican Council constitutes a providential event through which the Church launched its preparation for the Jubilee of the Second Millennium. While the Vatican II was like preceding councils, it was at the same time different: although it focussed its attention on Christ and His Church, it was still open to the world. This openness was a gospel response to the recent evolution of the world, to the seismic experiences of the twentieth century: two world wars, concentration camps, genocide. Our recent past demonstrates ever more clearly that the world needs purification and conversion.

It is often said that the Second Vatican Council marked the beginning of a new era in the life of the Church. While this is undoubtedly true it is not difficult to see that the Assembly drew much from the experiences and reflections of the time that preceded it, particularly from the thought of Pius XII. In the history of the Church the "old" and the "new" are always interwoven. The "new" grows out of the "old," and the "old" finds its fullest expression in the "new." This was the case for the Second Vatican Council and for the work of those Popes associated with the conciliar assembly: John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, and the current pope. What they accomplished both during and after the Council, their teaching and their activity have certainly contributed to that new springtime of Christian life which will follow upon the Great Jubilee if Christians are to respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. (TMA 18)

For the Church there is no message of salvation, no proclamation of the Good News which does not take history into consideration. The Church's very message is one of Salvation History. Renewal pays attention to both the present day, the changing world, as well as the past and tradition, from which she will bring forth "old things and new." Only this twofold attention can open up the future of God, and it is only in this way that time, past, present and future, can be redeemed; it will be lived not as a void, but as an experience of memory, companionship and prophecy.

This "new springtime of Christian life" must take as its point of departure a recovery of the spirit of the Second Vatican Council: An enormous wealth of ideas and the previously unknown tone used by the council to present this wealth constitute a proclamation of new times.

The best preparation for the millennium can only be a renewed commitment to applying faithfully the teaching of the Second Vatican Council in the life of every individual and every local church. The Council is the genuine starting point of our immediate preparation for the Great Jubilee of 2000. (TMA 20).

3. The Church and Carmel at the Dawn of the Third Millennium

In this scenario of light and shadow, of loss of God and renewed longing for the "completely other", of a new need for spirituality and a need for a new spirituality, the Pope sees the Jubilee as helping us to rediscover the true sense of history.

The Church is asked to reflect on her history and on the witness she has given the world during this millennium that is coming to a close. Reflecting on history will help heal memory, but one must assume an attitude of conversion: recognise one's faults and errors, ask for pardon and look at the past under the merciful eye of God.

In this way the Christian community will be cleansed in the depth of its heart and become once again a place for seeking truth, a witness to holiness. I think Carmelite mysticism can make a decisive contribution to this project.

The Importance of History

The TMA recalls the importance of history as the place where God reveals Himself. In the incarnation of Christ, time and history acquire meaning, direction and a goal. Paul affirms this, "When the fullness of time arrived, God sent His Son, born of woman" (Gal. 4,4). The Pope comments, "The fullness of time is identified with the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word" (TMA 1). Through the incarnation of the Word, God makes Himself one of us: "With the incarnation, God hides Himself inside the history of man" (TMA 9); eternity breaks into history and history acquires infinite meaning: it is the place of the mystery of the Trinity.

Time has a fundamental importance in Christianity. Within this dimension the world was created; within time the history of salvation evolves; it has its zenith in the "fullness of time", the incarnation and its endpoint in the glorious return of the Son of God at the end of time. In Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, time becomes a dimension of God, Who is in Himself eternal. With the coming of Christ the final days have begun (Cf. Hebrews 1,2), "the last hour" (Cf. 1 John 2,18) it is the beginning of the time of the Church which will last until the parousia. (TMA 10).

Healing Memories

Some modern thinkers see history as the place where God is an impossibility. In the light of the incarnation this cannot be the case - rather it is the place of God's mercy. God did not die at Auschwitz. His silence was an echo of Golgotha, it was the highest revelation of God. All the tragedies of the twentieth century, world wars, mass extermination which initiated the century and which are ending it, are not signs of the impossibility of God but rather of his suffering for and with man.

The incarnation and the cross of Christ reveal another way of looking at history and of reflecting upon it. If God has entered the most intimate recesses of our life and if through Christ He has shared in everything except sin, there opens out before us the possibility of repentance, conversion, pardon and reconciliation.

The new spirituality will not be a rejection of history but the responsible taking on of the past. One cannot pretend nothing has happened. One must find a way to reconcile oneself with the past, by admitting one's faults and opening oneself to the hope of that greater forgiveness which can only come from the Lord of History.

The joy of the Jubilee is "the joy of having one's sins forgiven, the joy of conversion." (TMA 32). To be open to this joy one must make a personal and a collective examination of conscience. This the Church is doing seriously.

As the second millennium of Christianity draws to a close it is only right that the Church should acknowledge the sins of her children - so often these children have distanced themselves from the spirit of Christ and His Gospel. They have not exemplified the values of faith, but have presented the spectacle of thinking and acting in ways contrary to those values and giving scandal.

By its incorporation into Christ the Church is holy - yet she never ceases to repent. She acknowledges before God and man her sinful children. Lumen Gentium says about this: "The Church has sinners in her bosom, she is both holy and in need of purification, she gives herself constantly to repentance and renewal."

The Holy Door of the 2000 Jubilee should be symbolically larger than those that went before it. This milestone marks not just the end of a century but of a millennium. The Church must cross this threshold with a clear understanding of what she has lived through in the last ten hundred years. She cannot make this transition without urging her sons to repent, to purge themselves of their errors, infidelities, inconsistencies and sluggishness. To recognise yesterday's mistakes is an act of loyalty and courage which will strengthen our faith and prepare for the difficulties and temptations that face us today. (TMA 33).

We must make a serious examination of conscience and recognise our shortcomings for what they are.

Many Cardinals and bishops have asked the Church to make a serious examination of conscience. On the threshold of the new millennium Christians must place themselves humbly before the Lord and examine their responsibility for the evils of our time. Our present time is one of both light and shadow. (TMA 36)

At this point there is a list: religious indifference, secularism, relativist ethics, "a lack of discernment and a tolerance of violence done to the fundamental rights of men," "co-responsibility for grave forms of social injustice and exclusion." (Cf. Ibidem) The "examination must also consider how we have taken to heart the Council, this great gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church at the end of the second millennium." (ibidem)

Signs of Hope

If we look at the "short century" in the light of the reconciliation offered by God we will not be discouraged in our passion for the truth. If we are honest with ourselves and recognise our historic responsibilities we will find a way to continue our search for the truth; it will not be something we achieve with our own reason, but rather a gracious gift of revelation.

Truth will no longer be something we achieve proudly through our own intellectual prowess. This was the understanding of modern philosophy that reached its culmination in Hegel and has given rise to the ideological violence that has characterised our century. We will no longer see truth as dogma, but rather as symbol, as something which holds together without being coerced. Truth is faithfulness, not ideology. Truth is a holy life and not control of others. Truth is the fruit of a faithful relationship, a loving and demanding relationship with the Other. Truth is not something our mind sees, the possession of one who knows, rather it is the poverty of one who listens and is possessed by the Other.

Truth understood as faithfulness brings freedom. Jesus says, "if you remain faithful to my words you will be my disciples, you will know the truth and the truth will make you free" (John 8, 32). Truth/faithfulness will bring freedom - that freedom that is so highly praised and so vainly sought in modern times.

This truth does not bring rest - rather it makes one a pilgrim. It does not give answers but makes one aware of the real questions. The saints are icons of this truth which puts one on the road to the Father's house. It is symptomatic that this pope in the twenty-five years of his pontificate has canonised more than half of all the saints canonised in the last four hundred years. We have as many martyrs in our time as there were in the first centuries of the Church.

The Church of the first millennium was born of the blood of the martyrs: "Sanguis martyrum - semen christianorum." The favour of Constantine the Great would never have caused that growth the church witnessed in the first millennium if there had not been the witness of those martyrs and saints of those early centuries. At the end of the second millennium the