The first
executive meeting of the Network was held at the General Curia.
A first preparatory executive meeting for the Franciscan
Mediterranean Network was held at the General Curia in Rome on January 23,
2020. The members at the meeting were Br. Jaime Campos and Br. Rufino Lim (the
General JPIC), Br. Alonso Morales (General Secretary for the Missions and
Evangelization), Br. Francesco Zecca (Coordinator of the Youth sector of the
Network), Br. Mark Ciantar (Coordinator of the Migrants sector of the Network),
Br. Antonio Lembo (JPIC counselor of COMPI).
It took place in a very fraternal atmosphere. It was
essential to specify the objectives and decisions made at the meeting in Malta
on September 6 – 8, 2019, which was the meeting of the Secretaries of
Evangelization and the JPIC animators that came from almost every Entity around
the Mediterranean Sea to reflect on the possibility of creating this
significant Network.
There was yet another gathering together with Marco
Bartoli and Valeria Gutierrez (representatives of the St. Egidio Community),
Massimo De Maio (representative of the “Fare Verde [Green It]” association) on the
previous day. The participants arrived at an idea of establishing a
collaborative relationship between the Franciscan Mediterranean Network and
the St. Egidio Community, to extend the “corridors” in the Italian territory,
primarily through the Franciscan Entities in the region.
The
work points were mainly three:
- Organization of the
Network: framework of coordination; - A structure of the
individual sectors (Youth, Migrants, Dialogue and Peace) and related
activities; - Internal and external
communication of the Network’s activities.
The
day ended with feelings of gratitude and the desire to weave networks in the
Mediterranean to trigger new processes through the language of beauty and
hospitality, against the culture of abandonment and exclusion.
Br.
Antonio Lembo, OFM
JPIC
Animator, Province of St. Michael Archangel
- Puglia Molise, Italy
