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(ANS – Rome 23 March 2002)
A sensitive day yesterday which saw the Assembly gathered together for two sessions of discussions on the re-formulated proposals of the sixth commission on the structures of government. On the previous days the commission asked the chapter members, by means of straw votes, to express themselves on the direction to be taken regarding four topics (the length of the period in office of the Rector Major, the length of the period in office and the possibility or not of re-election of the Councillors, the division of the Australasia Region, the separation of the Departments for the Salesian Family and for Social Communication, and the possibility of giving responsibility for the Salesian Family to the Vicar of the Rector Major), and this morning the assembly will try to express its mind definitively by voting on the various points, given the fact that the Chapter has to give its approval in this area in order to be ready for the elections of the new general council due to take place starting on 2nd April.
The time that has had to be given to these discussions has shown that this topic which was meant to be of secondary concern has taken on a particular importance within the process of the GC25. Among other things, since for any decision to become effective a two thirds majority in the assembly is required, and this would then lead to changes in the Salesian Constitutions in this area.
One has noticed a certain prudence on the part of the whole assembly that has reached a certain convergence on some points while on others the discussion is still open. From what some of the chapter members have said in public, the subject really needed to have been prepared for earlier, something that was not done because the provincial chapters did not spend much time on the subject. Finally, it looks as though there will be a general confirmation of the status quo with some important changes which we shall inform you about as the occasion arises.
(ANS – Rome, 23 March 2002)
The discussion on the structures of government is over. This morning after a considerable number of contributions, when the time came (12.50) the assembly decided to proceed to a straw vote on the last two topics for which the sixth commission had to draw up a final proposal to be presented next week. The assembly again voted in favour of a proposal for the division of the Australasia Region into two separate Regions. All the Indian provinces would belong to one, while the other would include the rest of the provinces in Asia and Oceanea. The contributions to the discussion, almost all of them by Salesians belonging to these countries, mentioned the fact that India itself was multi-cultural, a “subcontinent” where traditions, languages, resources and problem areas would not produce an inward-looking closed view of that country. In addition, the great advantage of the division, it was pointed out, would be more effective and practical animation.
The second topic under discussion was that of removing the responsibility for the two areas of Social Communication and the Salesian Family from one person, with the possibility of placing the latter within the competence of the Vicar of the Rector Major. There was a vigorous discussion, and many of the contributions were forceful and courageous. Some chapter members recalled that the spirit in which the GC25 was being celebrated was “Duc in altum,” which meant launching out, and that the discussion in recent days had run the risk of preventing the boat from reaching the open seas of the third millennium. The chapter members were conscious that they were dealing with a subject that was “difficult and important” which other Chapters (23 and 24) , had already struggled with, and had proposed some forms of a solution that, it seemed, could now be put into effect at this GC25. Hence, many expressed the opinion that it was necessary to avoid reaching a stalemate, or making proposals putting off and leaving the solution to others, and frustrating the expectations of the Congregation. The debate therefore came to an end with a straw vote in favour of the solution which saw the removal of the responsibility for the two departments from a single councillor, and the chapter assembly approved, by 182 votes in favour out of the 216 of those with the right to vote, that the Salesian Family should be assigned to the Vicar of the Rector Major.
In this way the fourth week of the chapter came to an end. Today and tomorrow some members of the chapter are going to Assisi and the surrounding area. On Monday there will be the presentation of the whole document, with the new proposals, studied and drawn up by the commission on the verification of the structures of government.
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