1. We are only four days away from the start of General Chapter 29; how do you feel as you approach this important moment for the congregation?
I would say, I feel like a coach and a referee on the eve of the finals: there is enthusiasm, a bit of healthy trepidation, but above all a lot of gratitude for the journey that has gone so far.
We have worked with great commitment, side by side with the Technical and Juridical Commissions, the Pre-Chapter Commission on the subject, the Secretariat, the collaborators in Rome and Turin-Valdocco, and the translators who, from every Province, help us to communicate our work to the whole world. But above all, we must thank the Capitulars themselves, the Provincials and the Delegates who, for months now, have been interacting with us, encouraging us, suggesting to us, enriching us with their experience and their love for our Congregation.
It has been a synodal journey of listening, discernment and communion. Now we are ready to live this moment with open hearts, trusting that the Spirit will guide us in our choices for the good of the Congregation and especially the young. And if Don Bosco were here, he would probably tell us not to worry too much... and to continue working cheerfully!
2. You have been working on the preparation of the General Chapter for over a year. Are you satisfied with how everything has turned out?
It is extraordinary to think how it all started on 24 September 2023, with the letter of convocation of the Rector Major. From that moment, the 92 Provinces of the Congregation set to work, to deepen the chapter theme: "Passionate for Jesus Christ, dedicated to the young". A work of reflection, confrontation and synthesis that involved confreres from every part of the world.
Here in Rome, with the confreres chosen for the Commissions, we immersed ourselves in deepening, summarizing and giving form to all this material. It was a real adventure, made up of study, discernment and fraternal dialogue. But the preparation of a General Chapter is not only the content: it was also necessary to set the whole organizational mechanism in motion.
We had to coordinate the various areas of logistics: reception and registration, transport, accommodation, IT services, translations, media and communication, not forgetting the management of the spaces and liturgical celebrations. Communication with facilitators and guests was another major challenge, so too was the organizing of the all the IT services to ensure an effective and well-structured Chapter.
Under the paternal gaze of Fr Stefano Martoglio, Vicar of the Rector Major, we tried to harmonize all these energies, meeting several times both in Rome and in Turin to take stock of the situation. We had to face unexpected challenges, create new solutions to manage unforeseen events of various kinds... and, as always, we did so with the Salesian spirit: with concreteness, creativity and trust in Divine Providence.
Now we are ready! And if some detail should still surprise us, we are certain that, as good Sons of Don Bosco, we will know how to deal with it with ingenuity, with a smile and with that healthy family spirit that distinguishes us.
3. How many members will participate in this Chapter and what roles do they represent?
The General Chapter 29 will be attended by 269 people, each with a clearly defined role in the smooth running of the assembly. At the centre, are the 227 capitulars, who have the voting rights and represent the entire Congregation. Among them are 14 General Councillors, the Procurator General and a Rector Major Emeritus, who altogether will bring their experience and vision for the future of the Congregation. The largest group is made up of the Provincials and Delegates of the 92 Provinces, subdivided by Regions: 32 from Africa-Madagascar, 22 from America South Cone, 27 from East Asia-Oceania, 33 from South Asia, 36 from Central-North Europe, 27 from Interamerica, 29 from the Mediterranean, as well as 2 representatives from UPS (Salesian Pontifical University) and 3 confreres from the Generalate in Rome (RMG).
But a chapter does not stand on its voting members alone. Behind the scenes there is an impressive support team that makes every moment of the assembly possible. 11 interpreters and 7 translators will work tirelessly to ensure understanding between the participants in the five official languages of the congregation. The practical management is entrusted to an efficient logistics team, with 10 people working in Valdocco and 3 at the Generalate in Rome, engaged in reception, organization of spaces and daily services.
To ensure smooth operation, 3 computer experts will take care of the Chapter's entire digital system, from electronic devices to the management of voting. In the meantime, the communication sector, with a team of 6 people and the valuable contribution of the ANS (Salesian News Agency), will report day by day on the highlights of the Chapter, enabling the entire Salesian Family around the world to follow the Chapter's progress.
In total, there will be 269 of us, each with his own task, but all united by the same desire: to make this Chapter an experience of Communion, Discernment and Renewal. A large group, certainly, but well organized! And if some small unforeseen event should arise, well... we are Salesians! With creativity and family spirit, we will know how to tackle it with a smile and with the passion that animates us.
4. What do you think will be the highlights of this 29th General Chapter?
General Chapter 29 will be an intense journey of listening, discernment and important choices for the future of the Congregation. Among the most significant moments, the initial retreat will undoubtedly stand out, a time of recollection and prayer that will help us to put the Holy Spirit at the centre, allowing ourselves to be guided by Him in our chapter journey.
Immediately afterwards, we will enter into the heart of the Chapter with an in-depth study of the state of the Congregation. Sector by Sector, we will analyze the challenges and opportunities of our time, trying to arrive at a realistic vision, but always enlightened by faith. This moment is crucial because it will allow us to identify the priorities for the sexennium 2025-2031, in the light of the Salesian mission and Don Bosco's charism.
One of the pillars of the Chapter will then be the deepening of the Chapter theme, "Passionate for Jesus Christ, dedicated to the young". It will not just be an expression to meditate on, but a concrete perspective to renew our identity and our commitment among young people, especially the most vulnerable ones.
Finally, we come to a highly anticipated and responsible moment: the discernment and election of the Rector Major and his Council. Here it is not just a matter of choosing people, but of identifying, through prayer and reflection, the guide that will accompany the Congregation in the coming years. It is an experience of deep trust in the Holy Spirit and of communion among all the Chapter members.
But we cannot forget another moment that many await with excitement and - let's face it - also with some trepidation: the Jubilee experience in Rome. Celebrating the Eucharist at the Vatican, meeting the Holy Father and concluding the Chapter with Mass at the Sacred Heart will be a sign of communion with the Church and an opportunity for spiritual renewal for all of us.
In short, GC29 will be a time of great intensity, made up of discernment, fraternal encounters and courageous choices. And as always, we will live it in the style of Don Bosco: with seriousness, with passion and with the joy of those who know that the Lord is walking with us!
5. The theme of GC29 is 'Passionate about Jesus Christ, dedicated to young people'. How does this theme reflect the current reality of the Congregation and young people today?
Since the day Fr Ángel, then Rector Major, gave us this theme, there has been one word that continues to resonate strongly in my heart: passionate. It is not just any word, it is a fire, an inner energy that urges us to live our vocation with intensity.
I like to say that among the many suggestions sent by the Provincials for the Chapter, there was one that particularly struck me. One of them wrote: We have already produced so many documents, archives full of beautiful chapters, texts full of eloquence and depth. But what we need now is a Chapter that does not simply write more pages, but helps us to evaluate how much we are really living what we have written. Remind us of something that opens us to the Spirit: passion, fire, momentum, motivation... that's all we need now.
And this is precisely the point: without passion, without an inflamed heart, we risk losing the meaning of our mission. Don Bosco used to repeat to his boys 'For you I study, for you I work, for you I live, for you I am willing even to give my life'. It was not just a beautiful phrase: it was the secret of his loving madness, of his total dedication to the young.
It is no coincidence, then, that the Rector Major chose three key words for GC29: passionate, prophetic living and courageous verification. Being passionate about Jesus Christ means returning to the source of our vocation, rediscovering the joy of following Him, letting ourselves be set on fire by His love. Prophetic living calls us to be credible signs of hope for young people, authentic witnesses of a God who walks with them. Finally, courageous verification is an act of honesty and faith: are we really what we say we are? Are we responding to today's challenges with the same ardour as Don Bosco? Do we want to simply redesign the organizational chart of our beautiful institution, or do we dare to allow Jesus of Nazareth to teach us the alphabet of his leadership style?
6. The Instrumentum Laboris, which will be voted on and become the working document, brings with it great and bold expectations. Can you share some of them?
Ah, the Instrumentum Laboris! Each Chapter has its own and, as always, it is a well-constructed document, rich in reflections and the fruit of extensive work of synthesis. But let me say one thing right away: the real protagonist of the Chapter is not a text, however well done. The protagonist is the Holy Spirit and the ability of the Congregation to let itself be guided by Him.
The working tool was developed by gathering the voices of all the Provinces, trying to give shape to those questions and intuitions that emerge from the heart of the Congregation. It has a clear structure and focuses on three major nuclei: the animation of Salesian consecrated life, the mission shared with the Salesian Family and the laity, and the review of the structures of governance of the Congregation. These are important themes, because they touch on our identity, our way of being among the young, and the way we organize the mission. Now, some might ask: So what? Do we already have all the answers? Absolutely not! On the contrary, the greatest danger would be to treat this document as a sort of "solutions manual", almost an idol that replaces real discernment. The Instrumentum Laboris is not the destination, it is only a compass: useful, but not sufficient.
That is why I do not want to say too much now. The Chapter is about to begin and, as in every Salesian adventure, we know where we are starting from, but we leave room for what the Spirit will inspire us along the way. And if, at the end, we realise that the Instrument has been more of a starting track than a definitive map... it will mean that we indeed have had a good Chapter!
7. Are there any new features or approaches introduced in this Chapter to improve participation and help achieve the objectives of GC29?
If there is one thing the Congregation has always done, ever since the first Chapter convened by Don Bosco - just as the first Salesians landed in America - it is to listen to everyone. The method has always been the same: listening begins with each confrere, passes through the communities and Provinces, and finally reaches the discernment of the General Chapter. Only in this way can we grasp the richness and complexity of our charism and mission.
In this GC29 too, we have tried to live this spirit in a concrete way. This was already seen in the composition of the Commissions: the group of Salesian canonists, led by Fr Pier Fausto Frisoli, brought together experts from different parts of the world. The Pre-Chapter Commission had an even more international character, as did the contributions of the Lectio Divina, which gave spiritual depth to the whole journey. But this attention to diversity does not stop at the preparatory phase: even in the Chapter itself, the presidency of the Eucharist and Salesian Goodnights will be distributed among the different regions of the Congregation. This allows us to listen to different languages, histories and sensitivities, feeling the heart of the Congregation beat to the rhythm of the world.
From an organizational point of view, an important innovation is the digital portal created with the support of our IT experts. This tool has enabled each moderator, from the 92 provinces, to autonomously enter the chapter work, questions and data of the chapter members in their own circumscription. In addition, we now have several communication channels and sharing groups that facilitate dialogue, making the process more participative and inclusive.
Then, there are also the simpler but equally effective initiatives: in Africa, for example, the conference known as CIVAM, created a WhatsApp group among the 33 CG29 participants in November to better coordinate and walk together towards the Chapter. Other regions will have found similar strategies during their recent assemblies. Small solutions that made it possible to manage, in little more than a year, a path that under ordinary conditions would have taken longer. And all this, in an extraordinary period for our Congregation, marked by the appointment of our Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, as Cardinal.
Yet, as Fr Stefano Martoglio often repeats, thanks be to God, we were able to live this time with serenity and prepare an ordinary Chapter under extraordinary conditions. Don Bosco, and before him St Francis de Sales, used to define the small daily miracles in this way: when trust in Providence and concrete work meet, everything goes ahead well... with a pinch of surprise and much gratitude.
8. We have heard that this chapter will discuss some unique and important topics that have never been addressed before. Can you tell us more about them?
(joking) Where did you hear that? I'm interested! Tell me the source! (laughter)
Some confreres believe that issues such as the protection of minors and vulnerable persons, integral ecology, the challenges and opportunities of the digital world and artificial intelligence, or even the appropriation of the Holy Father's Rescript on the necessity or otherwise of the priesthood for superiors, are new aspects and require a clearer and more courageous stance. However, on closer inspection, many of these issues have already been explored by the Congregation for decades, even though we may not always have had the opportunity to read or assimilate them fully. But, after all, the real novelty is not always in what we contemplate, but in how we contemplate it. Beauty, like novelty, is in the eye of the beholder. And this is precisely the meaning of a General Chapter: not simply repeating what we already know, but allowing ourselves to be surprised by a new gaze, capable of seeing beyond.
9. How is the week of discernment planned and who will lead this important process?
The week of discernment for the election of the Rector Major and his Council is structured with great care, alternating moments of prayer, personal reflection and community discussion, in an atmosphere of listening to the Holy Spirit. We listened to various evaluations of the 2020 experience, in a context that we all remember, in the harshest phase of the pandemic. Now we are trying to move forward with greater serenity. The journey begins on Sunday, 23 March, with a solemn invocation to the Holy Spirit, an initial talk by the Guide, Vespers in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, and Eucharistic adoration in the Church of St Francis de Sales. The Capitulars will be accompanied by Fr Amedeo Cencini, spiritual guide of the entire process until the end of the voting.
On Monday 24 March, after a further guided meditation, the commissions will work on the basis of a brief evaluation of what has already been discussed in the second week of the Chapter, then on profiles and names for the figure of the Rector Major for the sexennium 2025-2031. The afternoon will be devoted to discussion and synthesis, culminating in a poll to help identify the most suitable candidates. Tuesday 25 March will be the day of the great decision: after a moment of clarification and sharing, and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, the election of the Rector Major will take place, who will accept the office with the profession of faith and the oath before the Assembly. From that same afternoon, and in the following days, until 29 March, the process will be repeated for the choice of the Vicar, the Sector Councillors and the Regional Councillors. The work will alternate between plenary sessions and commission meetings, always accompanied by prayer and adoration. The commissions will be mixed for the choice of the Rector Major and his Vicar, and regional for the choice of the Sector and Regional Councillors, in accordance with the General Chapter regulations.
The entire week will culminate on Saturday 29 March, the day of the election of the Regional Councillors, with the Eucharistic celebration presided over by the new Rector Major and surrounded by his Council: a sign of communion and renewed mission for the Congregation.
10. This General Chapter lasts almost 55 days. Is it similar to previous Chapters? Do you think it is the right length?
The duration of a General Chapter is never a random choice, but is determined by those who convene it, taking into account the complexity of the work to be done. I am aware that for some brothers eight weeks may seem a long time, but those who arrive in Turin will realise that it is by no means an excessive amount of time for the task ahead of us. I must probably remind you that GC29 is structured around three main thematic nuclei, as the last Chapters have been. This time the three nuclei in turn comprise no less than 18 sub-themes, each of which requires careful reflection and in-depth discussion. To these are added the legal topics left over from GC28, which need further elaboration.
If in the future the Rector Major decides to adopt a different approach - for example, returning to the pre-conciliar model, when the Chapter focused exclusively on the study of the state of the Congregation, or choosing a simpler theme - the duration could of course change. In addition, new digital strategies already make it possible to work remotely on many documents, and perhaps tomorrow this may affect the structure of the Chapter. But beyond the duration, what really counts is the experience that is lived: intense days of meetings, of friendship, of listening to each other. Brothers from different cultures get to work together, learn to understand each other better and walk together. Some say that this is precisely one of the secrets of our unity: a Congregation of some 13,600 Salesians, capable of feeling like a family, despite differences and distances.
Perhaps the time spent in Turin is not long... it is simply necessary. And, for many of us, it will also be unforgettable.
11. What is your vision for this Chapter? What are your main hopes for the renewal of the Salesian mission?
I must confess something. I have not developed my own vision for this Chapter. Not because it is not important, but because I have learnt that my task as Moderator is not to give a vision, but to facilitate the work of the Chapter, as dreamt up by the Congregation through the voice of the Rector Major. This role prevents me from participating in the work of the Commissions and even voting, precisely so that I can be, with greater freedom, an instrument in the hands of God.
Yet, as Fr Pascual Chávez recently advised me, my task is not limited to technical facilitation. It is necessary to help the capitulars to arrive at a clear vision of the Congregation, because without it we run a great risk: that of each one living a different Chapter and, worse still, working for a different Congregation. From the common vision will emerge more focused lines of action, which will guide our mission for the next six years. From it will also emerge the profiles of those who will have to guide our future path.
So, I would say that my hope is that the Chapter will be able to find this unified vision. But the real answer does not lie in the words of any of us. It lies in the heart of God and in the heart of those who dare to listen to His voice, in the deserts and areopaguses of today.
12. Finally, what message would you like to share with Salesians around the world who are eagerly awaiting the results of this General Chapter?
First of all, thank you. Thanks to each one of you for your contribution to this Chapter, because it does not belong only to us who are gathered here, but to the whole Congregation. I ask you to support it with your prayers, because every Chapter member, from the Vicar of the Rector Major to the confrere in charge of logistics, is here as your ambassador. The Chapter is the highest sign of our unity in diversity (Art. 146).
We have asked the Lord that this GC29 be a kairos, a favourable moment, in which the passion for Christ and for young people is powerfully renewed. Therefore, more than reading the final documents, it will be essential to choose some significant aspects and live them to the full in the personal life project, the community project and the Salesian Pastoral Educational Project. If everyone did this, we would already have given meaning to our work.
Personally, I am moved by the Rector Major's call, in the letter of convocation, to take care of one's own vocation and that of others (core 1 of GC29). Is this not the heart of our charism? To be brothers who look after each other, guides for the young, credible witnesses of a love that educates and accompanies. Perhaps this is the key to a more Samaritan fraternal life and pastoral work, more prophetic, more incarnated in people's lives. So my wish is that we have the courage to dream, to build educational and pastoral communities that bear fruit, to be a living and generative presence for young people. And as always, we entrust everything to Mary Help of Christians, Mother, Teacher and Guide, certain that she will continue to show us the way.
