Comboni Institute: revisiting and reviewing the Rule of Life

With this path of revisiting and reviewing, says Fr. Jeremias, “some brothers had dreamed of a ‘radical restructuring’ of the text. Others thought that increasing the number of cultures within the Institute would lead to many changes, taking into account new sensitivities and a new vision of mission. However, the majority of confreres, many of whom have done a work of reading and reflection on the text, have judged that, above all, the constitutional text fundamentally reflects well the identity and purpose of the Comboni Institute and continues to be a sure guide for our missionary service, even if the suggested changes are considered necessary.”

To show this, Fr. Jeremias comes to the heart of the suggestions by commenting on the points where the changes have been proposed and wonders whether these two years of work have served anything, given the “poorness” of proposals. But, he points out soon after, the important thing was not so much to review the text as to “revisit” inwardly, rediscover the freshness and effectiveness of the experience of the Founder and of the Institute and “transform the Rule into Life”.
[Click here to see the full text, in Italian]