OFM head talks about pope, vocations

Rev. Jose Rodriguez Carballo, OFM, general minister of the worldwide Franciscan Order of Friars Minor recently visited Siena College in Loudonville to speak with the friars at their tri-annual Chapter of Holy Name Province, the largest entity of friars in the U.S.

Father Carballo, the 119th successor of St. Francis of Assisi, the order's founder, leads more than 16,000 friars worldwide.

While at Siena, Father Carballo spoke with The Evangelist, beginning with his impressions of Pope Benedict XVI.

Encounters

"I've actually met with him a total of three times" when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the priest said. "We discussed the future of our order, and I found him to be very knowledgeable and understanding of the life and rule of Franciscans.

"In fact, both his mother and sister were Secular Franciscans, and I believe he studied at length the life of St. Bonaventure, one of the great Franciscan saints.

"Consequently, the pope has a great capacity to understand our spirituality and way of life. He was very gracious, very interested and listened well to what I had to say."

Vocations

Father Carballo said that the order is "working to re-establish the quality of Franciscan life among our friars throughout the world. Recently, we have established some new missions -- in Burma, Sudan and in parts of South Africa.

"During the past decades, in certain geographical areas, our vocations have diminished, notably where Catholics are in a majority and in established countries. On the other hand, in countries where the Church is young and vibrant, vocations are on the rise."

He cautioned however, that the numbers game is not what he wants to emphasize. "We shouldn't just think of the quantity of vocations," he explained, "but, rather, of the motivation from which our applicants come and the life they want to lead as friars. What the world needs is happy hearts. It doesn't matter what you do for a living or where you are, do your work with joy."

Essentials

Because the Order of Friars Minor has been in existence for nearly 800 years, Father Carballo is concerned that some of its members may have wandered from the essentials that St. Francis had in mind.

"We are currently striving to return to those essentials," the priest said. "There are very few changes we want to make in the future. Rather, we hope to paint the true picture of what a friar minor is, according to the 'Rule of Life,' written by St. Francis: following the Gospel, living simply and being passionate for Jesus Christ in our work with men and women of today.

"We must have the sentiments of Christ, that is, to go out and meet humanity where they are, in their suffering. We must offer the excluded and marginalized the fullness of fraternity with Jesus Christ by being close to those that suffer. This is what Jesus did, and this is what we are called to do."

(Father Carballo, who was elected in 2003, will be general minister for six years. As part of his assignment, he travels the world, visiting Franciscan missions in 110 nations on five continents. A Spaniard, he speaks his native language as well as Italian, Portuguese, French and English.)

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