appeal to the congregation for institutes of consecrated life – may 29TH  2013

The following document is the evident proof of the inconsistent and malicious work done by the Visitor, backed by few rebels. It easily demonstrate that the Visitation was just embodied by a smart and well conceived questionnaire focused mainly on the latin mass and on the alleged “abuse of power” of the Superior General. There was no answer to this appeal. The only answer issued by the Congregation was finally the decree of appointment of the Commissioner of the Order. 
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Ave Maria!

To the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and  and Societies of Apostolic Life Object: observations concerning the Apostolic Visitation to the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate led by Msgr. Vito Todisco

Several months have passed since Msgr. Vito Angelo Todisco started the Apostolic Visitation to our Institute, after the decree of this Congregation (Decree of July 5th 2012). Time is certainly ripe to express our negative considerations regarding the above said visitation that we accepted in spirit of franciscan deference towards the Ecclesiastical Authority. 

The most relevant negative points are therefore outlined in the following points:

1) The formation of the Visitor proved to be inadequate in understanding the real problems of the Institute for several reasons: he is not a regular, he is not an expert of liturgy, he is not an expert of administrative right. Furthermore he is longtime friend of some of the “critical” brothers, sharing with them since longtime their critics to the Founder, thus implying that his judgment could hardly be super partes;

2) The decision to proceed ONLY through a written questionnaire, completely omitting the visitation of the communities, even of the seminaries, despite our invitations. 

3) The content of the questionnaire that, beyond the intent to depict a “tendentious” outline of the situation of the Institute, was full of questions not easily understandable by the majority of our brothers. 

4) The prohibition to the Superiors to explain the meaning of those questions to the less learned brothers, in order to avoid “any interference” (see the letter of the Apostolic Visitor of Nov. 12th), definitely favored the interference of the critical brothers on them, thus negatively influencing their answers.

From all these evidences it is clear that the Apostolic Visitation  has not yet been able to pursue the objectives set in the decree of appointment of the Apostolic Visitor, who received the duty ad inquirendum et referendum “above all regarding the status of the visited communities and of the life of fraternal communion… the formation of the young religious and of the candidates to priesthood…”. All that has not been achieved in primis since there was a complete lack of knowledge of the real situation of our communities, above all of the seminaries. The results of the questionnaire, alone, without verifying that what is written in it actually corresponds to the thoughts of each friar, are unreliable, for the above said reasons. 

Our only clear perspective is to reach the next General Chapter scheduled for June 2014, in order to fraternally solve the problems of the actual question, in reverent listening to our Holy Father Francis.

Rome, May 29th 2013

Signed by the Members of the General Council together with the Procurator

The questionnaire of the Apostolic Visitor Msgr. Vito Angelo  Todisco

We underline question n.8:

Ritieni che l'ntroduzione definitiva della forma extraordinaria nell'stituto:
é un bene:
SI (perché...........................................................................................................................)
NO (perché.........................................................................................................................)
aiuta la comunione tra i membri:
SI (perché...........................................................................................................................)
NO (perché.........................................................................................................................)
risponde alle esigenze dell'vangelizzazione:
SI (perché...........................................................................................................................)
NO (perché.........................................................................................................................)
risponde alle esigenze di spiritualit?dell'omo contemporaneo:
SI (perché...........................................................................................................................)
NO (perché.........................................................................................................................)
risponde ai desideri del Superiore Generale:
SI (perché...........................................................................................................................)
NO (perché.........................................................................................................................)
?richiesta dal Concilio Vaticano II:
SI (perché...........................................................................................................................)
NO (perché.........................................................................................................................)
Risponde alla "mens" del Santo Padre:

here is the full questionnaire in pdf:
Apostolic Visitation & Questionnaire