EUROPE/ITALY - Chapter General of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin elects new Minister General Friar Mauro Jöhri. Increase in presence in Asia, decrease in central northern Europe

Tuesday, 5 September 2006

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - The Chapter General of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin on 4 September elected a new Minister General for a six year mandate 2006-2012, Friar Mauro Jöhri, born on 1 September 1947 at Bivio, Canton Graubuenden (Switzerland). He entered the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin 1964 and went to the Capuchin Novitiate in Arco (Trent). He studied in Sondrio, Italy and in Solothurn, Switzerland. After his ordination to the priesthood in 1972, he continued studies in theology at the universities of Freibourg and Tübingen, and then Lucerne for a doctorate obtained in 1980. He has been guardian of the Friary of Our Lady of the Stone near Lugano, teacher of religion at a local school, President of the Swiss Bishops’ Pastoral Commission, teacher at Chur and professor in charge at the Theology Faculty of Lugano. In 1989 he was elected Superior of the Capuchins in the Swiss Italian-speaking region and in 1995 Provincial of the Swiss Capuchin Province. At that time he was also president of the Union of Religious Superiors of Switzerland. After the period as Provincial he continued his formation in Canada at the Montreal Institut de Formation Humaine Intégrale. In 2005 he was again elected Provincial of the Swiss Capuchins. In 2004 the Capuchin central government called him to join the Commission for the revision of the order’s Constitutions and Statutes.
Some 173 chapter members are taking part in the 73rd general chapter of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin being held in Rome at the Collegio Internazionale San Lorenzo da Brindisi. The Chapter began on 28 August and will end on 17 September the feast of the Stigmata of St Francis. According to a report by outgoing Minister General, Canadian Friar John Corriveau, who led the Order for two mandates, Capuchins in the world today number 10,000 and they are present in 101 different countries, increasingly in Asian countries, mainly India and Indonesia. Although in central northern Europe numbers have decreased, the great vitality of the Polish Province and the stability of the Italian Province, partly compensate for the decrease. Vocations are not lacking in Africa, Central America and Latin America. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 5/9/2006 - righe 27; parole 382)


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