In an address, Pope Leo XIV welcomed the members of the General Chapters of the Order of the Minor Conventual Franciscans and the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives, highlighting their shared legacy and mission in the Church. The gathering included Superiors General, Third Order representatives, and lay delegates, symbolizing the breadth of religious life dedicated to service and sacrifice.
The Pope drew inspiration from a historic depiction in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, portraying Pope Innocent III receiving Saints Francis of Assisi and John of Mata together—an image of unity and complementary vocations. “Both attitudes, far from being contradictory, enlighten each other,” Pope Leo said, underlining how Saint Francis’ humble submission to the Gospel and Saint John’s rule-based discernment reflect a model of ecclesial fidelity and charism.
Addressing the Trinitarians, the Pope praised their commitment to those persecuted for their faith, citing St. Paul’s words, “persecuted, but not abandoned” (2 Cor 4:9), as a source of courage and purpose. He called on them to persist in their mission to support those who cannot freely live their faith, particularly in regions like the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. This work, the Pope noted, continues to draw the attention of vocations and people of goodwill.
To the Franciscans, Pope Leo emphasized the importance of discernment during their chapter, especially in governance and faithfulness to the spirit of Christ. “It is not our personal interest that should move us, but that of Christ,” he reminded them. The Pope encouraged them to be a reflection of the unity of Pentecost, not the division of Babel—builders of the Church in communion with the Holy Spirit and the signs of the times.
Concluding with the poetic Praises of God written by St. Francis, Pope Leo invoked the beauty and holiness of God, calling the assembly to remain rooted in praise, service, and the humility of their founders.
“Thank you very much and God bless you,” he ended simply, reinforcing the deep respect and hope he holds for these religious communities as they continue their work in a complex and suffering world.
ADDRESS OF POPE LEO XIV TO THE MEMBERS OF GENERAL CHAPTERS OF THE ORDER OF THE MENOR SELES CONVENTUALES AND OF THE ORDER OF THE TRINITY AND OF THE SLAVES
“In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you.
Be welcome all of you, dear brothers and sisters:
I greet in particular the Fathers General and the capitular brothers of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and the Causes, and of the Order of the Young Minor Conventuals, as well as the Superior Generals, delegates of the Third Orders and lay groups present here.
Being able to welcome together Franciscans and Trinitarians reminded me of a beautiful painting located on the apse of the Basilica of St. John of Lateran, where an audience of which this could be a beautiful commemoration is represented. Indeed, the image shows Pope Innocent III receiving Saint Francis and St. John of Mata together to commemorate their great contribution to the reform of religious life.
It is interesting how Saint Francis is represented on his knees, with a huge open book, almost as if he were about to say to the Pontiff: “Holiness I only ask you to live the rule of the Holy Gospel sine glossse” (cf. Test 14-15). Saint John of Mata, on the other hand, stands and has in his hands the rule he has drawn together with the Pontiff. If Saint Francis manifests the docility to the Church, presenting his project not as something of his own but as a divine gift; St.John of Mata shows the approved text, after study and discernment, as the culmination of a work absolutely necessary to realize the proositum that God has inspired them to realize. Both attitudes, far from being contradictory, will enlighten each other and will be a guideline for the service that, since then, the Holy See performs in favor of all charisms.
God not only inspired both saints a spiritual and service way, but also the desire to confront with the Successor of Peter the gift received by the Spirit to make him available to the Church. St.Francis poses to the Pope the need to follow Jesus without reservations, for no other purposes, without ambiguities or artifices. St. John of Mata translates that truth into words that will be key afterward and which St Francis will endorse. A beautiful example of this will be to live without anything proper, with nothing hidden in the bedroom of the pocket or the heart, as Pope Francis emphasized, of happy memory (cf. Address to the Canonesses of the Order of the Holy Spirit, 5 December 2024. Another of these terms will express the need for such delivery to be served, for the superior to be perceived as Minister, that is, the one who becomes less, to be the servant of all. It is interesting how the verse of St Matthew (20,26-28) has influenced the vocabulary of all religious life, because calling prior, teacher, teacher, or minister make up the whole idea of authority as a service, which would deserve to be studied.
To update this gift, you Trinitarians wanted to focus on the purpose of your Institute: to bring comfort to those who cannot live the faith in freedom. During these months they have prayed this desire, following the words of St.Paul: persecuted, but not abandoned; toppled, but not annihilated. 4:9), which inspire the motto of his chapter. I join in this prayer and also ask God the Trinity to be one of the fruits of his assembly, not to fail to remember in his prayer and in his daily effort those persevered for the sake of his faith. That part, the third, a third, referring to the persecuted, according to the magisterium of St.Augustine, is the part of God and the one that marks the vocation of the deliverer of his people (cf. Questions about Heptateuco, lib. II, 15). Moreover, this tension towards the most suffering of the Church will attract the gaze of vocations, of the faithful and of men of good will to this reality and to you will be made available to the border services they develop in the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
Another essential element of your purpose, the conventuals, in this Chapter, has been to carry out a discernment on the directories of the general and provincial chapters, for in them is spoken of the things of God; it is not our personal interest that should move us, but that of Christ; the first to listen is his Spirit: in the voice of the brother, in the discernment of the community, in attention to the signs of time, in the demands of the Magisterium. The Franciscans were called to repair the Church, which is the assembly of the builders and, therefore, far from resembling the Babel from the confusion of the tongues, he must truly manifest the harmonic unity of Pentecost, so that his life may be the image of that of Jesus and a shortened word for the benefit and edification of the people (Plasted, IX).
I would like to conclude this meeting with the Praises of the Most High God, that trisagio written by Saint Francis: You are holy, Lord God, who do wonders (Ps 76:15). You are strong, you are great (cf. Ps 85:10), you are most high, you are an almighty king, you, holy Father (Jn 17:11), king of heaven and earth (cf. Mt 11,25)
Thank you very much and God bless you.”