Capuchin bishops reflect on dual calling as friars and diocesan shepherds

How can a Capuchin friar remain faithful to his Franciscan vocation while serving as a diocesan bishop responsible for secular clergy and the lay faithful?

That question was at the heart of an assembly of approximately 55 Capuchin bishops from around the world held Sept. 9–13 in Assisi, Italy, for prayer, study, and fraternal reflection.

Set against the historic backdrop of the Jubilee of St. Francis and the approaching 500th anniversary of the Capuchin Reform, prelates serving in Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America, Europe, and Indonesia shared their pastoral realities and reflected on their service to the universal Church.

“We are going back to Assisi in this wonderful year of the Jubilee of St. Francis,” Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, archbishop emeritus of Boston, said. “It is a great honor. It’s a wonderful opportunity to experience the fraternity of so many bishops from all over the world.”

According to Vatican statistics , there are 5,525 Catholic bishops worldwide. Of those, 4,332, or 78.4%, are diocesan bishops formed within the secular clergy, while 1,193, or 21.6%, are members of institutes of consecrated life , including Capuchins, Dominicans, Jesuits,…