【慈幼通訊社
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2014
年
04
月
01
日梵蒂岡訊】
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3月31日星期一，是一個不平凡的特殊日子，我們在那天與教宗方濟各會面。在會面前，全代會成員參觀聖伯多祿大殿，在這位宗徒墳墓前更新他們的信仰。接著，他們轉向聖伯多祿宗徒的聖像，以及在上面的聖若望鮑思高像，然後才進入格來孟廳進行會面。
當教宗於正午時份進入大廳時，全代會成員不斷以熱列響亮的掌聲，向教宗致候。總會長向教宗致以親切問候，說：「敬愛的教宗方濟各，敬愛的父親。」對於教宗願意於2015年前往都靈，參與鮑思高神父誕辰二百周年的慶典，范達民神父予以感謝。
總會長沒有按常規閱讀預先準備的文稿，卻以西班牙語，再一次向教宗保證，慈幼會士定會盡孝愛之情，並許諾繼續代表教宗，向瑪利亞進教之佑祈求，正如教宗從前經常在布宜諾斯艾利斯的 Almagro 聖殿所作的一樣。
教宗方濟各以慣常簡潔、家常並語重深長的方式，向全代會成員講話。再一次他講及日常生活的實況：保持節制、努力工作不要午睡、把最好的施予那些被邊緣化的、失業的青少年、團體中可能有的張力、仁愛、關心聖召。他在總結時說：「請為我祈禱！謝謝！」
教宗方濟各在演說時，人們致以兩次熱烈的掌聲，一次是在他作結總時，另一次是在他決定留下來，與各人個別致候時。
在大會下午環節開始時，總會長引用了「我們在這早上享受的美好時刻」的經驗。范達民神父接著講述未來數天的工作時，鼓勵全代會成員「給予我們的會士、整個修會及我們自己姿態、標記及決志，使能幫助我們在這歷史時刻中，在整個教會及我們修會中，擔當先知的角色。」
我們需要勇氣，去「尋找途徑，引領我們無懼地走向最貧困者、卑微者、軟弱者。這正是我們的慈幼抉擇，俾能為貧苦者，特別是貧苦無告的青少年服務。」
總會長繼續作出第二個呼籲：「要繼續在這兄弟般美好的氛圍下生活。」他懇求更普世性的兄弟般的友愛。「我認為第一份要撰寫旳文件，應與我們日常兄弟般的經歷有關，並要表現出我們對修會普世性的歸屬感。這表示一份兄弟般的關係，不僅對『我』的兄弟，但對我的國家及文化的會士兄弟，也對不同地區的會士兄弟一起。」
新任中北歐地區區長 Tadeusz Rozmus 神父，首次參與全代會的工作。
GC27: Meeting with Pope Francis
(ANS - Vatican –Vatican City, 01 April 2014) – Monday 31 March was an unusual and extraordinary day, the day we met Pope Francis. The Chapter members visited the Basilica of St. Peter beforehand to renew their profession of faith at the tomb of the Apostle.Then they turned their attention to the statue of the Apostle Peter and, above it, the statue of St. John Bosco, before making their way to the Clementine Hall for the audience.
Warm, loud and prolonged applause greeted the Pope when he entered the room just after 12.00 noon. The Rector Major addressed the Pope with a family greeting: "Dear Pope Francis, Dear Father." Fr Fernandez thanked the Pope for his willingness to travel to Turin in 2015 on the occasion of the bicentenary of the birth of Don Bosco.
He departed from the written text, and, speaking in Spanish, he once again assured the Pope of the filial affection of the Salesians, and promised that he would continue to invoke Mary Help of Christians on his behalf as he had done often in the Sanctuary at Almagro in Buenos Aires.
Pope Francis addressed the chapter members in his usual style - simple, familiar but no less profound. Once again there were references to real life situations: temperance, doing without a siesta, the best to be sent among young people who are marginalized, young people out of work, possible tensions in the community, loving kindness, and care of vocations. In conclusion he said: "Please pray for me! Thank you!"
There were two rounds of applause for Pope Francis, one when he concluded his speech and another when he chose to stay and greet each one individually.
At the beginning of the afternoon session in the Assembly, the Rector Major referred to the experience as the "nice time that we had this morning." Referring than to the work of the next few days, Fr Fernandez encouraged the Chapter members to "give our confreres, the whole congregation and ourselves gestures, signs and resolutions that will help us to be prophetic at this time in history, in the Church and in our congregation."
We need courage to "find paths that will lead us boldly towards the poorest and the least, the most fragile. This is what is most genuine in our Salesian option for the poor, especially the poorest young people."
The Rector Major continued with a second call: "to continue to live in this beautiful atmosphere of fraternity." He called for a more universal fraternity. "I think the first document we are writing is about the everyday experience of fraternity, and the experience of the universal sense of belonging in the Congregation. This means fraternity not just with “my” confreres, those of my country and my culture, but also with confreres from other continents."
Father Tadeusz Rozmus, the new Regional for Central and Northern Europe, joined for the first time in the work of the Chapter.