A Franciscan Message of Peace and Solidarity

As Franciscan friars, brothers to one another and to you, those we serve, we share the most recent statement of our Minister General, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, OFM, with our St Francis of Assisi Parish community.   

The world-wide Order of Friars Minor (Franciscan Friars) fully stands with Pope Leo's mission of peace.

The complete statement of our General Minister, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, OFM

"In these days, as the suffering of so many innocent people grows because of wars and violence, we receive with gratitude the voice of Pope Leo XIV, which resounds with clarity and courage. It is an appeal to the dignity of every person, to dialogue, and to our shared responsibility. To ask for peace is not a political gesture: it is a fundamental moral act, rooted in the Gospel.

As Friars Minor, we renew our full adherence to the Holy Father and our commitment to welcoming his words of peace and justice. They bring us back to the heart of the message of Saint Francis of Assisi: the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ and of that Peace which comes from God — not the peace the world gives, but the peace that no power can take away or falsify.

Therefore, the Church — and with it the Order of Friars Minor — chooses to stand on the side of those who build and not of those who divide; on the side of the little ones, innocent victims of wars and violence.

We invite our fraternities and the Franciscan Family to intensify prayer for peace, to accompany with closeness those who suffer, and to support, according to the possibilities of each place, concrete initiatives of solidarity and assistance."

Br. Massimo Fusarelli, OFM

Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor