(ANS – Rome) – Today the Winter Plenary Session of the General Council which began on 5 December, comes to an end. In the course of 25 sessions 7 Provincials have been appointed, 8 Reports of Extraordinary Visitations studied, Mission Office funds have been distributed, the next two-  and final Team Visits have been  prepared and the Budget for 2012 approved. A change in Salesian geography has been made and a new Group belonging to Salesian Family officially approved.

In addition to the two events usually occurring during the Winter Session –  the Course for recently appointed Provincials  and the Spirituality Days of the Salesian Family – there was a third of considerable importance: the presentation of the Charter of the Charismatic Identity of the Salesian Family.

The Provincials who were appointed are:  Fr Néstor Castell (Uruguay), Fr Alberto Lorenzelli (Chile), Fr Janez Potočnik  (Slovenia), Fr Roberto Dal Molin (North East Italy) Fr Pejo Orkić (Croatia), Fr Munir El Ra’i (Middle East) and Fr Edson Donizetti Castilho (Brazil-São Paulo).

The Reports studied of Extraordinary Visitations made by some Councillors in the previous months were: Antilles (Fr Esteban Ortiz), Paraguay (Fr Natale Vitali), Thailand (Fr Andrew Wong), Mozambique (Fr Guillermo Basañes), Chile (Fr José Miguel Núñez), Poland Warsaw (Fr Marek Chrzan) and India Guwahati and Panjim (Fr Maria Arokiam).

The Council approved the division of the Province of India-Guwahati with the creation of the Province of Silchar. In this way there are now 12 circumscriptions making up the South Asia Region. In the same area of Salesian geography, a new organisation of the Salesian foundations in the Special Circumscription of East Europe (EST) could be: the Byzantine Rite Delegation of the Ukraine as a Circumscription directly dependent on the Rector Major; the communities and works of the Latin Rite in the  Ukraine, the communities and works in Belarus, the communities and works in Russia to be assigned to a Polish Province. The Salesians in the East Circumscription are now being asked to express their opinion about this issue. The future arrangements regarding the Salesian foundations in North Africa: Morocco, Tunisia, Libya are still to be decided.

The distribution of the funds collected by the Mission Offices has been affected by the economic situation as it felt at world level and in the Congregation, leading the General Council and the Rector Major to have to make careful choices.

The study has begun regarding the structures of animation and government of the Congregation, in particular, the composition, arrangement and functioning of the General Council and of the Direzione Generale, so as to draw up proposal to be presented to the next General Chapter 27. Special attention has also been paid to Don Bosco International (DBI) and its future and mission re-defined  and a three year strategic plan drawn up to make this organisation really the civil face of the Congregation in Europe, in particular as regards questions appertaining to the  Salesian mission.

Preparations  have also been made for the final two Team Visits programmed for the end of February for the Africa-MDG Region and  the middle of March for the Italy–MOR Region. A new Group has been formally recognised of the Salesian Family the “Visitation Sisters of Don Bosco” (VSDB), founded by Archbishop Hubert D’Rosario SDB, archbishop of Shillong between 1969 and 1994.

The work of the General Council will recommence with an Intermediate Plenary Meeting between 26 March and 5 April when the choice will be made regarding the subject and the organisation of the 27 General Chapter  and with the appointment of Provincials for India Guwahati (ING) and Silchar (INS), Central Italy (ICC) and Hungary (UNG).

Published 27/01/2012