Fr Á.F. Artime starts his letter with a theme dear to him and already touched upon on several occasions: the added value of Valdocco, the cradle of the Salesian charism, for the celebration of the GC28.
He then goes on to re-read the circumstances of the pandemic with a look of faith: “Faced with this situation of tribulation, aware of its complexity, we cannot, as believers, neglect the perspective of belief. The Pope himself has warned us not to waste these difficult days."
The prospect of the Rector Major then reaches the immediate future, in which "serious consequences, even economic, are looming in many of our houses". In the face of this scenario, the invitation is without uncertainty: “We must think of very concrete charity and solidarity… So let's think about how to adapt, but never at the price of leaving our poorest recipients without the care and attention on the part of the Salesian house in which they have always been."
The reflection continues recalling the important and prophetic role of young people at the GC28 and the "very significant presence" of Pope Francis.
The X Successor of Don Bosco then answers the questions of those who might consider the GC28 a "failed" Chapter. And clarifies that, on the basis of what was resolved by the Chapter Assembly before the early closing of the work, it was "decided that the Rector Major and his Council, elected in the previous days, would take over both the Chapter deliberations already approved and the reflections on the first two nuclei of the Chapter theme. These texts, together with the Holy Father's Message and the further reflection that the General Council will carry out, will constitute the guide for the journey of the Congregation in the coming years." Without forgetting, then, the programmatic letter for the six-year term.
The spirit of Valdocco, concludes Fr Á.F. Artime, has been broadly shared and much-felt in the GC28, and will have to be nourished in future choices at a global level, perpetuating that "Valdocco Option" referred to by the Pope.
The letter is available, in the five most spoken languages in the Congregation, on the website www.sdb.org.
