150 Fondacio delegates met in Tagaytay, Philippines, from 7 to 11 May to reflect on the future of this international movement, present in around twenty countries.
The 5th Fondacio Congress opened on Monday, May 7, and will run through Sunday, May 11, at the Mariapolis Center, Tagaytay, Philippines. Its theme this year is "Called to be sparks in the heart of the world," a world "marked by rapid changes and where Asia has become a center of gravity (demographic, economic, political, cultural and religious)."
Every five years, a congress brings together all the delegates of this international movement founded in 1974 in the wave of charismatic communities - already present on four continents - to discern the priority orientations for the coming years and to elect the president and the council for a new term.
Since May 1, around 85 delegates of 20 nationalities have immersed themselves in the local realities of several Asian countries where Fondacio is established: Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, before addressing the challenges faced by missionaries in a two-day forum.
"Acculturation and gender balance in governance"
For the 150 delegates who later met in Tagaytay, the first challenge was to reflect on Fondacio’s particular mission, its “core business,” and to define it in a simple way. “Our community aims at the integral development of the person, starting from the Gospel for a commitment in the world, with formation as a central dimension,” says its president, François Prouteau, upriver.
Improving the governance of the movement is another theme of the conference. Fondacio is present in twenty countries around the world: “Its future depends on greater inculturation and a better balance between men and women,” acknowledges its president.
Finally, “the issue of intercultural dialogue is fundamental today,” explains François Prouteau, whose predecessor was Chilean and settled in France during his mandate. “We believe that we can understand each other, but it is by engaging in joint actions and collaborations that we understand how others think, how they function.”
Greater collaboration with priests and religious
The movement is also based on greater collaboration between priests, lay people and religious, as is the case in particular in Angers, with the Franciscan sisters of the Esvière site who have made buildings available for the Fondacio training institute (IFF-Europe). The movement is focused on humanitarianism, solidarity and guidance. “The question of meaning and commitment is also a good entry point, with young people, but also with business leaders to whom we offer a path of reflection on the meaning of their lives and spaces for healing. (In Lérins, Penboc'h)..." adds François Prouteau.
In addition to its training, Fondacio is also involved in social and educational projects, particularly in Africa and Asia, in collaboration with dioceses, movements and organisations: rural development projects, ecological projects, projects for HIV patients, street children...
“There is a spirituality of benevolence to be cultivated, not from the perspective of norms, but from our friendship with Jesus Christ, which does not make us afraid to enter into peripheral situations, whatever they may be,” explains François Prouteau.
Celine Hoyeau
Newscast
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