ROME — Pope Francis recently appointed Fr. Aurelio Pesoa Ribera, OFM, as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of La Paz, Bolivia. Fr. Pesoa Ribera has served in a number of pastoral roles in his Province of San Antonio in Bolivia, including as vicar of the San Francisco fraternity in Cochabamba and Provincial Definitor. He was Provincial Minister at the time of his appointment.
From May 5 to 8, the presidents of the conferences of the Order met at the General Curia in Rome. Among topics under discussion was the survey of the status of the Order and details about the General Chapter in 2015. Fr. John Puodziunas, OFM, of Assumption Province, serves as president of the English-speaking Conference.
Additional news from the May issue of Fraternitas, the monthly OFM newsletter, includes:
- The restoration of the cell at the Church of San Francesco a Ripa in Rome where St. Francis stayed between 1209 and 1223. The friars used crowdfunding website Kickstarter to raise $130,000 for the cell’s renovation, $5,000 more than its $125,000 goal.
- The General Minister’s schedule, which includes the chapter of St. John the Baptist Province later this month and a trip to the Holy Land during Pope Francis’s upcoming pilgrimage.
- An announcement of the First International Secretariat for Missions and Evangelization Congress from May 19 to 28.
- Celebration of the Province of Malta’s 100th anniversary.
— Compiled by Maria Hayes