Letter from the participants of the 2025 Intercapitular Assembly to all confrères

Letter from the participants of the 2025 Intercapitular Assembly
to all confrères

Dear Confrères,
At the conclusion of the Intercapitular Assembly, we address all of you in a spirit of synodality. We are a “synod” because we are on a journey and we are not alone: the Risen Christ accompanies us (cf. Lk 24:15).

At the heart of the Assembly, held in Rome from 7^th to 26^th September 2025, a passionate call was repeatedly echoed—one we cannot ignore: it is time to “rekindle the fire of mission” and to let our passion and dedication shine anew.

In order to respond to this call, we consider it essential to have a clear and realistic view of the current situation of the Institute. The Lord accompanies our journey in the different realities, each with its own times and rhythms.

As emphasised in the letter from the General Council, “Going Beyond”, mission lies at the centre of our existence: it guides our decisions and responsibilities, both personally and communally, across the different jurisdictions.

Therefore, for us Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, it is necessary to rethink and renew the mission in light of the four fundamental charismatic dimensions:

• to live the mission for our entire life (ad vitam);
• to be an “outgoing Church” (ad extra);
• to serve the poor (ad pauperes);
• and to proclaim the Gospel to all peoples of the earth (ad gentes), particularly to non-Christians and those insufficiently evangelized, according to the specific pastoral needs of the ministerial context.

Finally, we are engaged in a gradual path of missionary reconfiguration, which requires the courage to make significant decisions regarding the merging of jurisdictions. The call of the last three General Chapters can no longer remain a dead letter; it calls us to take concrete steps before the next General Chapter in 2028.

We continue to walk the path of integral ecology, one of the pillars of the Comboni mission, with the concrete invitation to support and participate in COP30. Global reflection must be translated into local actions within our communities and jurisdictions.

We entrust this journey to the safe hands of Saint Daniel Comboni, so that he may accompany, inspire, and protect us as we commit ourselves with renewed zeal to the mission entrusted to us. May his example give us strength, courage, and perseverance in facing challenges, making us a sign of hope for all peoples.

The Intercapitular Assembly
Rome, 26^th September 2025