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DECEMBER S U Ħajja 2010 pirtu OCTOBER - DECEMBER S u Ħajja 2010 Journal of Franciscan Culture Issued by the Franciscan Friars (OFM Malta) 94 Editorial EDITORIAL FRANCISCANS AND CHRISTIAN VALUES Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the United Kingdom in September was characterised by the debate regarding the Catholic Church’s right to preach Christian values and morality in a secularised European en- vironment. Although the Pope made it clear that the Catholic Church respects freedom of expression as one of the basic human rights, he also pointed out that the Church has a right to proclaim those values that it considers fundamental to human dignity, and that are at the core of the Gospel message proclaimed by Christians. Indeed, those who advocate the right of freedom of expres- Quarterly journal of sion of other non-Christian religious groups in Europe are denying the Franciscan culture published Church its own right to express itself freely in matters of religion by since April 1986. conveying its Christian message. And this to a continent that has un- doubtedly had a history shaped by its Christian identity. This assertion Layout: John Abela ofm is not meant to be an insult to the new social framework of our secu- Computer Setting: larised European society, but to deny such a fact in order not to offend Raymond Camilleri ofm other sensibilities is, to say the least, an insult to objective historical truth. Available at: The period of history in which Francis of Assisi lived and con- http://www.i-tau.org veyed his Christian message is known as the mediaeval period. Unfor- tunately many so-called intelligent persons link the Middle Ages with All original material is religious bigotry or with Christian fundamentalism. They cite the Cru- Copyright © TAU Franciscan sades as a classic example of brutality in the name of religion. They Communications 2010 fail to understand that, during these same times of so-called religious intolerance (that was and still is, by the way, common to other religions as well), people like Francis of Assisi stood out as luminous examples of tolerance, love for peace and respect for human dignity. Contents Francis of Assisi gave Christian Europe a new religious move- ment that spread far out of the power structures of the Catholic hier- • Editorial ..............................2 archy, to reach out to the common man in the street. This religious • ‹‹Chronicle of the 24 Gen- movement is based upon the basic notions of democracy and respect erals of the Order of Friars for human rights which contemporary society seems to think that it has Minor›› ...............................3 newly discovered. Francis of Assisi was already preaching such values way back in the 13th century. • Gregory IX and the Mendi- He did so, however, with a difference. He never wanted to cant Orders .........................7 dominate others by his own preaching or way of seeing things. He • The Speculum Perfectionis: showed profound respect for other religions, as is evident in the his- an alternative to Bonaven- torically proven visit of Francis to the Muslim Sultan of Egypt Melek ture (2) ..............................10 el-Kamel in 1219. Francis, however, never imposed his view of Chris- tianity upon the “Infidels”. He proposed the historical person of Jesus • Life of St. Francis Christ and his Gospel with courage and patience, and changed the way of Assisi ............................20 in which the official Church was dealing with ordinary people. • Letter of the Minister Maybe if Francis were still alive today he would not change General .............................25 his methodology. Neither should his followers change theirs in a secularised environment. In a cultural European context in which the tide of secularism is indeed becoming a new force of religious intolerance in the name of a new ideology of human supremacy, the humble message of Francis and the Franciscans remains valid in order to support people like Pope Benedict XVI, who still believe that denying Europe its Christian roots and identity is depriving it of its own right to self-dignity and self-respect. 94 Fr. Noel Muscat ofm 2 SPIRTU + ĦAJJA - October - December 2010 III Franciscan Franciscan Order Order «CHRONICLE OF THE 24 GENERALS OF THE ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR» IN A NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION Noel Muscat OFM The history of the Franciscan Order during its endeavour to spread the Franciscan message through first two centuries of existence has been the subject green technology, and provide Franciscan texts free of of intense research and study. The Sources for the Life of Saint Francis are of fundamental importance to understand the historical background in which the Order of Friars Minor was born and developed. Many of these mediaeval documents are now edited, and they have been translated into English and can be read by the general public. Other less known Sources, however are still awaiting publication. Among these documents we mention two voluminous works that were produced during the latter half of the 14th century, namely the Chronica XXIV Ministrorum Generalium Ordinis fratrum Minorum, by the Franciscan Arnald of Sarrant, from the Province of Aquitaine (written in 1369-1374), and the Liber de Conformitate vitae beati Francisci ad vitam Domini Iesu by the Franciscan Bartholomew of Pisa (written in 1385-1399). Noel Muscat OFM, a member of the Maltese Franciscan Province of St. Paul, and currently residing in the Holy Land, is offering an online contribution to the translation of The Chronicle of the 24 Ministers General by Arnald of Sarrant into English. This is the first time that a complete translation of the Chronicle has been completed. The Chronicle is being posted on-line as part of our 2010 October - December - SPIRTU + ĦAJJA 3 I Franciscan Order charge to all those who are interested to read them. We as well as to those who are qualified to correct its believe that, by doing so, we are offering a service to inaccuracies, and who we gratefully thank for their the Franciscan Order, the Church and to the Christian expert advice. The Chronicle of the 24 Generals can be identity of European history. freely downloaded from the Franciscan Studies section The Chronicle of the 24 Ministers General at the website: http://www.i-tau.org. presents the history of the Order of Friars Minor from its foundation by Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) to the General Leonard of Giffoni and the beginning of Introduction to the «Chronicle of the Western Schism (1378). This translation is the fruit the 24 Ministers General» of three years of work, and is based on the Latin critical edition. The Chronica XXIV Generalium Ordinis The Chronicle was published in Latin by the Fratrum Minorum is a voluminous history of the Franciscan scholars and Quaracchi editors in 1897, in Franciscan Order from the time of its foundation by Volume 3 of Analecta Franciscana, and covers 575 Saint Francis to the Minister General Leonard Giffoni pages of text, plus 134 pages of appendixes. Because (1373-1378). The year 1378 marked the beginning of of its voluminous nature, the entire Chronicle has the Western Schism (which lasted till 1417), when two been translated in 5 sections covering respectively popes were elected, Urban VI in Rome and Clement the following historical periods: (1) Saint Francis and VII in Avignon. the early Franciscan fraternity; (2) The Generals from The author of the Chronicle of the 24 Generals Brother Elias as vicar (1227) to Saint Bonaventure of the Order of Friars Minor is today considered to be (1274); (3) The Generals from Jerome of Ascoli (1274) brother Arnald of Sarrant. No manuscript, however, to Michael of Cesena (1328); (4) The Generals from bears his name. The Franciscan scholars of Quaracchi Gerard Eudes (1329) to Leonard of Giffoni (1378); who edited this work in the third volume of Analecta (5) Appendixes to the Chronicle. The translation is Franciscana, say that he came from France and was a enriched by footnotes, and explanations on the various member of the Franciscan Province of Aquitaine, since historical events narrated and on the personages of the he includes his own name in the list of Ministers of that Chronicle. Province. Arnald of Sarrant is also considered to be The volume has the aim of providing a readable the author of the De Cognatione S. Francisci, which translation, without pretending to be a translation of a paved the way for the famous De Conformitate vitae scholar of mediaeval Latin. We are aware that other beati Francisci ad vitam Domini Iesu, published at the efforts have been made for many years to present a very end of the 14th century by Bartholomew of Pisa.1 professional translation of the Chronicle, and that it will In the Book of Conformities, brother Bartholomew of not be long before an English edition will be published. Pisa says that Arnald came from Sarrant, that he was On our part, as we have already stated, we have tried Minister of his province for a long time (circa 1361- to present a translation which would be as faithful as 1383), and that he collected and wrote whatever possible to the original text, and which, indeed, has information he found regarding Saint Francis.2 Luke been made with the intention of being as professional as Wadding explicitly indicates Arnald of Sarrant as the possible. It is not possible for us to present this edition author of the Chronicle of the 24 Generals. Wadding in print, because of the limited means at our disposal, also says that Pope Gregory XI sent Arnald to Spain but we are confident that, by posting the translation on- in 1273, together with the lectors brother Didacus of line, we are reaching a wide range of interests, as well Palencia from the convent of Toulouse, Juan Gonsalvo as being faithful to our Franciscan calling to generously of the monastery of Huete Cuenca, and Juan of the render a service without looking at any material gains.
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