Provincial Minister Primo P. Piscitello, OFM

NEW YORK - It is incredible to think that last Saturday marked the 50th anniversary since the momentous March on Washington and one of the most famous of all American speeches ever given, Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech.  

How timely to reflect on the words of Dr. King who was known to be a pacifist and a great advocate for peace.  One of my favorite quotes of Dr. King's on peace is this, "Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal."

I think that Pope Francis must know this quote well; at the very least, he knows its intention, as he has remarkably called the whole world to a day of prayer and fasting tomorrow for peace.  

It seems to me that our world finds itself again, at a turning point, with a great opportunity.  What has been going on in Syria for the last few years is horrific, made somehow even worse through the use of chemical weapons. War is on our doorstep once again knocking and trying to get in.  And here we have this extraordinary new Pope (yes, he is still new!) inviting us, in the words of the Second Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation, to pray "that enemies may speak to each other again, adversaries join hands and peoples seek to meet together."

As Pope Francis reaches out to the world and calls the leaders of the world "to find ways to overcome conflicting positions and lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution," it reminds me of our own St. Francis and his encounter with the Sultan.  The Saint walked into a situation that everyone assumed could only be solved by war and instead found a different way, the way of brotherhood and peace.  History tells us, of that encounter, that one of the sultan's own counselors was so moved by that moment that he had engraved on his tomb that what changed his life was the meeting between a Christian monk and the sultan in his tent.

So, my brothers, I encourage us to embrace the spirit of both Our Holy Father Saint Francis and our Holy Father Pope Francis. Let us be men of prayer and men of peace.  I encourage you to join with me, with the Pope and with the world, especially tomorrow, as we pray for peace in Syria and in the world and that God might strengthen each of us to be instruments of His peace.

May the peace of Christ reign in our hearts, in our fraternities and in our world.

"Let the cry for peace rise up across the Earth!" (Pope Francis)

Rome, September 6, 2013

My dear Brothers,

The 'cry for peace' rises from the ashes of those who have died and those who continue to suffer the consequences of conflict and violence in Syria, the Middle East, and in other parts of the world. It is clear that we cannot idly stand by and watch as our brothers and sisters suffer as if their suffering has nothing to do with our lives and our Christian, Franciscan identity.

I therefore join with our Holy Father Pope Francis in his call for each of us to undertake a day of fasting and prayer for peace tomorrow, Saturday, September 7, 2013. I also would ask you, my brothers, individually and in your fraternities, to explore ways to extend this experience of fasting and prayer for peace into the foreseeable future, that the 'cry for peace' might rise up from our Franciscan fraternties and from the Order, that it might become a positive force for justice, truth, and the healing of nations.

We Friars Minor unite our efforts for a just and sustainable peace with the members of the Catholic Church, the Franciscan family, with other Christians and religious seekers, and with people of good will everwhere.

Fraternally yours,

Brother Michael A. Perry, OFM
Minister General, Order of Friars Minor