Writings Concerning the Franciscan Order

First Encyclical Letter (1257)

First Encyclical Letter (1257) Bonaventure was elected General Minister in 1257 at an emotionally–charged chapter in which his charismatic predecessor , John of Parma, tainted with the brush of radical Joachite ideas, had resigned, most likely at the behest of Pope Alexander IV.1 The controversies which had threatened the Order for most of the decade were only beginning to simmer down; the flames o f criticism against the mendicants were still being stoked by disgruntled secular clergy. Bonaventure had not been present at t h e chapter, which was held in Rome; but once he had received word o f his election, he had to move quickly to let the friars know that a firm hand was at the helm of the Order.2 Bonaventure was an enthusiastic believer in the Franciscan ideal; he was convinced that the Friars Minor filled a providential role in the history of salvation. But he also knew that t h e favored place of his brothers in the church was dependent on their actually living the 'apostolic life' of poor Gospel preachers. Bonaventure was the first to admit that this was not always t h e case, that too many friars had strayed from their ideals, and t h a t the ministers would have to exert more effort to maintain t h e original fervor and strict discipline of the Order. This 'inaugural address' announced the policy Bonaventure would pursue throughout his administration: to call the Order to re–commit itself to its foundational document, the Rule of 1223 a s interpreted by the authoritative Papal declarations. As Rosalind Brooke has stated: "The abuses he listed [here] were prohibited and denounced in the Rule, and in the ordinances and constitutions promulgated by his predecessors. The chief need was not for more laws, but for more energy on the part of the superiors, who must 1See Introduction, pp. 27–28. 2As Théophile Desbonnets observes: "The new general's encyclical resounded like a 'take charge' manifesto throughout the Order" (p. 128). However, Desbonnets is both unfair and off the mark when he suggests that this letter was a shoot-fromthe -hip action by a man who had had "no contact with the Order's central administration" (pp. 127-28). The letter was written at the end of April; Bonaventure had been elected in early February. Even granted the time it took for the news of his election to get to Paris, he states explicitly in this letter that he had carefully considered the recommendations of the chapter and was taking its advice. 58 / Dominic Monti, O.F.M. stimulate the friars to greater devotion and see that they knew and understood all the regulations they were supposed to obey."3 The letter survived in twenty medieval manuscripts; the text is taken from the Quaracchi edition (VIII, 468–69).4 To all the provincial ministers and custodians of the Order of Friars Minor, from Bonaventure, newly elected as General Minister. 1. Brother Bonaventure, General Minister and servant of the Order of Minors, to all the ministers and custodians, dear to him in Christ: greetings and that peace which surpasses all understanding [Phil 4:7]. As I take up this burden which has been laid upon me, I am fully aware of my inadequacies: my frail health,5 my defects of character, my lack of experience, and my reluctance to accept the office. Nevertheless, because it is hard to kick against the goad [Acts 26:14] of both the general chapter and the Supreme Pontiff, thus stubbornly resisting the will of the most high God himself, I have decided to shoulder this nearly intolerable burden, trusting in the strength of the Almighty and relying on your earnest support in carrying it. For although it would be impossible for any one man, however strong, diligent, and experienced he might be, to bear the entire weight on his own, if the load is split up and distributed among other shoulders, it may be carried easily through a common effort. Otherwise, this weak man at your head would shrink back in fear from assuming such an unaccustomed role. Therefore, I am counting on your diligence, concern, and lively zeal, so that you might be prompt to root out what is evil, promote what is good, revive what is weak, and reinforce what is already strong. Seeing myself as a sentinel for the house of Israel, I have 3EFG, p. 275. The problems enumerated in this letter were by...