Dear brothers of the Fraternity.
Peace and good!
I want to share with you all the joy of being in Rome to deliver the Fraternity’s documents to the Dicastery for the Clergy.
I was very well received by Brother Fr. Andrea Mandonico and stayed at his house, the “Society of African Missions”.
On the first day, I wanted to have a moment of solitude and prayer. Therefore, I went to the Mother House of the Little Sisters of Jesus in Tre Fontane. I spent a good amount of time in the chapel, in silent prayer. I went down to the tomb of Little Sister Madeleine of Jesus and stayed there in silence, praying for our Fraternity and for each one of you. Although the General Superior, Sister Eugeniya-Kubwimana, was not present that day, I had a good and pleasant conversation with the head of the Mother House in Tre Fontane, Sister Luigina, and two counselors, Sister Goneswary and Sister Najiba. We talked about the joys and concerns of our fraternities around the world, about our needs, resources, the lack of vocations and, above all, our docility to the Holy Spirit of God.
On October 7, 2025, I had an audience with Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, prefect of the dicastery for the clergy, to personally deliver to him the fruit of the work of the Priestly Fraternity Jesus Caritas. Fathers Andrea Mandonico and Giovanni Naoom, responsible for the Fraternity in Italy, who spoke Italian, accompanied me. This audience with the Cardinal was very important and significant for us.
The Cardinal presented himself in a simple manner, accompanied by his secretary, Bishop Andrés Gabriel Ferrada Moreira, and an Indian priest as translator. They asked me to speak in Portuguese, and both translated my conversations with Cardinal Lazarus. They were welcoming and fraternal, making us feel at ease. The Cardinal told us a little about his life and how he came to Rome after many years as a bishop in South Korea. We were surprised and delighted to discover that he is very familiar with the spirituality of Saint Charles de Foucauld, as he had a Little Brother of Jesus as his confessor for many years. So our conversation was simple, yet profound, in keeping with our spirituality.
In a few words, I recounted to the Cardinal the history of the pontifical recognition of the Priestly Fraternity Jesus Caritas. I reminded him that the Dicastery asked us to simplify and update our Statutes and our Directory, and that, in a synodal effort, the previous international team, coordinated by Fr. Eric Lozada from the Philippines, carried out this work over the past six years, listening to brothers from all over the world, national leaders, and continental leaders. And finally, during the assembly in Buenos Aires last May, these two texts were approved, which we are now submitting to the Cardinal, requesting his approval of them as a renewal of the pontifical recognition of the Priestly Fraternity Jesus Caritas. The Cardinal received the texts and is now in the process of reading and analyzing them. We were told that they can be approved in their entirety, or with suggestions for changes made by the Dicastery.
I asked the Cardinal for a word for the brothers of the Fraternity throughout the world. He asks us to live, like Saint Charles, with simplicity, dialogue with everyone, without prejudice, and to show special attention and openness to our Muslim brothers and sisters. He also asks us to bear witness to evangelical poverty, to be humble in reaching out to the poor, and above all, to witness to the Gospel through our lives, following in the footsteps of Saint Charles de Foucauld.
I couldn’t miss visiting the tomb of our beloved Pope Francis. There I prayed for all of us in the Fraternity throughout the world, and asked for his intercession for the work of this new international team, in which I am a small and humble servant.
In the name of Jesus, a big hug with all my affection.
Goiás, November 20, 2025
Fr. Carlos Roberto dos Santos
International Responsible
📃 PDF: Delivery of the Statutes and Directoy to de Dicastery for the Clergy en