Sr. Evelyne Franc, the superior general of the international order of the Daughters of Charity, spoke at a weekend summit, focused on the theme “The management of the ecclesiastical goods of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, for the service of humanity and for the mission of the Church,”

Hosting a roundtable Sunday on a “prophetic, communal economy with solidarity,” Franc said her order revised its constitutions in 2003 to include a promise to “work to change the unjust structures that cause poverty.”

Franc said orders face a “challenge of authenticity between our principles and what we do.”

“We run the risk of leaving money our master and leaving the social doctrine of the church to one side when our interests and our congregation are in question,” she said. “We need to be vigilant in our style of life so as to counter this culture.”

The event follows pointed remarks from Francis in the fall, who asked leaders of religious orders to re-evaluate management of their assets, especially empty monasteries and convents that in recent years have frequently been turned over to nonreligious pursuits, such as hotels and restaurants.

While the event was hosted mainly in Italian there were simultaneous translations into English, Spanish and French.

Source: NCR Joshua McElwee