CHAPTER I
ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. The Master of the Order, Brother Timothy Radcliffe, by his circular letter of 15 November, 1997, issued at Rome, convoked the General Chapter of Prior Provincials, according to the norm of LCO 413, II, to be celebrated in Bologna, in the Convent of our Holy Father St. Dominic of the Province of St. Dominic in Italy, on 13 July, 1998 and the following days.
2. By his letter of 21 February, 1997, the Master of the Order appointed Brother Bernardino Prella, of the Province of St. Dominic in Italy, as the secretary general of the chapter, according to the norm of LCO 414 and on 21 February appointed Brother Massimo Rossi of the Province of St. Dominic in Italy as the vice-secretary of the chapter.
3. The Master of the Order invited the following members of the Dominican Family to the chapter: for the nuns of the Order, Sister Adriana Maria Colombres and Sister Mary Thomas Schniederberend and Sister Teresa Olivari; for the sisters of the active life, Sister Margaret Ormond, Delegate for Dominican Sisters International, Sister Tarcisia Santarossa, of the Dominican Congregation of B. Imelda; for the Dominican Laity, Mr. Miguel Peiro Alba, (Dominican Youth) and Mr. Klaus Bornewasser (lay fraternity); from the secular institutes Miss Henriette Paquay.
4. On 9 July the secretary general, Brother Bernardino Prella sent the following telegram to the Roman Pontiff, Pope John Paul II. The Supreme Pontiff replied on 11 July through the Secretary of State, His Eminence, Angelo Cardinal Sodano.

   "To His Holiness John Paul II. - Vatican City
   The Prior Provincials of the Order of Preachers are gathered at the General Chapter in the convent of Bologna where their Holy Father St. Dominic lived and died and where his relics are kept. Wishing to follow with increasing fidelity the way of their founder and to participate more closely in the mission of the Church as it proclaims the name of the Lord, they look with eyes of faith at this our century -now at its close- seeking to give witness not only to the history of humanity but also to the divine initiative in human affairs, in order to offer hope and mercy to the men and women of our time. While thanking your Holiness for your paternal care for the Order, they humbly ask for your prayers and seek your Apostolic Blessing.

   Brother Bernardino Eugenio Prella OP
   Secretary of the General Chapter"

   "Rev. Father Bernardino Eugenio Prella OP
   Secretary of the General Chapter of the Friars Preachers - Bologna

   Gratefully receiving the message sent by you together with the Prior Provincials on the occasion of the General Chapter of the Order of Friars Preachers, the Holy Father, spiritually present with you, sends His good wishes assuring you a memory in His prayers so that your meeting may stimulate generous union to Christ and fidelity to the Church in today's circumstances on the threshold of the Third Millennium and a renewed spiritual vitality for the work of the new evangelization following the wonderful example left by your founder St. Dominic. While he invokes from the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, a generous outpouring of graces and heavenly light he sends the requested Apostolic Blessing imploring divine assistance.

   Cardinal Angelo Sodano
   Secretary of State
   Rome, 11 July 1998"

5. On 12 July, in the basilica of St. Dominic in Bologna, the Prior of the convent celebrated Mass in the presence of a large congregation during which the beginning of the chapter was announced to the people of Bologna. The Prime Minister of Italy, Romano Prodi, the Prefect of the Province of Bologna, Enzo Mosino and the Mayor of the city, Walter Vitali and other civil dignitaries were also present.
6. On 12 July at 5.00 p.m. and on 13 July at 9.00 a.m., Brothers Michel van Aerde, Virgilio Ambrosini and Manuel Merten examined the testimonial letters of the vocals from the vicariates.
7. The Prior Provincial of the Province of the Holy Name in the USA, Brother Daniel Syverstad was unable to be present at the Chapter because of illness. Brother Reginald Martin, his socius, attended in his place. Likewise, Brother Hubert Niclasse, on 27 July, because of unexpected illness, had to leave the Chapter and return home without delay to receive medical attention.

8. On 13 July the Master of the Order began the Chapter with a Solemn Mass of the Holy Spirit in the Basilica of St. Dominic, Bologna.

9. On the first three days of the Chapter the following reports of the chapter were given: On the Order in Asia by the brothers from that region who were members of the Chapter; On Relationships with Women in the Order and in the Church, Emotional Development and Formation, On the Government of our Order, and reports of the commissions On the Mission of the Order and on the Dominican Family.

10. The members of the General Chapter met in language groups before the beginning of their work so that they might get to know each other better and the life of the Order.

11. According to the norms of LCO, 417, I, 3, Brothers Roberto Giorgis and Raffaele Rizzello, of the Province of St. Dominic in Italy, were appointed secretaries of the Chapter.
12. Brothers Yvon Pomerleau, Francesco Compagnoni and José Angel López Legido were nominated by the Master of the Order as moderators for the plenary sessions and were approved by the general chapter on the 17 July.

13. The norms of procedure prepared by the brothers on the central commission of the chapter were approved by the chapter on the 17 July.
14. The Master of the Order, on the same day, 17 July, having heard the chapter, according to norm LCO 417, I, 4, confirmed the following distribution of members of the commissions and the presidents of the six commissions:

Commission I

Common Life and Formation
fr. Sidbé Semporé [President]
fr. Daniel Cadrin
fr. Denis Dion
fr. Lino James Dolan
fr. Louis Bertrand Fergus
fr. Norman Alfred Haddad
fr. Andrzej Kamiñski
fr. Miguel Adriano Martins Dos Santos
fr. Manuel Merten
fr. Józef Pucilowski
sr. Tarcisia Santarossa
sr. Maria Thomas Schniederberend
fr. Simon Lalabatu Suvenava

Commission II

Dominican Family
fr.Charles Fenech [President]
fr. Munawar Bhatti
fr. Laurence Collins
Sr. Adriana Colombres Terán
fr. Joseph Ðinh Châu Trân
fr. Juan José Gallego Salvadores
fr. José Haro Aviles
fr. Pablo Iribarren Pascal
fr. Tito Belisario Murcia Florian
Sr. Margaret Ormond
Mr. Miguel Peiro Alba
fr. Alberto Rodríguez
fr. Mario A. Rodríguez León
fr. Manuel Uña Fernandez

Commission III

The Economic Policy of the Order
fr. Juan Pablo Berra [President]
fr. Bernard Connor
fr. Vincent Ha-Vien-Lu
fr. Rajmund Jozef Klepanec
fr. Fernando Mañero
fr. Reginald Martin
fr. Malcolm McMahon
fr. Mark Alan O'Brien
fr. Lucio Vargas Rojas

Commission IV

Government
fr. Éric de Clermont-Tonnerre[President]
fr. José Fernandes Alves
fr. Virgilio Ambrosini
fr. André Coulée
fr. Enrico De Cillis
fr. Juan José de León Lastra
fr. Herminio De Paz Castaño
fr. Felix Fernández Rodríguez
fr. Emeterio Gutiérrez de Cea
fr. Thomas Kamainda Bakutu
fr. Hipolito Michel Plata
fr. Fausto Sbaffoni
fr. Fernando Solá-Soler
fr. David van Ooijen

Commission V

The Mission of the Order
fr. Quirico T. Pedregosa [President]
Mr. Klaus Bornewasser
fr. Miguel Concha Malo
fr. Paolo Garuti
fr. Anselm Hsu
fr. Paul Kuruvilla
fr. Salvatore Manna
Miss Henriette Paquay
fr. Jean-Jacques Pérennès
fr. Edward Ruane
fr. Michel van Aerde
fr. Guido Vergauwen
fr. Stanislovas Zarauskas
fr. Maciej Ziêba

Commission VI

Constitutions and Ordinations
fr. Mark De Caluwe [President]
fr. Carlos A. Azpiroz-Costa
fr. Bonifacio García-Solís
fr. Thomas McDermott
fr. Damián Nemec
fr. Hubert Niclasse
sr. Teresa Olivari
fr. Hans Ulrich Steymans
fr. Marinko Zadro

15. The Master of the Order, on the 17 July, after hearing the hapter according to norm LCO 417, I, 3, appointed as revisors of the texts of the chapter: Brothers Michel Van Aerde of the Province of Toulouse, Concha Malo of the Province of St. James in Mexico and Laurence Collins of the Province of Ireland.
16. The Master of the Order, Brother Timothy Radcliffe, in accord with LCO 417, II, 3, presented a written report on the state of the Order and the principal events and projects which took place under his direction since the last General Chapter. According to the norm of LCO 430 the assistants of the general and the syndic of the Order did the same, as did the postulator general according to the norm of LCO 434,2.

17. Brother Yvon Pomerleau, from the Province of St. Dominic in Canada, on 6 January, 1996, was appointed promoter general of the Dominican Family in acccordance with n.94 of the General Chapter of Caleruega, 1995.

18. The Master of the Order, in accord with the commission of the General Chapter of Caleruega n.117 in November 1995 established the commission for the development and renewal of the Angelicum under the presidency of Br. Liam Walsh (vice-rector of the university of Fribourg in Switzerland). Other members of the commission were Sister Edda Ducci, La Sapienza University, Rome, Sister Mary O'Driscoll (PUST), the Assistant for the Provinces in the USA, Br. Chrys Finn (Vicar of the Master of the Order), the Assistant for the Intellectual Life, Brother Guido Vergauwen (from Fribourg University in Switzerland), Brother Dalmatius Mongillo (PUST). The Commission held eight sessions and sent a report to the Master of the Order on 8 December, 1997.

19. The Master of the Order erected: on 24 May 1997, the Province of India; on 15 September, 1997, the Vice-Province of Our Lady of the Rosary, Slovakia; and on 26 June 1996 declared the General Vicariate of Hungary.
20. On 1 October, 1995 Brother Francis Quijano León, of the Province of St. James in Mexico, was appointed Assistant of the Master of the Order for Latin America and the Caribbean. On 7 July 1997 Brother Carlos A. Azpiroz Costa was appointed Procurator General; on 8 August 1997 Brother Henrico de Cillis was appointed Assistant of the Master of the Order for the Provinces of Italy and Malta.

21. On 11 June, 1997, the Project for a new entity in Venezuela was established under the immediate jurisdiction of the Master of the Order for three years.

22. The Province of St. Thomas Aquinas in Brazil, together with the already existing vicariates, assumed the new name of Brother Bartholomew de las Casas in Brazil.

23. The General Vicariate of Zaire received the new name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

24. The following provinces were united: on 10 July 1996, the provinces of Lombardy and St. Peter Martyr receiving the name of St. Dominic in Italy; on 7 July, 1997, the provinces of France and Lyon under the name of the Province of France; on 14 July 1997 the provinces of St. Thomas Aquinas in Italy and Sicily receiving the name of St. Thomas Aquinas in Italy; on 20 August 1997, the provinces of Rome and St. Mark and Sardinia receiving the name of the Roman Province of St. Catherine of Siena.

25. The Supreme Pontiff, on the occasion of the last consistory, on 21 February, 1998, numbered our brother Christoph Schónborn, Archbishop of Vienna, in the Sacred College of Cardinals.

26. On 25 June 1998, the Supreme Pontiff appointed our brother Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves, as Prefect of the Congregation for the Bishops and for the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

27. On 14 July 1997 the Master of the Order appointed Brother Leonard Boyle as President of the Leonine Commission.

28. On 14 July the Master of the Order and the capitular brothers were received by the Mayor of Bologna, Walter Vitali. The Mayor, in his address, recalled the close bonds from the very beginning between the city of Bologna and the Order. Likewise the Master of the Order and the capitulars were present at a concert dedicated to them.

29. The General Chapter, on 19 July, visited the city of Ferrara, where Savonarola was born, and recalling the 5th centenary of his death, celebrated Mass in the church which was formerly ours. The Archbishop of Ferrara, Carolus Caffara, warmly received the capitular fathers and celebrated the Eucharist with them.

30. Since the last General Chapter two brothers and sisters of our Order were beatified by Pope John Paul II: John George Rehm; LXIII companion martyrs; Catherine Jarrige.

31. Brother Damian Byrne, former Master of the Order, died on 18 February, 1996; Brother Luigi Ciappi, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, died on 22 April 1996; Brother Pierre Claverie, Bishop of the Diocese of Oran (in Algeria), was murdered on 2 August, 1996; Brother Jerome Hamer, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, died on 2 December 1996.
32. The General Chapter completed its work on 4 August with a solemn concelebrated Mass on the occurring solemnity of our Holy Father, St. Dominic, in the basilica of St. Dominic, Bologna, in the presence of a large congregation. The Master of the Order, Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, preached the homily.