Dear  Brothers,

Greetings from Bologna!

I  know   some of you are ãconnectedä to the website of the Order.  There are a lot of
information with beautiful pictures regarding the chapter that are fed into it. You can have
access to it.  The chapter has its own site.  But, it is reserved to the capitulars.  So I write
again to share with you some updates.

Beginning last Tuesday, four commissions presented issues/concerns for open discussions to
the assembly in order to ãfeelä the pulse of the body regarding such matters.  Here are some of
the interesting and important (or controversial) issues:

On Mission: on the role of men and women in mission(preaching); an internet university;
historical research on the role of the Order in the injustices of the Inquisition so as to purify our
memory of the past; mission in Asia, in the countries of former Soviet Union (especially Russia)
Cuba, and Melanesia.

On Dominican Family: On the understanding of what the dominican family is;  on the
participation of the nuns in the election of the Master; and collaboration among the different
branches of the Order.

On Economics:  investment policy of the Order; fund raising for the Order;  on the terms of
provincial syndics.

On Government:  on the frequency of General Chapters; on the length of the Masterâs term; on
the manner of his canonical visitation; and on the structures of national/regional collaboration.

The commission on LCO  presented the first part of its text yesterday for votation.  The work
went  fast with hardly any comments,  without  any excitement.  Our commission will have its
text voted tomorrow.  I hope the assembly will be kind to us,  not to send back any proposal to
our commission for reworking.

My best regards and wishes to everyone.

Fraternally,

Fr. Quirico Pedregosa, O.P.

© 1998 Order of Preachers  General Chapter, 1998  Internet site by Scott Steinkerchner OP  email: steinkerchner@op.org