The service of authority
in our Society
X. THE SERVICE OF AUTHORITY IN THE WORLD COMMUNITY
The Rector Major and his council
103.
The Rector Major shall be attentive to the needs of the universal Church, and shall keep in active contact with provinces, houses and members. He shall seek the collaboration of all, promote formal and informal meetings, and spread knowledge of the apostolic activity of the Congregation within the Salesian Family.The members in turn shall express their love for Don Bosco and the Congregation by keeping united with the Rector Major and accepting his directives. They shall help him by prayer and dialogue, and above all by fidelity to the Constitutions.
104. Personally or through others the Rector Major may visit each and every province and local community whenever the need arises.
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In particular he will arrange for an extraordinary visitation of every province during his six-year term of office. This may be carried out as he thinks fit, either by the regional councillor or by another visitor delegated by the Rector Major to whom he gives the powers of jurisdiction required by the nature itself of the visit.
105. The Rector Major, as Superior of the Society, is the Grand Chancellor of the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS). He is the representative of the Apostolic See for the UPS, and the representative of the UPS before the Apostolic See.
In virtue of the mandate of the Congregation for Catholic Education, he has full power over the University, and is the guardian and interpreter of its statutes.
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He carries out the functions of Grand Chancellor either personally or through a delegate, chosen preferably from among the members of the general council.
106. In addition to the cases enumerated in article 132,§1 of the Constitutions, the Rector Major requires the consent of his council:
1. for beginning extraordinary juridical proceedings which could compromise the society;
2. for setting up mission offices at the level of the whole Congregation [R 24];
3. for accepting parishes [R 25];
4. for the approval of provincial formation directories [R 87];
5. for the appointment of a delegate for a central secretariate [R 108];
6. for establishing technical offices and consultative boards referred to in article 107 of the General Regulations, and determining their mode of operation and the offices and roles of their members;
7. for the appointment of his personal delegate for a delegation [R 138];
8. for the approval of binding decisions made by provincial conferences [R 139];
9. for establishing the manner of making the consultation preceding the appointment of provincial councillors [R 154];
10. for the approval of the financial budget and balance sheet prepared by the economer general's department [C 190, R 192].
107. The members of the general council in charge of special departments can avail themselves of the services of technical offices and consultant boards in carrying out the duties confided to them.
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Their establishment, mode of operation and internal organization are to be determined by the Rector Major with the consent of his council.
108. For sectors of particular importance which do not form part of the duties assigned by the Constitutions to individual councillors, appropriate central secretariates may be set up depending directly on the Rector Major.
The establishment of such secretariates belongs to the general chapter. Their immediate responsibility is entrusted to a central delegate who is appointed by the Rector Major with the consent of his council and remains ad nutum.
109. To ensure a more regular discharge of business with the Apostolic See it is desirable that this be done through the Rector Major.
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110. The official organ for the promulgation of directives of the Rector Major and his council and for official information is the 'Acts of the General Council'. Their publication is the responsibility of the general secretariate.
111. Except in the case provided for by article 143 of the Constitutions, the convocation of the general chapter will be made at least one year before it opens. It will be announced to all members by means of a circular letter which will indicate the principal purpose, place and opening date of the chapter.
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112. For the preparation of the general chapter the Rector Major, or in his absence the Vicar General, will appoint a moderator; to him the provincial chapters, local communities and individual members will send their proposals and study contributions if any. He will also nominate a technical commission to work with the moderator in establishing a plan of preparation for the general chapter and in securing the interest and active participation of the members.
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113. The Rector Major, or in his absence the Vicar General, will also appoint a precapitular commission which, under the responsibility of the moderator and in agreement with the Rector Major, will draw up the reports or schemata to be sent in good time to those taking part in the general chapter.
114. Provinces with less than 250 professed members, and vice-provinces, will send to the general chapter one delegate elected by the respective chapters. Provinces with 250 or more confreres will send two delegates.
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Other eventual juridical circumscriptions referred to in article 156 of the Constitutions will have their representation defined in their decree of erection.
115. At least three months before the opening of the general chapter, the provincials will send to the moderator the minutes of the elections, which will be examined by an appropriate commission appointed by the Rector Major, or in his absence by the Vicar General.
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If any defects should be discovered, the moderator will see that they are rectified in good time, and if necessary the elections will be repeated.
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116. In the first session of the general chapter the president will appoint two or more secretaries and if necessary also other chapter officials. If necessary the president can also choose other secretaries and officials who are not members of the general chapter, It is the duty of the secretaries to record accurately in the minutes, the acts and deliberations of the general chapter, the decisions made and a summary of the discussions.
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117. Once the secretaries have been appointed, the moderator in the name of the president and with the consent of the assembly will declare the chapter lawfully opened.
118. If at the opening of the general chapter the election of any delegate is found to be invalid or still doubtful, the moderator will inform the chapter of this at the first session.
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The first act of the chapter will then be to pronounce on each case, so that with the authority with which it is invested it may either declare an election null and void, or rectify its invalidity.
119. In one of the early sessions the Rector Major, or the one who takes his place, shall present a general report on the state of the Congregation, and this shall be the object of study and analysis by the assembly.
120. The meetings of the general chapter will be presided over by the Rector Major or, in his absence, by the Vicar General. He will be helped in the direction and conduct of the work by the moderator and by three chairmen, elected by an absolute majority by the general chapter from a list of names prepared by the president.
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The president, the moderator and the three chairmen constitute the presidency of the general chapter.
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121. The general chapter will elect by absolute majority at least five members who, with the moderator and chairmen, will form the central commission which, under the presidency of the Rector Major, has the duty of coordinating the work of the chapter and ensuring its smooth functioning.
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122. The general chapter works through groups called commissions, which have the task of studying the schemata or reports assigned to them. As soon as possible the moderator will inform the general chapter of the commissions and the themes they deal with and will ask for their approval. The commissions will be constituted by the president who will keep in mind each one's preferences.
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123. It is the duty of the members of the chapter to be present at its meetings; for this reason they may not absent themselves without the permission of the president.
124. The confreres shall be given full and timely information about the chapter's work. A commission of chapter members, chosen from the various groups of provinces, is responsible for such information and in general for all contacts with the mass media. It will function in agreement with the presidency of the chapter.
All who take part in any way in the general chapter must exercise discretion and respect for persons concerned, whenever referring to the work, events or discussions of the chapter.
125. The Rector Major and the capitular assembly have the faculty of calling to the general chapter other persons as experts or observers without the right to vote; they may or may not be Salesians.
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Experts may take part in discussions in the commissions to which they are invited; they may speak in the assembly only when requested. Observers may speak both in the commissions and in the assembly.
126. It is for the general chapter to decide on the date for the elections, providing for an appropriate period for reflection before the election of each council member.
127. The election of the Rector Major and members of his council is an act which calls for the full responsibility of every capitular before the Congregation. It must therefore be prepared for by prayer and carried out in a spirit of faith.
Every elector may request and provide information about the qualities of those eligible, but must avoid whatever may offend against fraternal charity.
128. In accordance with the prescription of article 141,§1 of the Constitutions for the election of regional councillors, the members from each group of provinces will choose by secret vote in a single ballot the confreres to be presented to the assembly, writing two names on each voting paper. They will then present to the assembly a list containing the names of those who have received votes with the number given to each.
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129. At the beginning of the electoral session the president will announce its purpose. Two secretaries and three scrutineers will then be elected by secret ballot; the scrutineers and the president are obliged to maintain secrecy even after the chapter.
153130. Should any elector be ill in the house where the general chapter is being held, and be unable to be present but able to write, two scrutineers will go to him to receive in a ballot-box his vote which will be added to the others.
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131. Once all the votes have been gathered together in a ballot-box, the scrutineers will count them to see whether the number of votes corresponds to the number of voters. If the number of votes exceeds the number of voters the election is null; if the number of votes corresponds or is inferior, the scrutiny is to begin. The secretaries will record the names as they are read out by a scrutineer.
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132. Whoever has received the votes of an absolute majority of those present is elected and will be proclaimed as such by the president; on accepting he will immediately enter into office. If the president himself is elected, the proclamation will be made by the oldest member of the assembly.
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133. After the elections the Rector Major will inform all members of the Society of the names of those elected and the offices assigned to them.
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134. In the last session of the chapter, after everything prescribed by the regulations has been carried out, the moderator in the name of the president and with the approval of the assembly will declare the general chapter closed.
135. The regional councillors will keep in touch with the individual provinces. They may visit them, arrange meetings of provincials, provincial councils and, in agreement with them, of other categories of confreres, to point out to them whatever they consider more opportune for the welfare of the Congregation and for the provision of a better service for the province and the particular Church.
136. In addition it is the duty of the regional councillors:
1. to further a concrete and creative family sense in the relationships of confreres and provinces among themselves and with the Rector Ma or and his council;
2. to attend diligently to the official business of the provinces of the group and of the provincial conferences;
3. to foster the efficient functioning of interprovincial structures, where they exist, and the setting up of regional offices of documentation regarding the religious, cultural and social services of the areas of their competence, where this is possible and advisable.
137. In the fulfilment of their office, regional councillors will act with proper discretion, so as not to substitute themselves unduly for the local provincial or other Superiors, nor intrude in matters of their specific competence.
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138. If particular reasons require that certain provinces be detached from one or more groups, without an entirely new group entrusted to a regional councillor being constituted, the general chapter may unite them in a delegation, for which the Rector Major with the consent of his council and after consulting the provinces concerned will appoint a personal delegate, to whom he will assign such duties as he considers opportune.
139. The provinces of each conference meet at least once a year to study problems concerning the animation and coordination of their joint Salesian activity.
The conference is presided over by the regional councillor or his delegate.
The conclusions of the conference are ordinarily orientative.
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In special cases the conference can make binding decisions, which acquire their force only after the approval of the Rector Major with the consent of his council.
140. The following take part in the meetings of the conference:
1. the regional councillor or his delegate;
2. the provincials of the conference;
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3. one or more delegates for each province, selected according to the norms laid down in the regulations of the provincial conference.
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141. Consultants and observers, both religious and lay, may be invited to participate in the work of the conference in the manner to be laid down by each conference in its own regulations.
142. The following tasks, among others, are assigned to the provincial conference:
1. to study and further the application of the general directives of the Congregation regarding its government and work, and particularly those of the general chapter;
2. to provide for the coordination of common pastoral activity, of the formation, qualification and updating of confreres, and of the means of social communication, by promoting generous collaboration in the exchange of members and resources;
3. to promote liaison and collaboration with other organizations and institutions interested in the problems of youth and of development;
4. to examine and encourage appropriate experimentation, particularly in the field of community poverty and in that of our service to the young who are poor and to the working classes;
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5. to draw up its regulations and decide upon eventual interprovincial secretariates, structures and offices for animation and coordination.