Illuminate the Future: The Charism of Religious Life

When Pope Francis decided to grant an audience to the Union of Superiors General of Male Religious Institutes at the end of their 82nd General Assembly (November 29, 2013), he had one thing clear: he did not want to make speeches and did not want to hear them. It was his intention to enter the dynamics of the discussion of the Generals, to have questions to reflect on and to answer. I was there to record the conversation and be able to tell it in writing. It was an experience that I would define as spring : the dialogue was truly such and the contents arose from the confrontation in a spontaneous, natural way, leaving in the present the sense of a true and consoling encounter. In this booklet the reader will find the story of that conversation and the answers that the Pope gave to the questions he was asked (Antonio Spadaro, director of La Civilta Cattolica).