Spiritan Superior General Calls for Communities Where All Feel at Home, Warns against Tribalism and Racism

Spiritan Superior General Fr. Alain Mayama, C.S.Sp., has called for the creation of communities where members of all cultural backgrounds feel welcomed and respected. In a letter to all Spiritan confreres and Lay Spiritan Associates, Fr. Mayama identified tribalism, racism, nationalism, and selfishness as significant challenges to unity within the 323-year-old missionary congregation.

The letter marks the beginning of a two-year focus on intercultural community life. Fr. Mayama noted that these challenges appear in daily relationships and during the election of leaders for the congregation's administrative units, known as circumscriptions. He observed that instead of using prayer-based discernment, the congregation sometimes uses a political model that divides members into opposing groups.

Fr. Mayama stated that bringing different cultures together requires mutual trust, deliberate preparation, and a willingness to learn how to live together. He also noted that members struggle to fully trust one another or the processes recommended by the Spiritan Rule of Life.