Rome (Italy). From 9 to 11 May 2025, at the International Center for Missionary Animation (CIAM) in Rome, the General Assembly of VIDES International, which was attended by 66 members including partners, administrators, and founders, together with 10 young people active in the network, and 8 honorary members, including the Superior General of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Mother Chiara Cazzuola, and the Councilor for Youth Ministry, Sister Runita Borja.
The first day opened with the Presidency Council, where the 2024 budget, mission report, 2026 budget, as well as updates on formation activities and international volunteering were shared. In the afternoon, the last meeting of the Administrative Council for the four-year period 2021-2025 was held, with a heartfelt thank you to those who have accompanied the path of the Association to date.
The 10th of May was dedicated to the Annual and Elective Assembly. Sister Annecie Audate, FMA, Director General, opened the work by recalling the value of VIDES as a space for formation to hope, tolerance, and solidarity. Guido Barbera, President, reiterated the fundamental role that the Association has played over the years in promoting youth leadership and building an international network of solidarity.
Afterwards, Mother Chiara and Sister Runita offered valuable insights on how education and youth ministry must evolve to remain close to the reality of young people. “Young people seek authenticity and someone who walks with them without judging them,” said Sister Runita, also emphasizing the importance of digital environments. Mother Chiara also stressed the importance of not tiring in giving their contribution for a better future:
“Each assembly is a significant moment for the life of the Association. While on the one hand, we make the point about what has passed from the other, it is necessary to project ourselves towards the future. I am aware of the importance of the VIDES Association, which gathers around itself many people, especially many young volunteers from various parts of the world, eager to do good and be useful to humanity at this particular moment in history, marked by the pain and a sense of confusion due to the sudden or at least unexpected disappearance of Pope Francis and the election of the new Pope Leo XIV.
On the 8th, after the white smoke coming from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, a large crowd poured into Saint Peter’s. The reporters interviewed people who arrived from all over the world and were present in the streets out of faith or curiosity. To the question: ‘why did you come here, this evening?’, addressed by a reporter to a boy, he replied, ‘Because we are writing history’. Well, I think that we too, you too here, are writing the history of the good that multiplies through the commitment and work, often silent, of each one. Let us renew our trust in the action of the Holy Spirit who works in the Church, in the world, in people. Let us be on the side of the pilgrims of hope who do not tire of going and working for a better future.
Thank you again for all the good that you do in your great effort to educate, which today certainly requires a renewal of language and willingness to question ourselves, because the new generations question us and sometimes provoke us.”
After the approval of the financial documents and the mission report, the Elective Assembly was opened, with the participation of 50 voters representing 51 VIDES groups. The voters could choose from 21 candidates, including 11 lay and 10 Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA), expressing a desire for continuity and renewal.
Elected for the Presidency Council were: Guido Barbera (President), Sister Annecie Audate (Vice President and Director General), Sister Edith Ruiz (Treasurer), Patrizia Biagini (Secretary), and Sister Maria José Silva Muro (Councilor). The new Administrative Council is composed of Sister Josephine Carrasco, Sister Barbara Kiraga, Sister Elisabeth Corsino Ramona Sosa, Sister Maria Imelda Velasco Sosa, Sister Sydney Moss, Maurizio Cei, Fila Chelton Bauvarice, Bernadette Aman, Ebdane Lezeil T., and Marie-Luise Morgenstern.
In the afternoon, the participants went to Saint Peter’s Basilica, where they lived the pilgrimage to the Holy Door: a simple and participated moment, to give space to reflection and the spiritual dimension of the experience.
Sunday opened with the Jubilee pilgrimage to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where the group crossed the Holy Door in the context of the Jubilee of Hope.
Returning to CIAM, the participants attended the presentation of the new Policy for the Protection of Minors, curated by Dr. Maria Altieri. The document, born within the project, “Keeping Families Together II” in collaboration with Sister Elena Rastello and the team of Proteknon, represents a concrete commitment to ensure safe and respectful environments for children and adolescents in educative and volunteer contexts.
The 2025 General Assembly was an important moment of discussion, participation, and renewal. It allowed us to reflect on the path taken, to renew governance for the next four years, and to strengthen our common commitment to promoting the rights, education, and participation of young people.
In a complex and constantly evolving global context, VIDES continues to be a living and active network, ready to walk along with the new generations to build more just, inclusive, and supportive relationships.
