“Throughout its history, your Order has known times of grace and moments of diffi-culty; but it has always persevered in fidelity
to the sequela Christi, having as its purpose the glory of God and the good of the people.” “Continuing in the way of your spiritual tradi-tion, may you read the present state of the Order in its shadows and lights, and in the novelty of the Spirit, identify with courage new possibilities and occasions to witness your charism in the present of the Church and of Society.”

Pope Francis received the participants in the General Chapter of the Order of Cistertians of the Strict Observance – the Trappists in Vatican on September 23, 2017.