An Asian has been elected as head of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) for the first time in history.
Father Gerard Francisco Timoner, a Filipino, was elected Master of the Order on July 13 during the Dominicans’ general chapter, which was held at a seminary some 80 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
The Order of Preachers, which was founded by Saint Dominic in 1216, had already held a general chapter in Asia once before. That was in 1977 in the Philippine capital Manila.
However, this was the first time the Domincans have gathered for an elective chapter in a country with a non-Christian tradition, and is communist to boot. Read more