The International Council and the Council of the Fraternity of Jesus met on August 9, 2025, to elect from among their members a “person in charge of interim governance” in accordance with Article 35 of the Statutes of the Emmanuel Community. This election follows the renunciation from office as General Moderator by Michel-Bernard de Vregille, announced on August 7.

Désiré Avice was elected by absolute majority. This election was ratified by Cardinal Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life, on August 12, 2025.

Désiré Avice, nearly 60 years old, is married, father of four children, and grandfather of four grandchildren. He lives in Marseille. He has mainly worked within the La Poste Group, where he held various positions that allowed him to accompany the group’s transformations. In June 2024, Désiré Avice was appointed International Bursar for the Emmanuel Community.

In a letter addressed today to Emmanuel members around the world, Désiré Avice emphasized the key points of his mission:

“(…) Today begins for me this new mission as person in charge of interim governance. What is the scope of this mission?
First and foremost, it is a mission provided for in the Statutes of the Community, which is only implemented in the specific contexts of a resignation, a dismissal, or the death of the current Moderator. It unfolds along the following four lines:
• To represent the Community before civil and religious authorities.
• To ensure the proper functioning of the Community, to animate its sanctification, and to coordinate its life and evangelization.
• To preside over the International Council, the Council of the Fraternity of Jesus, the International Bureau, and the Communion College.
• To organize the election of the future Moderator, no later than one year after the election of the RGI. This fourth point makes it clear that the mission of Interim Governance has a limited duration, ending as soon as the election of the new Moderator is announced.

Coordinating all of this is at the heart of the mission. To achieve this goal, I will need to meet with authorities, various bodies, and brothers and sisters involved in their local lives, in order to listen, assess, and decide—always asking for the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The coming days and weeks are therefore a time for consultation and discernment, in order to find the right path and the right timing, while always being mindful of the deep respect due to the statutes of our community.”

He is warmly thanked for accepting this election. We entrust his new mission to the prayers of all.