Chapter 8

Let all the Brothers be bound always to have one of the Brothers of this Religion as Minister General and servant of the whole Fraternity, and let them be firmly bound to obey him.

Upon his death, let the election of his successor be made by the Provincial Ministers and the Custodes at the Chapter of Pentecost, at which the Provincial Ministers shall always be bound to assemble, wherever the Minister General may have appointed: and this once every three years, or within a longer or shorter period, according as it shall have been determined by that same Minister.

And if, at any time, the whole body of the Provincial Ministers and Custodes should judge that the Minister General is not sufficient for the service and common good of the Brothers, let the Ministers and Custodes, to whom the election belongs, be bound, in the name of the Lord, to elect another in his place.

After the Chapter of Pentecost, and in the same year, the Ministers and Custodes may each, in their respective Custodies, if they so wish and if it seems appropriate to them, convene their Brothers once for a Chapter.