Ecumenical Meeting of Bishops: Launching out in unity through the Word

8 Sep 2011 | Non categorizzato

The meeting has drawn 31 bishops from 18 countries, representing 15 churches. It is the 30th ecumenical meeting of its kind sponsored by the Focolare Movement, the first of which was held in 1982. This year it’s taking place in Welwyn Garden City, a town about 40 km north of London. It is truly a garden city with tree-lined boulevards, parks and lakes. The city was founded by Sir Ebenezer Howard in 1920 and has about 40,000 inhabitants. The Focolare Centre for Unity began here after a visit to England by Chiara Lubich in 1983, when she felt the need for a “cradle”, a place where activities of the Focolare could take place. These annual ecumenical meetings of bishops take place in different places, allowing participants to get to know the ecclesial realities of the host country. This year their focus is the Church of England. In particular, the proposed “Anglican Covenant”, has been a subject of great interest. It proposes a pact to sustain the Anglican Communion, and it formulates an agreement, prepared by a group of Anglican theologians, binding churches of the Anglican Communion to commit the 44 autonomous Anglican churches into recognising principles held in common. It will be an important instrument for building communion which might even become a requisite among non-Anglican churches. Adherence to the pact will always be unrestricted and there are no legal sanctions envisaged for those who change their minds. The program of the conference includes visits to symbolic places of Anglicanism such as Lambeth Palace, the seat of the Primate of the Church of England, Dr Rowan Williams, who welcomed the participants, the visit to the shrine of St Albans, where the relics of St Alban, the first English martyr, are kept, and the meeting at Westminster Cathedral with the Catholic Archbishop, Msgr Vincent Nichols. The theme chosen for this year is “The Word of God and its Transforming Power”. Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, gave an impassioned speech on the ecumenical spirituality of the Focolare Movement which came to life through living the Word. She recalled how the Focolare spirituality was born in a dark shelter, when Chiara Lubich and her first companions would read the Gospel by candlelight during the bombings of the Second World War. “In these times, the dark shelter can represent the world with all its challenges and its search for meaning,” explains Maria Voice. “The Truth is replaced by other truths, and what prevails is economic interest; the family seems to have no significance in the scheme of things. The dark shelter challenges us to have nothing but the Gospel. This is where we can start to re-evangelize ourselves and consequently humanity which surrounds us.” “We can start off by living the Word, moment by moment, and sharing our experiences, the fruits of living this life.” Even Martin Luther wrote: “The soul can do without anything, except the Word of God.” And, at this delicate time of transition,” Maria Voce says, “as we pass from the period of foundation of the Focolare Movement to the period of renewal and development, we need to go back to the basics, keeping in mind that the explosion of life within the Focolare came about through people living the Gospel”. It was in this way that communities centred on the Word were born, that the spirituality of communion was born, and the commitment to live the Word has even paved the way for ecumenical dialogue at all levels. “The faithful embracing of the one Gospel – written in the joint declaration “Road towards Communion” drawn up by the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation – is an essential step towards full unity.” The unity to be pursued is not only between Christians of different churches “but also,” adds Maria Voice, “by widening the dialogue to people of other religions and by embracing those of other convictions.” From our correspondent Aurelius Molè [nggallery id=68]

London: Meeting of Bishops of various Churches, friends of the Focolare

7 Sep 2011 | Non categorizzato

In the face of the difficulties in western society, and also in other parts of the world, the bishops of various churches, friends of the Focolare Movement, upon the invitation of Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, Archbishop Emeritus of Prague, will reflect on their mission and will interrogate themselves on the impact of their pastoral work in transmitting the Gospel message. They will focus on the light and strength that emerges from the Word of God, which is the origin of the Church of Christ, in its various expressions, and which can give the Church, even today, a new vigour and illuminating power. Significant meetings are expected to take place with the Primate of the Church of England, Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, with the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Msgr Vincent Nichols, and with representatives of the Methodist Church and other ecclesial realities present in England. The keynote address of Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, will be of particular relevance. She will underline the effects of living the Word, at the origin of the Movement, and on its spirituality that is purely ecumenical. The apex of the meeting is the “Pact of reciprocal love” that commits those present to place mutual love above all past divisions, in accordance with Jesus’ invitation to remain in his love and to love one another as he has done. On Friday 9 September, at the “Open Day” to which the Focolare Movement in Great Britain invites the Church leaders of the various churches, they will present the experience of fraternal communion lived by Bishops of various Christian churches, together with the prospect of an ever more profound and amicable unity amongst those responsible, in the spirit of the prayer of Jesus who asks for the unity of all.

Press Section: Focolare Information Service

A new springtime for the United Kingdom

6 Sep 2011 | Non categorizzato

“I found the answers for my life.” “It’s a privilege to see how the charism of unity transforms people.” “Everyone was so easy-going.” It was certainly an unforgettable day in the history of the Focolare Movement in Great Britain. 500 people from England, Scotland, Wales, as well as a delegation from Ireland, gathered around Focolare President, Maria Voce, and co-President, Giancarlo Faletti, in the Quaker’s Friends House in Euston. Some participants travelled for up to 10 hours so as not to miss out on the opportunity. Lesley, an Anglican focolarina, in her introduction to a video documentary illustrating Chiara Lubich’s visit to the United Kingdom, described the shock that was experienced due to the recent riots in London neighbourhoods; she spoke of the disturbing events within the framework of a secularised culture, where the focus is only on self, leading to disastrous consequences. She then underlined how Great Britain contains the seeds of a different culture planted over 40 years ago, the roots of which penetrate profoundly through the message of Chiara Lubich who came to Liverpool in 1965. This was the first of eight visits and it left its mark in the history of the entire Focolare Movement. I twas Canon Bernard Pawley who had invited her to speak of the spirituality of unity in the Anglican Cathedral in order to move the mountains of incomprehension and to promote ecumenical dialogue. The program continued with testimonies shared by Eddie from Scotland, Lucy and David from Wales, and Ann from England. While their stories varied because of the different situations they lived in – ecumenical dialogue, interreligious dialogue, pastoral work with the elderly – they were profound and down to earth. A couple from Congo, now living in England, spoke about their adventure in fleeing from a war zone, the difficulty of settling in a new country, and how their life as a couple was resolved through the discovery of mutual love proposed by the Gospel. The climax of the afternoon’s program was the dialogue session with Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti who answered many questions put to them by the participants, touching on some sore points. Above all, they wanted to know to give a new push to ecumenism. “Perhaps, here we need to launch into action,” Maria Voce said, and she invited everyone to re-awaken in their own church, like a mouth-watering desire, “to experience the gift that God had given to us to reach universal brotherhood.” Throughout their trips around the world, Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti have found that the ecumenical movement usually goes ahead despite the differences that might exist. They recounted positive experiences in the area of ecumenism in Budapest, Chicago, and even in Tanzania, where representatives of various churches have expressed gratitude towards the Focolare for its support and commitment. The other hot topic were the riots and violence which shook London and which spread to other cities of England. After years of hard work in order to build unity in the community, to some it seemed as if all was lost, as if the violence had cancelled out all the positive that had been achieved. How is it possible to have hope in this situation? “And yet I continue to have hope,” Maria Voce responds confidently, “In my view, violence signifies a great void, a great need for love; it’s the ultimate need to be taken into consideration while resorting to the wrong means.” These episodes are challenging, “but if we respond with love, we can create a greater good”. This has happened to “people who have reacted, and who got together to transmit positive signs”. Giancarlo Faletti comments, “Society has to ask itself which values and cultural models it is putting forward. We can bring our own values. It’s an invitation to stretch the limits in our giving.” The questions seemed to go on forever. To the one relating to society’s negation of God, Maria Voce commented, “I have never found anybody who says they don’t want to be loved. God can only be given through love and we are called to live together this testimony which is for all people: for those belonging to the different religions and even for those who profess no belief in God. Those values that we deem valid can be offered to others to build the universal family.” Another important and relevant question dealt with the theme of sacrifice, the spirituality of unity’s concept of “knowing how to lose” which can have negative connotations in the Anglo-Saxon mentality. Maria Voce explains that in the Focolare spirituality “we speak of knowing how to lose, but we also speak of fulfilment. When you give something away, you lose it, but because you’ve shown love to somebody else, you are enriched. We give, but we also gain. It’s God’s arithmetic and God never lets us win in generosity.” The joy in the hall was tangible, so much so that Maria Voce wanted “the whole world to see this living cell of the Focolare in order to taste the fruits, the faithfulness and preciousness which has carried the whole Focolare Movement for over 40 years. The family of the Focolare family is alive through love, and through the presence of Jesus among us, we can take the love of God to the world.” Many gathered around Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti to greet them, to give them a hug, to have a photo taken with them. Here are some of their impressions: “It’s a new phase; the future is possible.” “The explanation of the meaning of personal sacrifice shed light on an incident which happened to me when I was young and which I never understood.” “At times I feel so pessimistic, but the optimism of Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti is catching!”; “It will be a new springtime.” from our correspondent Aurelio Molè [nggallery id=64] Press section: Focolare Information Service

Info Botswana

6 Sep 2011 | Non categorizzato