On May 10, 2013, Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church visited Pope Francis at the Vatican for the first time. In memory of that historic meeting, when he returned to Egypt he declared a day of Coptic-Catholic friendship that has been held ever since on May 10. The pope recently repaid the visit when he went to Cairo.
“This evening, Marco Tecilla, the first focolarino, is latest pearl to be added to the crown of Mary. With infinite gratitude, we gather around him in an embrace which unites heaven and earth,” writes Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, when she announced the passing of Marco, the first young man to follow Chiara Lubich in the way of the Focolare. The funeral will be held tomorrow, Wednesday 10th May, at 11.00 am at the Mariapolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo (Rome).
The visit (2-7 May) began with the participation on Monday, 2nd May, in the seminar promoted by “Communion and Law,” entitled, “Law as a means for integration in a multicultural society,” held in a meeting hall at the Presidential Palace, together with around 70 experts in the fields of immigration, education and employment. Among them were representatives of the Maltese Commission for refugees, representatives of the IOM and EASO Malta, Arnold Cassola, President of the Alternative Democratic Party (Alternattiva Demokratika), as well as law teachers and students. In her speech Maria Voce affirmed that the law can became an instrument for integration in society “if we overcome an exclusively formal vision, and focus on the concept of Law as an indispensable means for contributing to the creation of a reality of communion in society.” Citing the Together for Europe experience, born from an inspiration of Chiara Lubich, she talked about the actions that “appear like a prophetic sign of what Europe can become if its citizens will share more, the common experience that goes beyond the different cultures and ecclesiastical faiths,” and thus be a voice of “a Europe which, based on its own roots, opens out without fear to those who ask to be accepted and knows that the blend of peoples that have composed it for centuries can in turn blend with other peoples that will contribute to its development.” Each speech was backed by concrete initiatives, like the TANDEM project – presented by Apollos Pedro from Biafra, but a resident in Italy – which promotes peace and dialogue, giving people of different nationalities and religions the chance to live together. 
On 4th May, Maria Voce met with the President of the Republic of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, to whom she recounted the various branches of the Focolare Movement in Malta, and in particular the activities of New Humanity and the initiatives of the teenagers and young people. The President showed great interest and in the end, greeted the youth with a warm embrace. “The Focolare is like a vitamin boost. The art of loving is a precursor to positive peace in a world that is increasingly narcissistic and egocentric.” The children then presented her with the “Dice of love”. The Focolare President had been invited by the Malta Diocese, through its Ecumenical Commission, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its foundation. In this context, on 5th May, Maria Voce was received by the Archbishop C.J. Scicluna. Immediately afterwards, in the presence of 300 participants, she gave a conference on the topic “Dialogue or Dialogues – A Way of Life”. 
Also present were the Archbishop, the President of the Ecumenical Commission, the Vicar General, the Secretary of the Nunciature of Malta, the Nuncio of the Ivory Coast (of Maltese origin), a representative of the Romanian Orthodox Church, two members of the “Robert Schuman Centre for European Studies” and several members of ecclesial organisations. In tracing the rich history of the Movement’s ecumenical commitment, Maria Voce explained that the method of dialogue which Chiara Lubich promoted is love, “a dialogue between people, not between ideologies of systems of thought. She said that this must necessarily be supported and substantiated by mercy, compassion, and charity, summarised in the Golden Rule present in every culture and religion: Do to others whatever you wish others to do to you (Mt 7:12).” “The only way to ease the way to unity in truth is that of bowing before the others in the attitude of washing their feet (cf Jn 13) instead of telling them off. We need a lot of patience and humbleness.” Lastly, she presented the Ottmaring Declaration, published in Germany last 21 February, in which the Focolare Movement undertakes a greater ecumenical commitment. In the end, the Archbishop thanked Maria Voce for the work of the Focolare Movement in “arousing in people the thirst for unity.” He also recalled a phrase of Paul VI: “the world listens more to witnesses than to teachers.” Read about the Focolare in Malta
Peace and unity are celebrated in Europe on May 9th. The date recalls the historic Schuman Declaration of May 9, 1950, in which the then French foreign minister proposed the creation of an economic community that would lead to the construction of a federation of European States that was indispensable in preserving peace. As a first step, Robert Schuman proposed the creation of a Coal and Steel Community for France and West Germany that could one day include other countries. He thus laid the foundations for a broader and much more comprehensive integration, to the point that today the Declaration is considered to be the symbolic beginning of the long process of peace and stability that led to the European Union. The celebration has always been an occasion to draw citizens, institutions and populations nearer to nearer to one another, increasing awareness that the human community should be founded on values of peace, integration and solidarity.
«Ever since our parents separated, my sister and I have been living with our father. It is a very difficult situation for me, also due to my health. I have been suffering from asthma and for two years now, also heart problems. Thanks to the support of many youths who like me try to live the spirituality of unity, these physical limits do not hinder me from living my Christian commitment with enthusiasm. Instead, as a student, things were not going well. In the public school I was attending, there was not much attention for students in my situation, and when I found out that I had to repeat the first year of high school, I changed school. In the new school I understood better the importance of education and the advantage of achieving a diploma. At the start of the year, my grades were good: evidently the new incentive was working well. One evening I had a terrible headache. I hoped that it would pass during the night since in the next days I was expecting a series of tests. Effectively in the morning the headache had disappeared, but when I took my books in hand, it returned, stronger than ever. The same thing happened every time I tried to concentrate on an intellectual task. I went to many hospitals but none were able to diagnose my disease. Meanwhile the average of my grades dropped, while my headache had become a permanent thing. My father had no more money to pay the doctors, so I tried to consult the traditional quack doctors, to no avail. Overcome by this situation strong doubts of faith started to assault me. I asked myself: out of seven billion people in this situation, why did this have to happen precisely to me, now that I had decided to take my studies seriously? Despite my rebellion I wanted to participate with the Gen in an educational weekend. I attended only to see my friends, and not really because I believed in it. The meeting started with a video-speech of Chiara Lubich, but I was so angry with God that I didn’t even listen, or want to give my contribution to the communion of goods. I was even less interested in what the others were saying. My mind wandered elsewhere. I thought that God had forgotten me, no one could understand me, and these meetings were useless. At a certain point, however, I was struck by a boy who said that in difficult moments we can give hope to others by valorizing our personal sufferings. And that it is precisely in making ourselves one with Jesus crucified and forsaken that we find the strength to love the others. These words were like a challenge to me. I said to myself: if Jesus on the cross had pulled back, what would we do now. From that moment on I found the strength to accept my situation and the certainty that God is love also when he permits suffering. And even if I continued to have headaches, I found the joy of living again, out of love for my sister and all those who tried to bring joy all around me. Thanks to the prayers of many, today I feel much better and if there are no other surprises, it seems that even my health has returned.»