Fr. Vasile Bobita and Fr. Gianfrancesco Bagnulo got to know each other while serving as chaplains at the Viterbo prison and bringing solace to the orthodox and catholic prisoners respectively.

Over the years this contact developed into a strong brotherly relationship, which then involved the members of their respective church communities and led them to collaborate in organising a local event of the “Together for Europe” initiative (May 2012), of which the Focolare Movement is one of the promoters.

This led to the idea among the two chaplains to visit together the small town of witness at Loppiano (Florence), inviting also Fr. Vasile’s Romanian Orthodox community and two orthodox monks from the San Giovanni Therestis monastery at Bivongi, in the Reggio Calabria province.

On the 15^th May, among the enchanting Tuscan hills, after the presentation of Chiara Lubich’s story and that of the small town, a lively dialogue was initiated within this varied group on “evangelization and dialogue”, on the Movement’s spirituality of unity, on the relationships with the Orthodox Church since the 60’s, on Jesus’ Testament: “That all may be one” (Jn 17,21). This moment facilitated the deepening of mutual understanding and the sharing of hopes, challenges, sufferings and joys, which was also enriched by the presence of a Romanian Orthodox focolarina who lives in the little town.

Fr. Vasile’s comment was brief and meaningful: “Now I know why I always felt welcome with Fr. Gianfrancesco: it’s because you live the reality of unity”.

In the end, everyone wanted to participate with the inhabitants of Loppiano in the Holy Mass at the church dedicated to Mary, Mother of God. Fr. Gianfrancesco said that it “touched us deeply because it is the place of meeting, of relationships concretely lived in the light of the gospel”.

This visit was of particular significance as it coincided with the 10^th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the Shrine (2003-2013) when, in the presence of Chiara Lubich and religious and civil authorities, representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople donated some small coloured stones, from important Marian orthodox shrines around the world, to be laid together with the foundation stone as a sign of the path of communion that unites us.