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25 Sep 2014 | Non categorizzato
Speaking before Bishop Maradiaga, President of Caritas internationalis, Bishop Paglia of the Pontifical Council for Families, and the 150 participants of the seminar (Rome, 18 September 2014) from various parts of the world, this family from Maddaloni (Caserta – Italy), a town defined as “at risk” – struck by the painful experience of the loss of their three-month old son – was asked to give their testimonial on how one can rebuild hope and solidarity in families today. Their third son, Giuseppe, in fact, died following the complications of a banal flu at the age of only three months. «When I got the news I thought I was dreaming, and then came a piercing pain and the certainty that we had to live this situation in unity, first of all between Gino and me. In those moments I felt the strong presence of God who, though permitting this suffering, was taking me in his arms. A family with which we were sharing a spiritual journey of faith suggested we spend a period of time in Loppiano, a citadel of the Focolari close to Florence.» For Gino it was different. When Giuseppe died, I felt defrauded not only as a father but also as a doctor whose profession is to heal sick people, whereas I was unable to do anything for my son! There was darkness and pain. But I let Elisa guide me and I accompanied her willingly.» Immersed in the life of the citadel, «we felt an inner strength growing in us, and which transformed our pain into Love.» Then two other children were born: «If we didn’t have the strong certainty that all that had happened, even the loss of Giuseppe, was part of the divine plan of God who loves us, we wouldn’t have had the strength to beget other children.» With a group of relatives and friends they decided to create a Foundation named after Giuseppe, the aim of which is to develop the culture of family custody «to respond to the appeal of Chiara Lubich, who invited families to empty out the orphanages and give a family to every child.» It «was not created in remembrance of our son but from the wish to continue living that love we could no longer give him. We wanted the “culture of giving” to be the Foundation’s drive engine.» Custody consists in the temporary custody of a child in one’s own family, for as long as the problems of the child’s original family have not been resolved. In the mid-1990s when the project was launched, it was an avant-garde concept in Italy. It started with the education of the family custodians, (presently about a hundred) giving them the psychological and material support, until the formation of a family-home for children who were abandoned. It was among the first structures of the Campania Region. Since then we operate in cooperation with the local administrations and religious institutions, asking each member of the Foundation for the spirit of custody and service. «We still remember the first time we were entrusted with a child – the Ferraro couple confided – a nine-month-old baby, Adjaratu. The words of the social service director at that time still resound in our hearts, “You can’t imagine what a dangerous road you are opening!” To tell the truth, we did not encounter any real danger. But there were difficulties and efforts, and every time these were overcome in the attempt to live evangelical love in a radical way, which had pushed us to operate and become more visible in these 20 years, with incredible events to confirm our efforts.
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24 Sep 2014 | Non categorizzato
“My wish for the new president would be that she might always listen to the Holy Spirit and, as a consequence, build everything “in unity”- Maria Voce had said a few days before her re-election, not knowing that these words would soon become the opening words of her second term. Taking advantage of a break in the General Assembly of the Focolare that is still in progress (it ends on 28 September), the different editions of New City magazine interviewed the newly re-elected president of the Focolare and Jesús Morán, the Co-President. The questions relate to the life of the Movement and the great challenges that await it. We quote below some excerpts; click here for the link to the full interview in Italian. How should we respond to what Pope Francis is saying to the Church and society today? Maria Voce: “We should take the charism of unity as our starting point: we also must think of the poor and the marginalized, but starting from our specific aim. I was thrilled when Pope Francis said in Redipuglia (Italy) that “war is madness.” It is a disease, so it needs to be treated. What kind of care can we, focolarini, offer? The only one we have is our charism, which asks us to build relationships of peace, of mutual understanding even among people who ignore each other, who hate each other, to contribute to the journey towards unity. ” Jesús Morán: “We are not renown for our frantic search for power, it is not our style. Rather we try to start processes. Pope Francis compares the Church not so much to a sphere as to a polyhedron, thus affirming that the most important trends have emerged often in the peripheries. All of this seems to me to be perfectly in tune with a work that has a very strong principle of unity. Chiara (Lubich) herself often started things in the periphery, as exemplified by the Economy of Communion which was born in Brazil, or ecumenism that gained new perspectives with Chiara’s meetings with Athenagoras in Istanbul, while Fontem [Cameroon] showed the inculturation “of the Focolare” … We can live this principle too, that is to go to the peripheries and be open to what emerges there which can then be universalised. ” How to respond to the great challenges posed by the situation in the Middle East, in which the focolarini are on the front line? Maria Voce: “I have the impression that the movement is doing much more than it appears. I received a letter a few days ago from the focolarine in Damascus who asked me for permission to go to visit the community of Aleppo, where there are already some focolarini. I said yes, even if the risks are undeniable: the charism of unity can and must be present in these places in order to build relationships, to bring a little peace. Obviously political solutions at the international level are needed, as well as the humanitarian aid which arrives and is more or less evenly distributed; the Movement tries to eradicate hatred from the hearts of men and women, an operation without which true and lasting political solutions will never be found.” “If there’s something that the charism can do is to spread the culture of encounter, mutual trust, love, helping those in need regardless of their religious affiliation or social status, or the border that divides them. We must also ask what the charism of unity has to say in the face of these conflicts, what effect can it possibly have … I remember that Chiara, citing a true episode that happened in Colombia, said that you can stop the hands of a terrorist simply by doing an act of love. We must do all of this, committing ourselves more and better, all together.” Jesús Morán: “It is basically a question of developing the dialogues that we are involved in. Over the past days in the Assembly in my study group there was a Muslim: to have a brother of another religion with whom to share everything is not a trivial matter, a brother who feels he represents the Muslim Focolare Movement. It’s a miracle! This presence of the Focolare Movement in the Islamic lands must therefore be developed, as well as fostering our inter-religious dialogue. Just a small thing? Maybe, but I think it is something fundamental. An opportunity to have direct contact with people of the movement in these places of suffering: it is important to give voice to the true reality, to what people are living through the words of the protagonists. This often means conveying a different view of the facts and problems than generally spread by the media. ” The Church and society are confronted with the question of the family. In this field the Focolare have a long experience to offer … Maria Voce: “The question of the family in the Church cannot be reduced to an exclusively sacramental matter. The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, but they are signs and there can be others as well. Someone wrote to me after hearing the introduction to a talk I gave on the Eucharist. She is separated and lives with a divorced man with children and feels strongly to be Christian and Catholic, but feels the discomfort of her position that, in a sense, puts her outside of the Catholic Church. But she writes: “I have never felt out of it and continue to attend church. When I go to ask for the blessing of the priest who distributes the sacrament, Jesus also enters in me in that moment. I try to live, to do my part. I’m on a journey.” “God asks us, in fact, to help everyone to follow their own path to holiness, that is, to approach God with the means available (…). Chiara explained to us the “sources of God” in her time and did not put the emphasis only on his presence in the Eucharist, but also on other presences of God in the world, also in the Word and our brother. I think the movement can be an embrace for these families; but since it is part of the Church, embracing these people makes them feel less outsiders because they are embraced by a portion of the Church. Later other experiences, other ways may be found; let’s see what the Synod will say. I think it would be a mistake to expect that extraordinary solutions will suddenly emerge; what will come out are some credible and workable experiences, not so much universal solutions.” Jesús Morán: “The problem of the family before being a sacramental problem is an anthropological one. At stake is the very plan of God for man, on the relationship between man and woman, on the relational nature of human beings as such, therefore on the dynamics of gift, of relationships (which could be defined as “Trinitarian”). Certainly the stakes are high and the Pope has also said: we are not having a Synod to solve the problem of the divorced, that’s not what worries us because in the end you could find the solutions which were already tried out in past centuries. The problem is much more serious: what is happening to man today, how does he develop, how does he learn to relate to others and where does he learn this? This is the real problem of the family. We are comforted to know that also many secular voices, not necessarily Catholic, put the emphasis on this problem of relationships and the future of the family and of mankind. “
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23 Sep 2014 | Non categorizzato
Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia. Nations that rarely appear in western newspapers were associated over the last months to ebola. These countries in fact are those that have been most struck by what has been defined as the most serious outbreak of the viral outbreak since its discovery in 1976. «After the unending suffering due to the war, we are now again being put to the test with this ebola outbreak. There is a growing fear, but also the awareness that by taking the necessary measures – at times going against the nature and culture of the population, like staying in isolation – we can fight this virus. Everywhere the Church is trying to bring its help, as a sign of concrete love to all,” they wrote us from Sierra Leone. The suffering these days is the acuteness of the quarantine the population is asked to comply with: staying at home to stem the risk of contamination. According to the World Health Organisation (report of 18 September) out of over 5,000 cases, more than 2,600 were victims of the virus that causes hemorrhagic fever. «They say we have to be prudent – a religious close to the Focolari said in June – at Mass we don’t even give each other the sign of peace to avoid contacts, but it is difficult to say precisely where the danger lies. Even we in the Catholic hospital had a suspected case who escaped from the hospital specialised in ebola at Kenema, and who came here to be treated without our doctors being informed. You can therefore imagine the anxiety in all of us. Also the meetings of the Focolare community have to be suspended, as also the activities programmed with the youth. We have started a chain of mutual support: phone calls, messages. To say what? “To stress our firm will to continue loving, and now we all have to bear the test once again.” In a letter to the members of the Focolari Movement in Sierra Leone, the President, Maria Voce, wrote to encourage all «to go ahead with courage, to bear witness to the Ideal of unity in all ways possible» and to thank them for their example «which is generating in your land many signs of brotherhood». She also ensured furthermore, of the support and prayers of the Movement throughout the world. «Personally, I try to remain faithful to the commitment and promise to continue living the Ideal of unity also here in Sierra Leone», J.K. confided, on expressing also her pain in having to suspend all the contacts, but also that she is finding support in the Word of Life, the commitment to live the Gospel that brings light even in the most desperate situations, like this. E Alfred wrote: «As you know, the situation here in Sierra Leone is bad. It is difficult for us not to be able to go out. But this will not stop me, but rather, it urges me to live the Gospel more. I am trying to live every moment for Jesus, offering all to Him during the day. To be faithful to the Gospel is still my deepest desire. Thank you for all the love you have for us Gen in Sierra Leone. We feel that you are here with us. ». To conclude, Fr. Carlo, is thanking everyone for taking to heart also “this corner of the world,” when it seems that all around us “fear, anxiety, inactivity and at times disappointment that the authorities are so slow in helping the people” seems to take the upper hand. But slowly we are discovering that all these aspects are the image of Jesus crucified and abandoned and it is then that we start again to love. And this love seems to be newer and deeper. »
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22 Sep 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
“In face of such extreme specialization and advancement in technology which have reduced medicine to the mere biophysical dimension of man, we evidenced the precedence of the spiritual dimension and the stringent correlation between environment, socioeconomic conditions and health. Reducing the gap between rich and poor, and giving incentives to solidarity, also mean reducing diseases and costs of healthcare.” This was the conviction of Dr Flavia Caretta, President of the International Medicine Dialogue Communion Association, who illustrated the general health project for the integral health of the human person at the Symposium, “Integral health – challenges and priorities in Latin America,” promoted by Associação Paulista de Medicina (APM) and the Brazilian Association, “Saude, Dialogo, Comunhão”, a network of Healthcare operators who draw inspiration from the Focolari Movement’s spirituality of unity. It is a burning issue, as seen in the recent Brazilian protests against the cuts in healthcare and use of public funds for the soccer world championships of April 2014, part of the long wave of protests last year where thousands took the streets to denounce the alarming state of the malfunctions of the country’s healthcare system. Doctors, university professors, students and various healthcare operators from all over Brazil took part in this event held in Sao Paolo (Brazil), with participants also coming from Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile, who all discussed this great issue of the integral health of the person. Another strategic point highlighted was the so-called “revolution” of patients who, from passive entities, are called to become active players of care, in partnership with the doctors. In addition, the congress stressed the responsibility of citizens, called to become associate members of the Brazilian Healthcare System (SUS) itself. 
This lively debate led to the creation of an extensive project that may help to outline a healthcare policy model as a concrete answer to the expectations not only in Brazil but also in other Latin American Countries. A model of integrated health – according to Dr. Ruy Tanigawa, member of the Regional Council of Medicine of the State of Sao Paolo – “because of its social importance, is destined to spread.” This was the commitment undertaken by the participants at the closing of the event, who consolidated and widened the network of cooperation at regional and national levels, opening out also to Latin American and international entities.
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19 Sep 2014 | Non categorizzato
Heinrich Walter, President of Schönstatt with Jesús Moran.
Maria Voce with Gerard Pross, leader of a network of over 100 evangelical movemements.
Inter-religious delegation (Christina Lee, Mustafa Cenape, Shahrzad Houshmand, Adnane Mokrani, Hiromasa Tanaka, Katsuotishi Mizumo)
The various interventions were “precious pearls that enrich the heritage we have all received,” affirmed Maria Voce. A heritage we have “to safeguard together and multiply for the benefit of humanity,” she stressed – just before the election of the new directors of the Focolari Movement – since this is a journey we have to undertake together. And concluded with an image: “Chiara’s embrace which reaches out to all, and leads all towards God, an embrace made visible today, due to the presence of all of you here.”
