5 Jul 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
Pope Francis will be in Bari (Italy) on Saturday, 7 July, for the ecumenical meeting of reflection and prayer with the Patriarchs and Heads of Christian Churches of the Middle East. The event will be introduced by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, and Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Unity of Christians. “The idea of a meeting like the one to be held in Bari was conceived a long time ago by various people – Cardinal Sandri remarked – different Churches or Patriarchs expressed this desire personally to the Holy Father. In Bari, Pope Francis will be joined in prayer by Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and the entire Africa.” The event, of great ecumenical value in itself and unprecedented in the history of ecumenism, will consist of two moments: the prayer meeting along the seafront promenade together with the faithful, and a moment of reflection and mutual listening between the Holy Father and Heads of the Churches and Ecclesial Communities of the Middle East, where each will contribute with their own standpoints, observations and proposals. The city of Bari is called the “window on the East” since it guards the ancient tomb of St. Nicolas, venerated by Catholics and the Orthodox alike.
4 Jul 2018 | Non categorizzato
Head of Department The director of our sector had for some time seemed like an engine running at full speed. Everybody tried to avoid him. One day, talking with my grandmother, she told me about my grandfather who had gone through a period of physical exhaustion during which he seemed like an unfettered horse. His recovery was facilitated by the calm atmosphere in the family. The next day I gathered my colleagues and proposed to them that we help the boss, trying to listen to him with calm and anticipating his needs. Not everyone agreed, but the majority understood. A few days later the boss confided to us the tragedy that his family was going through. He also thanked us saying: “Because of your help I never lost hope.” C. M. – Spain Change of Course I was 61 years old when I met some young people who were trying to live the Gospel. I was amazed by their harmony and serenity. I had been a sailor and knew well how difficult it can be to live together. This convinced me to want to learn more, so I purchased a copy of the Gospel. Reading it for the first time, I realized I had to change course: It wasn’t enough to be honest in order to feel that all was well with me. I had to love others, excluding no one. This involved a radical change in my way of thinking and acting, beginning with my family. Whereas with people I didn’t know I was all smiles and willing to engage in conversation, whereas at home with them, I spoke little, only when necessary and with an authoritarian tone. G. – Italy Bullying I experienced bullying for myself. When I was a teenager, several students from my school decided to beat up the first red-head who would head towards the toilets. And I happened to be the one. Now I’m a teacher. One day, before class, a student came looking for me in the teacher room. He told me that he had been charged with setting a trap for his best friend, and if he didn’t do it he would receive equal treatment. He was shaking and afraid. During the lesson, I told them what happened to me. I asked my students to tell me what they thought of what I had said and my words were followed by words and long silences. A few days later I learned that the trap was no longer planned on. H. N. – Hungary Dad’s Return The news that Dad had returned to Itay with his new wife for a period of vacation had overturned the life of me and my sister. After the separation of our parents years of difficulty followed. From the return to our country with our mother until her death from an incurable disease. The relationship between us sisters was peaceful, but the news of Dad’s arrival brought forth a lot of forgotten feelings and pain. “I don’t want to see him!” was the first impulse. Then a thought: God, our only value, reminded us to love our enemies. The meeting with Dad went well and we tried to love him. A bridge has been built between us. E. R. – Italy
3 Jul 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
The Espiga Dourada story shows how dedication to helping the poor can inspire the entrepreneurial spirit. The artiginal bakery has achieved a great deal over the years, overcoming many obstacles and threats in the volatile environment along a major expressway on the outskirts of Brazil’s largest city. Started in 1988 as a bread-making initiative, selling loaves on the roadside, the enterprise was a forerunner of the Economy of Communion project which Chiara Lubich launched from Saõ Paulo in 1991. Espiga immediately embraced the courageous vision and values of this revolutionary new approach to economic activity. «It was during a serious economic crisis,” recalls Espiga pioneer Adriana Valle, originally from Italy, for the past 38 years in Brazil. “Money was scarce, there was rising inflation and high unemployment. In the midst of this situation, we were a group of girls with different talents and skills who got together to start baking bread and selling it from baskets to the drivers passing by the Focolare town “Mariapolis Ginetta” in Vargem Grande Paulista». They did this a few times, but when they suspended production for several days, drivers kept stopping and asking for the “girls with the bread and big smiles”. At this point, they realised it could be a permanent activity, offering work opportunities to local mothers and young people, to help them support their families and their education. There was no clear business plan at this time, but the customers kept growing in number, drawn by the friendly atmosphere. In 1994, the sales activity moved from the pavement to a small roadside store, at the same time as the Economy of Communion Business Park was developing close to the Focolare town. A second sales point was established on the other side of the road, bordering a favela slum, so that the people living there could buy their bread without the danger of crossing the busy highway. 
Chiara Lubich chose the names Espiga Dourada I and II for the two shops, with a logo showing a ripe ear of corn shining under the sun. The aim: to offer a welcoming, harmonious and calm environment with a family atmosphere for all who come. From the start, there were those convinced it would fail, people who scorned the possibility of success from such humble beginnings (“how can you hope to achieve anything with just half a sack of flour?”). Others held the faith, and got involved to make it work. For example, two local businessmen were so impressed by the progress made with such flimsy infrastructure, that they decided to contribute financially. This investment came just in time to avoid having to lay off some of the staff, and allowed plans to go ahead to improve and redesign the two locations and to raise the standards of the products on offer. Many customers have spoken of how these two bakeries have had an effect far beyond good-tasting bread. Some travel for kilometres just to experience the “positive energy” they find there as they enjoy their coffee and cake. Some discover the strength to make a new start in their lives, encouraged by the welcome they know they will find there. But it has not all been sweet aromas and smiling faces. The bakeries have been attacked several times. During the last incident, Adriana was ordered to empty the till by a masked gunman. At gunpoint, she found the courage to start talking with him. She told him how worried she was about how things would turn out for him and his gang once they went outside. Her sincere concern and respect disarmed the boys, literally. They even took off their masks and did no harm. And there have been no more incidents since then! Today the bakery and two shops employ 20 part time and 15 young part time workers. They use ten sacks of flour and serve between 1,200 to 1,500 customers each day. For the more affluent weekend customers, they offer a selection of specialist breads, savoury dishes, cakes for special occasions, and their own artisanal ice-cream range. At the same time, they maintain production of high quality, low-price bread for their regular clients from the favelas. As well as creating jobs and working with an attitude of love, a cherished part of Espiga Dourada’s aim is to facilitate interaction between different social categories. Those less advantaged financially feel part of the Espiga family, while those who are better off come back, bringing their own contribution and then thank Espiga because they find they have received far more than they have given. Source: EdC online
2 Jul 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
Isn’t insisting on dialogue actually just caving in to relativism, where you only need good manners in politics without caring about fundamental values? The “Movement of Politics and Policy for Unity (MPPU) is not a political party, but a space for dialogue in parliaments and cities, between all coalitions. It proposes that we reflect on the soul of representation in order to overcome the crisis, through consensus-driven, deliberative democracy. The tool we use is an “elected-electorate pact.” It’s not about good manners; it’s a proven method, one of fraternity, that leaves us free and equal in our diversity. It is possible to rediscover the soul of politics beyond a pragmatism that has no ideals, in order to serve the common good with the “love of loves,” as Focolare’s founder Chiara Lubich taught. We’ve started a series of dialogues about topics that are both lofty and practical. We approach these through reasoning, and certainly not what currently tends to happen, which ranges from insults to all out frontal assault. That’s no longer acceptable. Where does democracy risk – and not just in Italy – losing its soul? Representative democracy is in crisis because of the dominance of globalized finance over the everyday economy and politics itself. Weak parties are easily influenced by one lobby or another. The end of ideologies often coincides with a lack of ideals. What’s needed is a hearty injection of popular participation, in order for citizens and the parties to commit to solving issues such as employment, social justice, peace and disarmament, mitigating risks, standing against mafias and corruption, and preserving the common good and the great cultural and environmental resources we have here in this country. The elected-electorate pact that we have seen in a number of parliaments and councils can bring citizens closer to their institutions and give a soul to a representative democracy, which is enriched by being deliberative and consensus-driven. MPPU has stayed current, addressing issues where there is genuine conflict. What are the most urgent items you would like to take on today? The Movement of Politics and Policy for Unity is above all a fraternal meeting space for people who are active in most of the different political parties. And this is not a problem; it’s enriching. In recent legislation we have made social and civil rights a priority. Now we think that the most urgent issues to face are jobs for young people and fighting poverty. We need to disarm the economy and convert factories that produce weapons to civil uses, especially in a country whose Constitution “repudiates war.” We need integration beyond just welcoming immigrants and their children, without forgetting the importance of security and lawfulness. Are there practical proposals that you are thinking of putting forward? MPPU needs to facilitate, alongside its work in the halls of government and commissions, practical proposals from parliamentary workshops, where different political cultures meet with academics and competent members of civil society. We can promote a series of dialogues in the legislature, both on an idealistic and practical level. Source: MPPU online
2 Jul 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
It’s countdown to the start of the Genfest! (Focolare Youth Festival in July 2018). Together with all the young people present at the Genfest in Manila and those who will follow the event live around the world, we want to be a “Wave of Love” going beyond all barriers in our relationships, when there are misunderstandings and in the great challenges facing our world today. So, here’s a taste of what Gen Verde will be singing in Manila… see you soon! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh75HR_YI1g&list=UUuSTi05GBlACXtCu4zEY7FQ
