We are publishing the report of the year 2024 on the activities of the Focolare Movement concerning the Safeguarding of the Person, starting with the words that Pope Francis addressed to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and with which in fact, he updated the mandate with which he had established it 10 years ago. We feel strongly called to fulfil this ‘integral conversion’ to which the Holy Father is calling us, which is never completely accomplished, but asks us to question ourselves continuously, to have for each person a humble, always attentive, protective and welcoming attitude. He asks us to continue with perseverance on the path of formation and authentic closeness, aware of the need for change, so that each person may feel safe, loved and respected in our environments and in our various activities.
2024: listening, formation, regulations
There were three elements that characterised the past year from the point of view of safeguarding in the Focolare Movement: listening and the involvement of victims and witnesses in various capacities in the process of reparation, and the formation of the people in positions of responsibility in the movement; the expansion of courses and formation events for all participants and to continue to establish the regulations, with the updating of the document for the “Procedures for handling cases of abuse” as well as the drafting of the Guidelines for Listening and Welcoming Services.
The meeting last November of those responsible for the Movement around the world, with some people who had been affected either by sexual abuse or abuse of authority, by members of the Focolare Movement, was of fundamental importance. People told their stories of great suffering and the serious consequences on their lives and on the communities that they were or still are a part of. Also present were some family members of one of the people abused who gave their testimony of the serious impact that abuse has on all members of the family. The words of one participant expressed clearly the importance of that moment: ” Listening to these people marked a before and an after. With delicacy and clarity, they expressed to us how much the Movement has failed in what is at the heart of its charism: unity and love of neighbour, because in many cases we have not only been co-responsible in some way, for the abuse committed, but we have also left people alone to cope with their suffering ”.
In addition, the contribution of the those who have suffered abuse together with the involvement of professionals in various disciplines, from outside the Movement, have been fundamental to the work done at the International Centre and in the local areas. This included the documents that have been produced, as well as for the formation in Safeguarding of the Focolare communities around the world, together with the planning and opening of some spaces for listening and welcoming.
A Study Commission has now been set up to look at the abuses of authority and spiritual abuses that have occurred within the Movement. The aim is to investigate their causes, so as to be able to change harmful practices and implement the necessary prevention. The study, which is still ongoing, also makes use of advice from specialists from outside the movement in various fields: psychological, pedagogical and legal. This project was supported and encouraged by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life and, despite being in its early stages, its great importance is recognised. So it is clear that the creation and enacting of norms and Procedures is not enough, but the dynamics, leading to the various forms of abuse, must be investigated.
Finally, regulatory documents and guidelines have been updated, developed and produced (as illustrated below), which are also the result of a fruitful collaboration with the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which has followed and promoted the new steps taken.
in an interview published on the Vatican News website, during the days of the ecumenical conference entitled “Called to hope – Key players of dialogue” promoted by Centro Uno, the Focolare’s international secretariat for Christian Unity, Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, said, “Today, more than ever, in the world in which we live, so full of divisions, tragedies, conflicts, where people do not engage in dialogue, meeting together is very significant.” Her words expressed a certainty that resonated in the hearts and in the experience of the 250 people from 40 countries and 20 Christian Churches and of the 4,000+ connected worldwide via streaming, who participated in the event.
The Conference, held at the Mariapolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo from March 26-29th 2025, opened with contributions from Jesús Morán, Co-President of the Focolare Movement and Callan Slipper, an Anglican theologian who said: “Ecumenism, by repairing our personal interactions within the Christian community, allows the Church to be herself. What humanity needs, we need too. Our spiritual health diminishes without it, just as every other dimension of human life cannot reach its fulfilment without the reconciliation brought by Jesus”. Morán concluded: “Unity rather than union and Christianity as a way of being rather than as a doctrine, can be two fruitful paths for ecumenism in response to what history demands of us today”.
The conference proposed a method for walking in unity: the kind of dialogue that emerges from the spirituality of the Focolare, the dialogue of life, the dialogue of the people alongside a similar concept known as receptive ecumenism. Through her experience, Prof. Karen Petersen Finch, an American Presbyterian, highlighted the importance of involving more people in dialogue on the doctrine of the faith, which is normally reserved only for theologians, Church leaders and official committees for dialogue.
One day was dedicated to a pilgrimage to Rome with a visit to the Basilica of St. Lawrence the Martyr and the Abbey of the Three Fountains, where tradition places the martyrdom of St. Paul. In an atmosphere of recollection, one of the participants described the day as: “an encounter with the first martyrs of the undivided Church who, with their authentic life, faith and their witness, instil in us the courage to proclaim Christ today”. The pilgrimage concluded at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls with an ecumenical prayer. Ecumenism has its biblical root in prayer, beginning with Jesus, who while praying, asked the Father: “That they may all be one”. His words, echoed in various passages of Scripture, invite us to ask anything of the Father “in his name, together and in agreement”. And so, together, gathered in unity, priests and lay people of all the Christian confessions present, jointly asked the Father for peace in every corner of the earth and for reconciliation among all Christians.
Three Fountains AbbeyBasilica of San LorenzoPrayer to St Paul
The themes addressed during the conference included the significant commemorations for 2025: the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea; Easter which will be celebrated on the same day by all the Christian Churches; and the 60th anniversary of the lifting of the excommunications between the Church of Rome and that of Constantinople. Referring to the Council of Nicaea, Dr. Martin Illert, a representative of the World Council of Churches, said: “I am convinced that common prayer and reflection pave the way for unity, as they remind us of both our common roots and our shared mission.” Msgr. Andrea Palmieri of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity observed: ” These events are undoubtedly important, but (…) words must be followed by concrete, prophetic decisions. I am convinced that the reflections initiated this year will contribute to the maturation of decisions that may shape the future of the ecumenical journey. ”
The Conference also explored how synodality can contribute to ecumenism. In a panel featuring participants of the Catholic Church’s Synod: three fraternal delegates (members of various churches), a Catholic Bishop and a Special Guest shared the lived experience of how the active participation of everyone contributed to affective and effective dialogue, which had as His Eminence Khajag Barsamian, of the Armenian Apostolic Church said, a “strong ecumenical dimension, which emphasized unity, shared spiritual experiences and mutual respect among Christians”. Rev. Dirk G. Lange of the Lutheran World Federation, affirmed, “The whole Synod as a spiritual exercise profoundly influenced my understanding of myself, my ministry, and my Church”. Monsignor Brendan Leahy, Catholic Bishop of Limerick (Ireland), added that the Synod’s method, the “Conversation in the Spirit,” made him “more attentive in my work and ministry to listen more, recognizing the seed of truth in every person,” while Dr. Elizabeth Newman of the World Baptist Alliance stated that synodality is grounded ” in the awareness and practice that one’s own point of view must not prevail. You don’t have to ‘win’.” Margaret Karram emphasized: “We know that hope is a virtue and we cannot lose it. We must nurture it, cultivate it within us so that we can give it to others,” and she invited everyone to increase hope and faith through “even small gestures towards others: gestures of solidarity, communion, and openness… only in this way can we hope”.
In summary, the Conference was a call to hope, marked by reflection, in-depth discussions, concrete actions and life testimonies which illustrated the path of ecumenical action at the global level (Global Christian Forum, JC2033), at the international level (Ikumeni– Latin America, Together for Europe, John17) and at local level (from Brazil to the Philippines, from Northern Ireland to Serbia, from the Netherlands to Venezuela, from Germany to Uganda…). It engaged churches, priests, laypeople, theologians, scholars, adults, and young people—truly, all were key players in the dialogue.
“I think that, after Don Silvano Cola, Don Pepe, was the most charismatic Focolare priest I have ever known,” remarked a priest from Italy upon hearing the news of the death of Don Enrico Pepe on 2nd March, 2025 at the Focolare Priest’s Centre in Grottaferrata (Rome). “He was a person with a pure gaze. He saw people in truth and also in mercy”, said another from the USA. Cardinal João Braz De Aviz, emeritus Prefect of the Dicastery for Consecrated Life, who presided at the funeral, said in the homily: “I thank the Lord for the care he has had for us priests, helping many not to lose the gift of the Christian life and the ministerial priesthood, because we were strengthened by the continuous search for unity among ourselves, with the Church and with the Work of Mary”.
But who was Don Enrico Pepe? He shared a lot about himself in the book, An Adventure in Unity (CNx 2018).
Enrico was born on 15th November 1932 in Cortino (Teramo, Italy), the first of nine brothers and sisters. Despite the shadows of war, he enjoyed a happy childhood. Late in life, he would gladly return to those places, also to reconnect with the warmth of his loved ones: the Pepe “tribe”, now numbering 76 nieces, nephews and great nephews and nieces.
During his secondary school years, Enrico felt called to the priesthood and entered the seminary. He experienced a moment of doubt when a young woman was affectionate towards him, but precisely in that circumstance, he renewed his choice with even greater awareness.
He was ordained a priest in 1956 and in 1958 the Bishop sent him to Cerchiara, a town near the Gran Sasso, divided by two political factions that also affected the parish. Don Enrico, with his evangelical “cunning”, manages to carve out his path and the situation soon calmed down.
In 1963 he met the Focolare Movement. Together with Don Annibale Ferrari, he travelled every fortnight from Teramo to Rome to meet Don Silvano Cola at the first Priests’ focolare. A year later he was offered the opportunity to move to Palmares in the North East of Brazil, where Bishop Dom Acacio Rodrigues had turned to the Focolare Movement, due to the serious shortage of priests. In 1965 Don Pepe became the parish priest in Ribeirão, in an area of sugar cane monoculture with burning social and moral problems. He responded with a pastoral approach enlightened by the Second Vatican Council and by his own common sense. Over the years, a Priests’ focolare was born, a community in which Dom Acacio frequently participated.
With Chiara Lubich, Brazil, 1965.With her sister Iole, July 2024.With Margaret Karram, 2022.
After a few months back in his homeland, in 1969 he left again for Brazil, this time to devote himself entirely to the Movement and to develop the spirit of unity among priests. In 1972 he relocated for this purpose to the Mariapolis Araceli, the little town of the Focolare near Sao Paulo. Years later, Don Pepe wrote to Pope Francis, “At that time, the Church in Brazil was going through a tremendous crisis, especially among the clergy. Together with the focolarini, I began to offer the spirituality of unity to diocesan and religious priests and seminarians. In this way, a new and joyful life was awakened in many dioceses and religious congregations.” This led to an unexpected result: “In the early 1980s, the Holy See began to appoint some priests who lived this spirituality as bishops”.
In 1984, Don Pepe was called to the Priests’ Focolare Centre in Grottaferrata (Rome), to look after, together with Don Silvano Cola, the thousands of priests who were living the spirituality of unity and the life flourishing in parishes around the world. In his spare time, he compiled the lives of Martyrs and Saints. This led to a book by the publisher Città Nuova that was so well received that he was asked to expand it to three volumes.
In 2001, the case of the Zambian Archbishop Milingo broke out. When he repented, the Holy See sought someone to guide him through a process of renewal and turned to the Focolare Movement. Don Pepe was assigned this task. Years later, Cardinal Bertone, then Secretary of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote to Don Pepe: “We met at a special moment in the life of the Church in Rome, without ever having met in person, but we sensed a convergence of ideals, of mission and of transmitting God’s merciful love, which sealed our relationships.”
In his later years, he faced significant health challenges. Don Pepe commented “In BrazilI passed through many airports and now I often see myself on the runway, ready for the final flight, the most beautiful one, because it will bring us to the Beyond”.
It was a beautiful afternoon with perfect weather. Lima’s waterfront was crowded: entire families enjoying the beach, parents and children arriving with their surfboards and equipment, surf schools with their instructors, tourists and vendors of drinks and ice cream to offer to that swarm of potential customers.
We were accompanying a friend from northern Peru who had come to visit us. Marcelo and I were taking him to the most pleasant and attractive spots. On the horizon you could see surfers skilfully riding the high waves of the Pacific Ocean – an ocean which despite its name is anything but peaceful. It was a real spectacle! The sun was preparing for its final scene of the day casting an exclusive backdrop of fiery orange and red across the sky.
In this beautiful setting, accessible only to a certain social class, everything seemed to be going perfectly. Amidst the crowd, I noticed a tiny, man as thin as a stick carrying four large sacks of waste material that he had collected: cardboard, plastic bottles, glass… This small figure, completely invisible in that environment, was preparing to climb a long flight of stairs, leading to the overpass that crossed the highway from one side to the other, from the beach to the road. He looked like an invisible ant burdened with a load three times his weight.
In that faceless crowd, his presence caught my attention. “Come, sit beside me for a while,” I said, pointing to the empty seat on the bench where I was sitting. He looked at with surprised, then smiled. He set down his heavy sacks and took a seat. “Hi, my name is Gustavo, and you?”. “Arthur,” he replied with a wide, toothless grin. He explained that he had come from far away and that he needed to cross the highway, climbing up the steep staircase, to get the bus that would take him home. There, in his humble neighborhood, he would sell the waste material he had collected. This was his daily job which enabled him and his family to survive.
Marcelo gave him 5 Soles, the price of the bus ticket. We said goodbye shaking his sweaty hand warmly and wishing him good luck. As he climbed the stairs with his bags in his hand, every so often he looked back at us and flashed us his toothless smile.
In the midst of the faceless crowd, Arthur became the most important person, the one who touched our hearts, who stirred something deep within us, who connected us with the Beatitudes, to the way God sees.
The African continent is made up of 54 States. It is crossed by the Equator and the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, so much of the territory is located in the torrid zone and is characterized by deserts, savannahs and rainforests. It is the continent with the largest area affected by arid and warm climate. Thirty million km² with about one thousand four hundred million inhabitants.
Jesús Morán, Co-President of the Focolare Movement, accompanied by some members of the International Centre, visited some countries in the east and west of the continent from 13th January-9th February 2025. Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, joined live via video link on nine occasions, especially for the days dedicated to meetings with local communities.
Jesús Morán said, “It is a trip we will remember for a long time.” Margaret Karram added, “This journey which many have called ‘historic’ has remained in our hearts“. Even though I was connected by video, I can still see their faces, their smiles and their commitment. I was deeply moved by the testimony of the communities of the Movement which live the Gospel radically. I think we have a lot to learn from them. ”
The trip included stops in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi but many other people from various other African countries participated in many of the meetings.
It is impossible to summarize the intensity and richness of life found in each community. You can see here a part of the Link Up Conference Call of 15th March 2025 which included a report on this journey which was truly an immersion in the life and culture of the African continent.
