“Embracing Hope.” With this wish, about 200 people from the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and all over Europe met at the Mariapolis Center in Castel Gandolfo (Rome) from May 16 to 19.
They are the contact persons of the Umanità Nuova, movement, the social expression of the Focolare Movement, New Humanity the NGO with consultative status in the United Nations, along with representatives of disciplines that dialogue with contemporary culture, the contact persons of Ragazzi per l’unità and of AMU (Action for a United World), the NGO that deals with special projects and development.
Also in attendance was a delegation of very young high school students who are part of Living Peace International, along with young ambassadors for peace, such as Joseph,
from Sierra Leone, who narrated how at the age of six he was recruited as a child soldier and has now become a young peace leader.
For some time now, these various social expressions -each with its own characteristics and goals- have been working together to help provide concrete responses to the burning issues and expectations of the contemporary world: “Together for Humanity” is their new name. Taking up the Pope’s invitation to the Focolare Movement during a private audience on Dec. 7, 2023, which was to “be artisans of peace in a world torn apart by conflict,” they wanted to dedicate the meeting precisely to peace.
An experience of listening, communal reflection and concrete planning, carried out in the eight communities distinguished by areas and passions. A journey that will continue with the Genfest in Brazil next July, intertwine with the United Nations Summit for Future in September 2024, and with the event in Nairobi with the youth and cities of the world, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. During the meeting, those present, with the help of experts and testimonies, professors, diplomats, social and cultural actors, and organized citizens, reflected on the issue of what is peace, if it is indeed possible to achieve it and by what means.
So many touching experiences from countries in conflict. From Syria, they recounted the brutality of the war they have been experiencing since 2011, aggravated by the embargo affecting an exhausted population. AMU projects such as RESTART, which supports micro businesses with loans and personalized mentoring, have helped slow constant migration processes. Christiane, from Lebanon, despite the situation in her country, characterized by very high inflation and high emigration rates aggravated by the impacts of the war in the Middle East, did not give up: she set up with her husband a productive enterprise for family support and to also help other artisans and rural producers sell their products. The productive initiative also extended to Egypt. From Congo, the fruits of the school for training leaders for peace were presented. A graduate of this school, Joëlle, a journalist and a presidential candidate of the Republic of Congo, launched her presidential platform with the values of peace and social justice. Youths from Ukraine greeted those present with a video, and so did some youths from Bethlehem, Pakistan, Cuba, and the Philippines. The “Together for a New Africa” (T4NA) project for African youth interested in changing the continent was presented: trained hundreds of youth and involved another 9,000 youth in an experience that reached 14 African nations. The same is being done in Mexico with the National Agenda for Peace, in the United States with courageous conversations against racism.
There is a need for true peace and human rights education as well as the need to name conflicts, exploring their reasons, trying to resolve them with a community strategy that listens to diverse and plural positions which precedes and accompanies every negotiation. It has been said that peace is not only the absence of war. Not everything that is called order is peace. It is not ideological: it is not pacifism. It is the condition in which each person can think and realize his own future. But we need to learn dialogue as a methodology, with which to be willing to lose something for the greater good. This is basically the reason for which perhaps negotiations are not progressive and even international organizations do not seem to be able to handle the crisis. Dialogue, trust, local and global networks, inter-generation, community. We start from here, from these key words, encouraged also by Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán , President and Co-President of the Focolare Movement, who were present on the final day. This is the road to peace, to which we want to contribute concretely, and together.
The Awards Ceremony for the National Competition for Schools “One city is not enough. Chiara Lubich, citizen of the world”, took place on Friday 17th May, 2024, in the Auditorium of the International Centre of the Focolare Movement (Rocca di Papa – Rome). It was organized by the , Chiara Lubich Centre, New Humanity, Foundation Museo Storico del Trentino, and with the support of the Italian Ministry of Education and Merit.
The Competition took place for the 4th time. It was open to all Italian schools, nationally and abroad and once again provided an opportunity for many primary and secondary school students to reflect on pressing themes such as peace and the sustainability of humanity and the environment. These themes were aligned with the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and inspired by the thoughts and testimony of Chiara Lubich, Founder of the Focolare Movement and advocate for a culture of unity and fraternity among peoples.
About 330 students from 14 schools across Italy including the major islands, participated. They presented 21 diverse projects, which the students carefully planned and executed processes with the support of their teachers.
The award ceremony, included both in-person and online participation from the winning schools and those receiving commendations, was a moment of sharing and exchange. It highlighted not only the creativity of the students but also their strong focus on the contest’s themes The new generations, often overlooked, demonstrated their ability to observe, reflect and envision a better future and world, proposing viable paths to achieve it.
The VIPS who attended and those who presented the prizes to the winning schools, included Dr. Luca Tucci, Director of Office III (Area of Bio-Psycho-Social Well-being, Transversal Education and Legality) of the General Directorate Student Affairs, Inclusion and School Orientation at the Ministry of Education and Merit (MIM); Dr. Fabrizio Bagnarini, Director of Office III (Area of Bio-Psycho-Social Well-being, Transversal Education and Legality) of the General Directorate Student Affairs, Inclusion and School Orientation at the Ministry of Education and Merit (MIM); Dr. Giuseppe Ferrandi, Director of the Historical Museum Foundation of Trent; Prof. Maurizio Gentilini, historian and researcher at the NRC (National Research Centre); and Dr. Marco Desalvo, President of New Humanity.
In his online greeting before the awards ceremony began, Dr. Tucci reaffirmed the Ministry’s support for this initiative, stating: “Promoting certain values through raising awareness among young people and students is fundamental not only for their growth but for our society as a whole.”
In the Primary School category, first place was awarded to Class 4^ C of the I.C. 2nd Circle “Garibaldi” A. Moro School in Altamura (Bari) for their poetic work “The country of Fraternity”, which creatively expressed key concepts of Chiara Lubich’s philosophy and offered a hopeful vision for the future of the world.
In the Lower Secondary School category, second place went to Class 1^ C of the I.C. “San Nilo” I. Croce School in Grottaferrata (Rome) for their innovative news program “Let’s Build Peace! Peace TV News” a project that showcased the class’s concrete experience and daily commitment to peace. First place was awarded to Class 3^ D of the I.C. “Filippo Mazzei” in Poggio a Caiano (Prato) for their project which was a game, “Origami for the environment”, an activity that transcended play to become a tool for reflection and concrete action in favour of the environment.
In the Upper Secondary School category, second place was a tie between Classes 2^ and 3^ C of the A. Doria Classical High School in Genoa for their digital project “The common home”, which proposed a reflection-based educational path on the aforementioned themes and Estelle Le Dauphin from Class 5^ I of the I.I.S. A. Bafile High School in L’Aquila for her textual work “Love that enlarges heart and arms” a reflection on Chiara Lubich’s philosophy focused on the concept of gift, also inspired by French anthropologist and sociologist Marcel Mauss.
First prize in this category went to the photographic project “Horizons” , ” by Giulia Bilardello, Sara Marino and Chiara Parrinello from Class 3^ G of the P. Ruggeri Scientific High School in Marsala (Trapani). Their work conveyed a message of peace and the hope for a horizon where sea and sky unite, symbolizing collaboration to build a more fraternal world.
The risen Jesus opened a way for us, but now the Resurrection happens every time I rise up in myself, overcoming my selfishness. This “coming to consciousness,” which is charity put into action, is changing my life little by little. I hear this not only from my husband, but it is something that my children, my friends, also notice. Driven to learn more, I read the lives of saints I previously avoided, and I find confirmation of this secret that is key to a true life. One evening our son came home lightheaded, almost absent-minded. He did not respond to questions. At night he was sick. He had used some hard drugs. Being perhaps one of the first times, the reaction was strong. In the following days I tried to get past all the questions in me, the search for culprits, to investigate his friendships. At some point, however, I was “resurrected” to be only love to him. One afternoon I was sitting beside him without saying anything. In that full silence he said to me, “Thank you, Mom, for how you welcome me. If I am a father someday, I want to be a parent like you, with a heart that has no horizons.”.
(M.S. – Netherlands)
Where there is no love…
In the post office where I usually go to pick up my mail or for other reasons, until recently I often found some employees nervous and rude to me, and most of all the manager, who one day even started yelling about my being late to pick up a certain amount. I, however, being guided by the phrase of St. John of the Cross, “Where there is no love, put love and you will find love,” endured, continuing to greet everyone with kindness. With this way of doing things out of love for Jesus, little by little I was able to establish more humane relationships in that office. A confirmation of this was when, having suggested to one of the employees a ticket for a charity raffle, the other colleagues also became interested and wanted one, including the janitor. Even the manager came to get a ticket, indeed shortly afterwards he asked me for another one. To which I said, “I hope at least one prize goes to one of you.” He said, “Who cares? Even if we don’t win, we did something good together!”.
(M.F. – Italy)
An opportunity to love
About 15 years ago, I was volunteering at a Diocesan Caritas listening center. One day a young woman came to visit us, and she asked me if I could put her in touch with a gynecologist because she wanted to have an abortion; she had no financial possibility to bear the expenses of growing the new life in her. At that moment I felt a pinch in my heart, but also the great opportunity to love that young mother and her baby. I told her about the wonderful gift that is life and that financial difficulties should not be an obstacle, that we were there to help her. The young woman was moved and told me that she wished to be helped. Some time later the young mother came to greet me; she was with a wonderful newborn in her arms. She told me with a big smile, “This is my baby and I wished to introduce her to you! Thank you for listening and helping me that day. Thank you from her too!” I was deeply moved and grateful to God, grateful for that very special encounter; grateful for giving me the opportunity to love.
(M.M- Italy)
Edited by Maria Grazia Berretta (taken from The Gospel of the Day, Città Nuova, year X- no.1 May-June 2024)
The heavy rains that have been lashing the south of Brazil since early May 2024 have caused heavy flooding and landslides in 425 municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, directly affecting 1.5 million people and, so far, causing 108 deaths and almost 130 missing.According to the latest official report, 232,675 people are still displaced from their homes, of whom 65,573 are taken in shelters.The most worrying situation is in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, where entire cities and neighbourhoods have been under water since Friday 2 May, with water supply problems and power outages. According to weather forecasts, heavy rains are expected in the coming days, which will further worsen the situation of this natural disaster.
The Emergency Coordination of the Focolare Movement has launched an extraordinary fundraising campaign in support of the population of the State of Rio Grande del Sud, Brazil, through Action for a United World ETS (AMU) and Action for New Families ONLUS (AFN). The contributions transferred will be jointly managed by AMU and AFN in coordination with the Focolare Movement in Brazil in order to provide the people affected by the heavy flooding with basic necessities for food, medical care, and housing. In Brazil you can donate to the following account: Banco do Brasil Agência: 2665-4 Conta Corrente: 39.322-3 Pix: acaoemergencial@anpecom.com.br Associação Nacional por uma Economia de Comunhão CNPJ: 07.638.735/0001-94 From other countries you can donate online AMU: https://www.amu-it.eu/campagne/emergenza-inondazioni-in-brasile/ AFN: https://afnonlus.org/#donaora
or by bank transfer to the following accounts: Action for a United World ETS (AMU) IBAN: IT 58 S 05018 03200 000011204344 at Banca Popolare Etica Codice SWIFT/BIC: ETICIT22XXX Action for New Families ONLUS (AFN) IBAN: IT 92 J 05018 03200 000016978561 at Banca Popolare Etica Codice SWIFT/BIC: ETICIT22XXX Reason for payment: Flooding emergency in Brazil
Tax benefits are available for such donations in many EU countries and in other countries around the world, according to different local regulations.Italian contributors will be able to obtain deductions and allowances from income, according to the rules for non-profit organisations(more…)
In an environment which is as fragmented and divided as the one we live in, we are often called to go towards the unknown, towards the peripheries. We are called to go out, sometimes even outside of ourselves, to enter the wounds of humanity. This is the testimony that comes to us from the neighbourhood of Yungay in Santiago, Chile.
