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David Sassoli: an authoritative witness and builder of Europe as a continent of fraternal peoples

11 Jan 2022 | Non categorizzato

Condolences and words of appreciation from Margaret Karram and the Focolare Movement on the death of the President of the European Parliament. “‘We need to open the European Parliament building to the homeless at night because it is painful to see so many people seeking shelter from the intense cold in the corners of our building here in Brussels. The poor cannot wait’. President Sassoli’s words in the year 2019 give me a sense of his human and civic stature and his vision for Europe. While today we are moved by this great loss, with deep gratitude we want to take up these values that we feel are ours too, and commit ourselves ever more to making them a reality”.  This is how Margaret Karram, president of the Focolare Movement, expressed herself this morning on hearing of the death of the President of the European Parliament. She added: “His life, of such great human and political depth, stands before us now as a sign and authoritative testimony to a person who lived politics as service and worked towards a vision of Europe as a continent of fraternal peoples”. David Sassoli and young people In May 2021, President Sassoli spoke to the Youth for a United World of the Focolare Movement. They had invited him to speak on the subject of #daretocare, an international project, considering him as a witness to the kind of politics that is responsible for taking care of the world, starting with its wounds: “This image of ‘taking care’ is very beautiful, – ­he said – because politics has this goal, it cannot have any other: taking care of people, of one’s own community, of one’s own cities. I believe that this expression truly represents your determination to bet on the future”. “I was one of the young Europeans who had the privilege of talking to President Sassoli,” recalls Conleth Burns, an Irish researcher and organiser of the Dare to Care event. Two things struck us in what he said: his conviction that a politics deeply rooted in caring for people and communities is a better kind of politics and one that can transform society. And then his drive to bring politics and the institutions themselves closer to citizens, to strengthen our European democracy. President Sassoli’s vision and his testimony at the service of the common good, as a journalist and a politician, will continue to inspire us all”. Clara Verhegge, a young woman from Belgium, who spoke with the President, also says: “His commitment to the European reception of migrants – despite the fact that he felt powerless – touched my heart and that of many other young people. When we spoke with him, I realised that I was not alone. Indeed, I hope with more confidence that one day Europe will find a unified voice also when it comes to refugees’. When asked by Mátyás Németh, a young Hungarian, whether the climate issue could be an opportunity for the peoples of Europe to unite, President Sassoli said that Covid had made Europe realise that this was an opportunity to restart a common policy on which to base Europe’s post-pandemic recovery. He added: “I think that in times of difficulty we will need open societies that work together and we must be proud of the young people who remind the world of politics of the state of our planet”.

Stefania Tanesini

“New Global Foundation” is born

29 Nov 2021 | Non categorizzato

A plataform that connects the new cities of the world. The first event

The Unity Conference 2021, with the theme Innovate New Ways for Inclusion in a Divided World, will highlight issues related to building more resilient and inclusive economies, with topics on social impact investments and the impact of climate change, among others. The conference also marks the official launch of the Nuova Global Foundation and is expected to attract media, business and philanthropy participants from more than 21 countries around the world.

The event to be held on November 30, 2021 between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. (GMT +1) will feature online and live participation at the Mariapoli Center in Castel Gandolfo (Rome, Italy) will involve the participation of Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, Jesus Moran, co-president of the Focolare Movement, Rev. Kyoichi Sugino, member of the Board of New Global Foundation; Réka Szemerkényi, economist, member of the Board of Directors of New Global Foundation, Richard B. Tantoco, President and CEO of the Energy Development Corporation (EDC), Olayemi Wonuola Keri, CEO of Heckerbella Limited.

Nuova Global Foundation is a new established platform that connects the New City global network of journals and publishing houses in affiliation. It aims to support the development of media to spread the ideal of universal brotherhood and a united world and make it a reality by inspiring millions of people.

The Nuova Global Foundation is a global non-profit organization founded by the Focolare Movement. The platform aims to support the development of media organizations and journalistic projects bringing to light global challenges and solutions for the common good and humane global development. NGF supports a growing global network of affiliates across 5 continents and 21 cities, working together to create ideas and solutions for inclusive and sustainable growth in our global society.

For information on the event agenda and to register for free, log on to: https://nuovaglobal.org/unity-conference/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmHPd7mpuZc&list=PL9YsVtizqrYsgzKgJ0bWOp2v2ZXc4bZAW

Pope Francis to the Bishops of various Churches who are friends of the Focolare Movement: unity is God’s “dream”

Pope Francis to the Bishops of various Churches who are friends of the Focolare Movement: unity is God’s “dream”

25 Sep 2021 | Non categorizzato

It was a decisive call to “dare to be one” in the current state of fragmentation that the world is experiencing; and to continue on the path of friendship that has already begun. The Pope’s words to the delegation of Bishops of various Christian Churches.

© Vatican Media

“In the face of the ‘shadows of a closed world’, where so many dreams of unity are being shattered, where ‘a project for all is lacking and globalisation is drifting without a common course’, where the scourge of the pandemic risks exacerbating inequalities, the Spirit calls us to have the boldness of being one, as the title of your meeting says. Dare to be one.” Those were Pope Francis’ words as he concluded the conference “Dare to be One. The gift of unity in a divided world” (23-24 September) of Bishops who are Friends of the Focolare belonging to various Churches. This morning he received them in audience at the Sala dei Papi in the Vatican: 10 were there in person, while 180 bishops from 70 Churches followed the audience via web connection. He encouraged them to live unity, the heart of Chiara Lubich’s charism, a charism that “grew by attracting men and women of every language and nation with the power of God’s love, which creates unity without annulling diversity, on the contrary enhancing and harmonising it”.

© Vatican Media

He went on to explain that the unity that Jesus Christ has given us “is not unanimity, it is not getting along at all costs. … It obeys a fundamental criterion, which is respect for the person, respect for the face of the other, especially the poor, the small, the excluded”. Lastly, the important call to continue the ecumenical journey already begun, which must be, as Pope Francis said, “always open, never exclusive” and he concluded with a note of affection: “Keep smiling, which is part of your charism”. In attendance, along with the delegation of bishops, were Cardinal Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán, president and co-president of the Focolare Movement respectively.

© Vatican Media

Bishop Brendan Leahy, Catholic Bishop of Limerick (Ireland) and coordinator of the Bishops Friends of the Focolare Movement, presented the two days of the conference to the Pope, describing them as “extraordinary”. Bishop Christian Krause (Germany), former President of the Lutheran World Federation, spoke to the Holy Father about the Bishops’ commitment to “widen the circle of these meetings between Bishops of different Churches” in order to help heal the wounds of a divided world, and of young people who are afraid to face the future. He also spoke of the wish to hold similar meetings on the African continent and beyond. Metropolitan Chrysostomos, of the Orthodox Church of Kyrenia (Cyprus), strongly emphasised the experience of unity lived during the days of the conference: “(…) We found that we were ‘one’ as in the first Christian Church, with gospel love among us. We shared experiences, admitting our mistakes; we shared concerns and together we wanted to embrace Jesus on the cross, the solution to all kinds of disunity; we prayed to go beyond these divisions. We want to help bring the light of Christ so that people will not be deprived of hope”.

Stefania Tanesini

 

Let’s learn to say “We are unworthy servants”

Let’s learn to say “We are unworthy servants”

16 Sep 2021 | Non categorizzato

Those were Pope Francis’ words to the members of the various associations of the faithful, ecclesial movements and new communities on 16th September. We asked Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán for their impressions. It is about looking to the future while keeping our feet firmly set in the present. This is the beginning of a path of discernment suggested by Pope Francis to the members of the various associations of the faithful, ecclesial movements and new communities at the audience held on 16th September. The Holy Father made a surprise appearance at the meeting with the moderators of associations of the faithful, ecclesial movements and new communities, organised by the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life. Margaret Karram, president of the Focolare Movement, and Jesús Morán Cepedano, co-president of the Movement, also participated in this time of reflection on the theme: “The responsibility for governance in lay groups: an ecclesial service”. “It was a great surprise”, said Margaret Karram, “to see that the Holy Father came right at the beginning of the meeting. He gave a wonderful talk, which was very rich in content and clarified many things. He gave a precise interpretation of the general decree that was promulgated by the Dicastery last June on the renewal of positions of governance in ecclesial movements and new communities.

Jesús Morán, Margaret Karram and Giovanni Ramonda (Moderator of the Pope John XXIII Association)

In renewing his esteem and thanks to all those present, in particular for the way each one lives and bears witness to the Gospel, the Holy Father identified Baptism as the first stage in the arduous mandate of evangelisation and apostolate of all.  Baptism is the means that “makes us priests together, in the priesthood of Christ: the priestly population”. Pope Francis described the varied ecclesial realities as a people on the move, continually growing, which also recognises its weaknesses; a people that does not stop and is always striving for conversion. He said, “Always remember that building the future does not mean coming out of the today that we are living in! On the contrary, the future must be prepared here and now, it is “in the kitchen”, learning to listen and to discern the present time with honesty and courage, and with the willingness to engage in a constant encounter with the Lord, a constant personal conversion. Otherwise, one runs the risk of living in a “parallel world”, distilled, distant, far from the real challenges of society, of culture and of all those people who live alongside you and who await your Christian witness. The Gospel journey is not a tourist trip. It is a challenge: every step is a challenge and every step is a call from God.” It was genuine fatherly encouragement, showing how we must be guided by docility and humility, which are necessary in order to continually deepen the charism to which we belong and reflect on the best way to incarnate it in everyday life. The Decree promulgated on 11 June this year, The International Associations of the Faithful,  goes in this direction: to accept some changes and to prepare the future starting from the present. Moreover, the responsibility for governance in lay associations, which the Pope reflected on, upturns the pyramid or, we might say, it assembles it in the right order by placing service at its summit: “To govern is to serve. (…) Let us learn to say ‘we are unworthy servants’ (Lk 17:10). Let us keep in mind this expression that is so good for the Church and reminds us of the right attitude for working within it: humble service, of which Jesus gave us the example by washing the feet of his disciples”. “After the Pope’s speech,” said Jesús Morán, “we can’t just read the Decree. We must read it adding the words he said this morning. It is like a small treatise on how to exercise governance in the light of the Gospel.” “We have experienced a profoundly ecclesial event of great fellowship,” added Margaret Karram, “with some very deep contributions. In the coming months, I think we will have to study this important topic also to live our charism better”. Jesús Morán added, “We must recognise and affirm the great love and care shown by the Dicastery to the movements. Their intention is to safeguard the charisms and this was shown by the Pope, who reiterated his thanks to the different ecclesial realities present several times, especially for their commitment during this time of suffering for all humanity”. To access the full transcript of Pope Francis’ speech: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2021/september/documents/20210916-associazioni-fedeli.html