In a world marked by war, crises, and polarization, dialogue and cooperation remain the only paths to peace. With this conviction, New Humanity NGO joined the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Global Forum that convened its Group of Friends at Cascais, Portugal, from November 25th to 27th. Under the theme “United in Peace: Restoring Trust, Reshaping the Future — Reflecting on Two Decades of Dialogue for Humanity,” the event brought together diverse stakeholders—including religious leaders, academics, youth, media, and civil society representatives. High-profile attendees included António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal, the king Felipe from Spain, several current foreign ministers and previous prime ministers of European countries.
New Humanity NGO of the Focolare Movement and member of UNAOC’s Multifaith Advisory Council highlighted the organization’s commitment to fostering a just and united society, where faiths are spaces of encounter and collaboration. Rooted in decades of grassroots initiatives, New Humanity bridges local action with international diplomacy to tackle global challenges and promote peace. This participation underscored the importance of multilateral efforts to restore trust and reshape a future of harmony and collaboration among international institutions, religious organizations and the private sector.
Our commitment
During the Global Forum, Ana Clara Giovani and André Correia, youth representatives of the Focolare Movement, along with Maddalena Maltese, the main representative of the New Humanity NGO in New York, presented the document “Together to Care – For Our Human Family and Our Common Home.” This document represents a commitment by the Youth for a United World (Y4UW) to the Pact for the Future, approved by the United Nations last September.
At Genfest 2024, a gathering of 4,000 youth from around the globe held in Brazil, eight hubs of innovation were launched to foster the unity of the human family and care for our common home. These eight United World Communities have consolidated and developed proposals and projects inspired by the spirituality of unity of the Focolare Movement, in alignment with the principles of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights and the UN’s Pact for the Future. These initiatives focus on areas such as sustainable development, climate action, the promotion of peace and human rights, intercultural dialogue, social cohesion, and youth empowerment.
These projects and proposals form the core of the document presented in Cascais. It opens with a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, acknowledging his tireless efforts to champion peace and sustainable development. Among the key proposals are the establishment of a High-Level Youth Forum to integrate youth perspectives into global decision-making, and preparations for the UN’s 80th anniversary and COP 30, showcasing youth-led solutions for urban sustainability and climate justice.
Presented to Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative for UNAOC, and Felipe Paullier, High Representative for Youth Affairs, the document received enthusiastic support. Both leaders recognized New Humanity’s long-standing contributions and expressed interest in further analyzing the proposals. This engagement underscored the pivotal role of youth in shaping policies for a just and sustainable future, strengthening the connection between grassroots actions and international diplomacy.
To expand the reach and effectiveness of this work, United World Ambassadors, a youth network, will play a pivotal role in connecting grassroots initiatives to international frameworks like the United Nations, ensuring that local actions resonate globally.
New Humanity remains committed to bridging grassroots initiatives with high-level organizations, advancing its mission to promote fraternity, dialogue, and sustainable development. The connections established during the UNAOC Global Forum will be instrumental in strengthening the impact of our projects and amplifying the voices of youth worldwide.
Ana Clara Giovani and Maddalena Maltese
To download the document, in English, click on the image
(…) Looking back today, we can understand what we can learn from December 7th, the day the Movement began decades ago. It affirms that a charism of the Holy Spirit, a new light, came down on earth during those days, a light which, in the mind of God, was destined to quench the burning thirst of this world with the water of wisdom, to warm it with divine love and thus give life to a new people nourished by the Gospel. This is what it tells us, above all.
And because God acts concretely, he immediately provided the first brick for the building that would serve his purposes, the building that is our Movement. He decided to call me, a girl like many others, and this led to my consecration to him, my “yes” to God, soon followed by the “yes” of many other young women and men.
That day speaks of light, then, and of the total gift of ourselves to God, so as to be instruments in his hands to achieve his goals.
“Light” and “giving oneself to God” are two realities that were extremely useful at that time when there was general confusion, reciprocal hatred, war. It was a time of darkness, when God seemed to be absent from the world, absent with his love, his peace, his joy, his guidance. It was a time when no one seemed interested in him.
“Light” and “giving oneself to God” are two realities that heaven wants to repeat to us today, too, when many wars continue to rage on our planet. (…)
“Light” means the Word, the Gospel, which is still too little known and, above all, too little lived. (…)
The news of Bishop Christian Krause’s death reached me just as I was beginning a Zoom conference call with Bishops from various churches who are friends of the Focolare Movement, with whom he has been a faithful traveling companion for many years. We knew his health had been deteriorating and we had been praying for him, so it was spontaneous to recite the ‘Our Father’ together, thanking God for his prophetic and encouraging presence among us. He was a man with a big heart and broad horizons.
“Colourful Bishops”
There would be a lot to say about Bishop Christian. As I write, I have before me a photograph of Cardinal Vlk of Prague (Czech Republic), Cardinal Kriengsak of Bangkok (Thailand), Dr. Mor Theophilose Kuriakose of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church (India), myself (a Catholic) and Bishop Christian walking towards the city centre of Lund (Sweden), dressed in our ecclesiastical robes, heading for a ceremony at the Cathedral to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. This ecumenical event, hosted by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and attended by Pope Francis, was the first time that Catholics and Lutherans commemorated the Reformation together on a global level.
The photo reminds me of the fondness with which Bishop Christian called the Bishops of various Churches associated with the Focolare Movement “colourful bishops”. He was deeply passionate about the experience of unity in variety and diversity, inspired by a charism and by a spirituality of unity and supported by the Focolare, a predominantly lay movement. Our colourful vestments symbolized the deeper richness of the gifts exchanged during the dialogue of life undertaken by Bishops from various churches since 1982—a dialogue initiated by Bishop Klaus Hemmerle and Chiara Lubich, with the blessing of Pope John Paul II.
An Historic Day
Although Bishop Christian became acquainted with the Focolare in the 1980s through Bishop Hemmerle, his meeting with Chiara Lubich on 31st October, 1999 was a special moment for him. It took place in the context of what was undoubtedly a key moment in his life: the signing, on behalf of the LWF, of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification with the Roman Catholic Church, on 31st October 1999 in Augsburg, Germany. Over the years, Bishop Krause has often shared with us the significance of that event, emphasizing its importance as a document signed on the brink of the 21st century. He often recalled how, on that very occasion, a group of founders and leaders of Evangelical and Catholic Movements and Communities gathered in the Focolare little town of Ottmaring to launch the ‘Together for Europe’ project. That day’s meeting with Chiara Lubich opened a path for him into an ecumenical experience whose prophetic possibilities and implications he perhaps understood more deeply than many of us.
Broad Horizons
When I became a bishop in 2013, I came into much closer contact with Bishop Christian within the framework of the Bishops of various churches who are friends of the Focolare Movement. After Lund, several of us met for monthly online teleconferences. Meeting with Christian was always a great way to broaden your horizons, because he liked to see things in the bigger picture. His sense of humour was evident in the sparkle in his eyes and his kind smile.
Bishop Christian Krause was passionate about the Church, about the unity of the Church and the need to move forward. For him, life was not about standing still. If we want to improve the future, we must be ready to disrupt the present! In the case of the Bishop Friends of the Focolare, Bishop Christian urged us to widen the circle and to commit ourselves to promoting circles of living dialogue with the Bishops of various Churches in the Global South. He was so pleased that in September 2021, in the midst of Covid, we were able to organize an online meeting for 180 bishops from 70 Churches from all over the world. It was a wonderful three-day meeting.
Glimpses of Hope
I recently visited Bishop Christian in the nursing home where he had moved in the last weeks of his life. Our conversation was one I will remember for a long time. He spoke to me of his gratitude for having encountered the charism of the Focolare, of the support and friendship he had experienced. Raised in the tradition of “awakening” (pietistic), his encounter with the Movement was in line with his personal conviction of the need for piety, for spirituality.
He did not hide the pain he felt at times, seeing how the world seems to have lost the visionary dynamic of hope from the 1960s, when global mission and the horizons of peace seemed within reach. Equally painful for him was the fact that it was still not possible to receive communion in the Catholic Church.
He told me about an event in the ‘90s when Chiara Lubich was not well. During a meeting, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk invited him to come with him and make a short phone call to Chiara. It was to be a short phone call and so to keep it that way, Bishop Christian simply asked Chiara: “Do you have a word for us?” Chiara did not hesitate to answer: “Always Go Forward!” Christian was very impressed.
“Always Go Forward” was the stimulus that Bishop Christian always brought us. Speaking to me about his preparation for death, he showed his strong faith with which he knew how to look to the future, including death, with hope. He shared with me the prayer taken from a famous poem by Dietrich Bonhoeffer that inspired him in that last period: “By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered, And confidently waiting, come what may, We know that God is with us night and morning, And never fails to greet us each new day”.
Bishop Brendan Leahy Bishop of Limerick, Ireland
Bishop emeritus Christian Krause was born on 6th January 1940 in Dallgow-Döberitz, Brandenburg (Germany). He studied theology in Germany (Marburg, Heidelberg and Göttingen) and in the United States (Chicago). He was ordained a Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover in 1969. He worked as an assistant at the then Department of Theology of the Lutheran World Federation in Geneva (Switzerland) from 1969 to 1970 and at the headquarters of the Christian Service for Refugees of Tanganyika in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 1970 to 1972. From 1972 to 1985 he was responsible for international ecumenical affairs, serving as Executive Secretary (Oberkirchenrat) to the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany and the German National Committee of the LWF in Hanover, Germany. From 1985 to 1994 he was General Secretary of the German Evangelical Kirchentag (Lay Movement of the Protestant Church). He was Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brunswick, Germany, from 1994 to 2002. From 1997 to 2003 he was President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). He died on 28th November in Wolfenbüttel, Germany, at the age of 84. Bishop Christian leaves behind his wife Gertrud Krause and four children.
“The competition has been and remains a unique way to introduce Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, to younger generations and to an audience that engages with her work on a cultural level,” says Giuliano Ruzzier, a teacher and collaborator of the Chiara Lubich Centre.
Promoted by the Ministry of Education and Merit, New Humanity and the Historical Museum Foundation of Trentino, this year’s theme is peace. Participants are encouraged to explore the meaning of peace in light of Chiara Lubich’s contributions. Ruzzier explains, “From her extensive legacy, particularly where she explicitly addressed this theme, we have identified four perspectives from which to reflect on peace.”
These perspectives include constructive dialogue among people of different religions and cultures, overcoming economic disparities, fostering personal commitment to fraternity through relationships of proximity and spreading a culture of peace. Prof. Giuseppe Ruzzier continues, “Chiara Lubich viewed humanity as a whole. She is well-known for her call to ‘love others’ countries as our own. Her emphasis on everyday relationships is particularly distinctive. As she said, our days can be filled with practical, humble, intelligent acts of service, expressions of our love. Every little gesture has an effect on society.”
The contest is open to primary, middle and high school students. “As in past years, we especially hope for broad participation from Italian schools abroad, given the clear international scope of this year’s theme.”
When asked how he would encourage his colleagues to promote this initiative, Ruzzier replies: “This contest offers students the chance to reflect independently and creatively on a highly relevant and important topic like peace. It also provides an opportunity to engage with the significant thoughts of a woman who profoundly shaped and experienced the 20th century and expressed herself in many ways.”
This morning, while shopping at the supermarket, I passed by a large trolley where a shop assistant was piling up boxes. I noticed two of them were on the ground.
Fearing that I had inadvertently dropped them, I apologised, picked up the boxes and placed them on the trolley.
The shop assistant thanked me and said not to worry, then called after me: ‘Kindness is rare!’. Another person who was passing by just at that moment confirmed: “That’s very true!” whereupon the shop assistant, by way of explanation, told her what had happened.
As for me, I was happy, not least because this little episode reminded me of a phrase I had heard some time ago which had struck me. It spoke about “sowing kindness”. It felt like a ‘caress’ from God.
G.S. – Italy (*)
Healing relationships
I have a brother, a Catholic Christian, who married a German woman from the Evangelical Church. When they settled in Italy, the relationship between my mother and sister-in-law was not easy, even though she was not against their children being educated in the Catholic Church. As for me, I tried to be a ‘mediator’ between her and my mother. My sister-in-law also suffered because of this misunderstanding, which was however healed shortly before our mother died. For some time now, I have been sharing the ‘Thought for the Day’ with her via Whatsapp which helps us to live Gospel-based love on a daily basis. One day the thought invited us to ‘be merciful’, with this short commentary sentence: “Mercy is a love that knows how to welcome every neighbour, especially the poorest and neediest. A love that does not measure, is abundant, universal, concrete”. Her response was immediate: ‘If I have made you feel bad in certain circumstances over the past years, please forgive me”. Astonished, I replied in turn: “I too apologise”. And she: “I don’t remember any incident for which need to apologise…’.
C. – Italy (*)
Called and sent
Someone very dear to me asked me to write something about my experience as a teacher for an acquaintance of hers from another country who was doing a project on values education.
I realised that it was an opportunity to transform into a testimony and ‘proclamation’ what, in some ways, has been my personal response to the ‘call’ to live according to the teachings of the Gospel as a teacher and as a mother.
The piece took many hours of writing, deleting, correcting, rewriting, remembering aspects that I could add, deleting others that seemed irrelevant and, above all, filtering each word with love. I tried to put myself in the place of the person I was writing for, because even though I did not know her, I could love Jesus in her.
I sent it to my friend, aware that it might not be exactly what she needed, and so was ready to change everything.
To my surprise, she replied: “I have already sent your letter. I really liked it”. No doubt it was not the writing itself that was liked, but the work that God had done in me which could be a little light for others by being shared.
And, of course, the other things I had to do in those days were easily taken care of, as there had been some changes in the rota that left me with more free time.
