31 Aug 2018 | Non categorizzato
“In 1984, I was with a group of bishops who came from a number of different Churches. We visited the Basilica of Saint Sofia in Istanbul and were very impressed by this imposing building which seemed to tangibly embody the history of the Church and of humankind. This building dates back to the time of ancient Christianity, to a time when Christians were united and Asia Minor was the centre of the Christian world: it is also the very building where unity was broken through the division between the East and the West. In the sections of the dome that were visible, we saw enormous inscriptions taken from the Koran – a sign of the domination of another religion over lacerated Christianity. There were several signs saying “Prayer is forbidden” right in front of us. It was a museum in which people were wandering around with cameras and binoculars admiring the artistic treasures. The absence of religion in a place that had previously been so sacred was terrible. We felt overwhelmed by this sequence of events: unity, unity broken, the diversity of religious faith, no religion at all. We gazed around in search of help when, all of a sudden, we saw it! Above the dome, quietly glistening, there was an ancient mosaic of Mary offering her Son. Looking at it, I clearly understood that this is the Church: to simply be here and be the first to generate God, that God who seems to be absent. I understood “Theotokos” – the mother of God, the one who generates God – in a completely new way. I understood that we cannot organise faith in the world. If no one wants to hear about God any longer, we cannot hammer on saying “Woe to you!” We just have to be there and be the first to bring the light of God to the world, that God that seems to be absent. We cannot “create” God but we can only shed light upon him; we can’t use argument to prove that God exists but we can be the chalice that contains him, the heaven from which he almost imperceptibly shines forth. I understood not only our task in the Church but also how the Church exists in the figure of Mary and Mary exists in the figure of the Church – how both the figure and the reality are the same.” Klaus Hemmerle, Partire dall’unità. La Trinità e Maria, pp. 124, 125.
31 Aug 2018 | Non categorizzato
“Holy Father, you can truly count on our full unity and fervid prayer facing these attacks aimed at discrediting your person and your action of renewal,” Maria Voce wrote these words in a letter that was sent to Pope Francis on August 30th in which she expressed prayer and support, following the various attacks that have recently been levelled against him. The Focolare president expressed gratitude to the Holy Father for the recent World Meeting of Families held in Ireland which, among other things, highlighted the rapport that was established between the Pope and those who attended. On behalf of the whole Focolare Movement, Maria Voce acknowledged the Pope’s heartfelt and repeated request for forgiveness from the families of the victims, and also the way his message of love was embraced. “In every wound of the Church and of humanity,” Mary Voce says, “we recognized the crucified and abandoned Christ, and, together with you, we look at Mary in order to live with courage your example as authentic disciples.” Finally, Maria Voce thanked the Pope for his recent “Letter to the People of God” which, in addition to expressing the solicitude and love of the Holy Father for humanity, indicates “how to share in the “cry” that rises to Heaven from those who suffered and still suffer, as well as how to work so that such evils are not perpetuated. Let us embrace both his words and his concern.”
30 Aug 2018 | Non categorizzato
The World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is celebrated every year on 1 September which is running its 13th edition this year. The initiative started among the Orthodox Churches to which other Christian Churches adhered in their commitment to rediscover ecumenical cooperation in the care of creation. In 2015, also the Catholic Church joined the call to all of mankind to take up their responsibility towards creation and the safeguard of the lives of all the peoples of the earth. In 2017, in a gesture to seal this common commitment, Pope Francis and the ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople signed a document which states among other things, that: “ the human and natural environments are deteriorating together, and this degradation of the planet weighs on the more vulnerable people. The impact of climate change affects, above all, those living in poverty in every corner of the globe. Our duty to use the assets of the earth responsibly implies the recognition and respect of every person and all the living creatures. The urgent call and challenge to take care of creation is an invitation to all of humanity to work for a sustainable and integral development. […] We are convinced that there cannot be a genuine and long-lasting solution to the challenge of ecological crises and climate changes without a united and collective response, and without a shared responsibility that can give an account of the actions taken, giving priority to solidarity and services.”
30 Aug 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
A great number of displaced people waiting to return to their homes still submerged by the devastating floods, has in the meantime been gathered in 3,800 relief camps. The rescue and aid operations are brought ahead amid great difficulties due to the inaccessibility of some zones. In some cases, water and food have been launched from helicopters, given that roads and bridges have been destroyed. The local communities of the Focolare have written: “We’ve just returned from the Mariapolis (at about 300 km from Kerala) held with the members of the Word of Life groups scattered within a range of 120 km. Our hearts are with the people of Kerala which has been destroyed by the strong rains. We are still in the monsoon season, and the hot winds provoke these tropical typhoons. As far as we know, the members of the Movement are safe. A retreat had been programmed for the priests in Trivandrum (south Kerala), but it had to be cancelled since it is not safe to travel and many priests are involved in the tragedy. In the weekend, our local communities will be involved in gathering foodstuff and prime commodities to be sent to the stricken areas. We count on your prayers.” Also Pope Francis prayed for the victims and that “our solidarity and concrete support for the community will not be lacking.”
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30 Aug 2018 | Focolare Worldwide
Focolare president Maria Voce wrote to the local Focolare community in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “Let us ask the Father to welcome into His Kingdom of peace all those persons who lost their lives in this serious accident, while entrusting to His love the wounded and everyone involved.” The accident occurred on the morning of August 28th in the city of Limate, north of Kinshasa. A silo containing tons of wheat, owned by flour producer FAB Congo, collapsed on part of the Moyi mwa Ntongo Hospital and an adjacent company. Under the weight of the rubble some people lost their lives, including Valentine, a member of the Focolare who was in charge of the laundry services, while other victims were in nearby buildings. “There has been an outpouring of help and support, searching for her body,” writes Aga Kahambu on behalf of the local Focolare community, with police, Red Cross and volunteers working tirelessly. Some of the victims are FAB employees, but the number is still uncertain. It is a very sorrowful time for all of us, but the unity and solidarity among so many has helped to strengthen us.” 
According to the local newspaper, “Actualite.cd,” the count is provisional, because the incident occurred at rush hour” and it reports “significant damage to the facilities, with the destruction of radiology, diagnostics and other departments.” Constructed in 2006 and directed by the Focolare Movement, the medical centre Moyi Mwa Ntongo is considered an excellent facility with 55 beds. Built for the care of child blindness, the centre then took on other projects, such as HIV and AIDS. Moreover, it is a model international humanitarian project: it makes use of specialists and local staff, trained both in the DRC and in Europe. In 2016, ten years after its founding, it finished a modern maternity and neonatology unit, which are essential in a country with one of the highest infantile death rates in the world. Fortunately that unit was preserved from the collapse. The ward was completed thanks to the contribution of people and agencies connected to the Focolare Movement, such as the Giancarlo Pallavicini Foundation and the gentlemen Albina Gianotti and Vittorino Giussani, financers of the Medical Centre since the day it began, and by AMU Luxemburg and AECOM Congo, as well as other supporters.
