15 Nov 2023 | Non categorizzato
On 10th-11th November 2023 a seminar entitled “Expressing God. Chiara Lubich and the mystical tradition of women from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. A journey of many voices” took place in Bologna (Italy) Father Gianni Festa, OP, reflects on its outcomes and prospects. The seminar featured a polyphony of voices spanning centuries. Protagonists of the female mystical tradition and their writings were the focus of a seminar that, on 10th -11th November 2023 in Bologna (Italy), brought together scholars from diverse disciplines including theologians, linguists, historians, literature experts and archivists. The seminar offered insights and reflections starting from the texts of the mystics, in particular from the 1900s. Diverse female figures, each unique yet connected by commonalities in the way they “spoke and wrote about God”, traits that reveal the path of the Holy Spirit and its unfolding through a plurality of voices, different but in great harmony. We talked about it with Father Gianni Festa, OP, Professor at the Theological Faculty of Emilia-Romagna and member of the Dominican Historical Institute.
Anna Maria Rossi, Padre Gianni Festa
Anna Lisa Innocenti and Maria Grazia Berretta
8 Nov 2023 | Non categorizzato
“Expressing God: Chiara Lubich and the female mystical tradition” is the title of a conference that will take place from 10th-11th November 2023 in Bologna (Italy). A seminar dedicated to what it means to “express God in a female way” will take place on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th November in the Salone Bolognini of the San Domenico Convent in Bologna. Its title is, “Expressing God. Chiara Lubich and the female mystical tradition from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. A journey with many voices”. The organizers are the Theology Faculty of Emilia-Romagna (Fter), the Chiara Lubich Centre and the Sophia University Institute. The seminar aims to offer insights and reflections on the question of mystical language with particular attention to the mysticism of the twentieth century and with an attentive ear to the language of women. One of the organizers, Father Gianni Festa, a Dominican professor at the Fter, has said that it will be a real journey, “in a page of the history of female mysticism that has not been greatly explored”. How can language express the intimacy of an experience with God? How did the mystics, starting from the medieval tradition up to the 1900s, ensure that words could preserve such an experience and recount it to the world? These are all questions that will be examined in the context of this seminar starting from historical, literary and linguistic analyses that testify, as Father Festa told us, “that to express God in a female way means to express Him in a different way and that is why it is absolutely necessary to understand the feminine language which expresses God and which tells of mystical experience”. The speakers of the seminar will explore this theme, starting from the twentieth-century figure of Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement. Father Festa said, “The experience of Lubich will be connected on a diachronic level to important figures of the medieval mystical tradition such as doctors of the Church like Catherine of Siena and Teresa of Avila, but above all to other experiences and mystical writings of the twentieth century, some of which are well known, such as those of Etty Hillesum and Madeleine Delbrêl while others are less so, such as Sister Maria, the great mystical friend of Don Primo Mazzolari. The question of mystical language and the theology underlying female mysticism will be explored and the individual paths of this experience will be identified”. For more information, contact the FTER secretariat or consult the Chiara Lubich Centre website. To participate in the event, you can register for the two days in the specific “Events” section on the FTER website.
Maria Grazia Berretta
Volantino_Seminario-Chiara-Lubich-e-la-mistica-femminile_web
8 Nov 2023 | Non categorizzato
Together for the sake of the planet: this is the impetus behind the Green Care Programme, an event organised on the initiative of Multipolar Dialogue that took place in Belgium from 25 to 29 October 2023 Ecology, a topic of growing global interest, has increasingly attracted the interest of many. Pope Francis emphasizes the urgent need to address environmental issues through his encyclical “Laudato Si’. Despite these calls, the stark reality remains: there have been too few tangible improvements. What is missing in our collective efforts and what more can we do to protect our planet? To seek answers to these questions and find ways to act collectively, a diverse group of 50 people from over 13 different countries convened at the Centrum Eenheid, in Rotselaar, Belgium, from October 25th to 29th 2023 for a transformative four-day event. Their mission: to engage in dialogue, acquire knowledge, and exchange experiences in the pursuit of better care for our planet. 
Organized by Multipolar Dialogue, an initiative that brings together citizens from East and West Europe in a methodology based on the practice of a “pact of love” on which can be built a space of trust, the event offered a rich mixture of lectures, talks, dialogues, and best practices, creating a dynamic space for sharing experiences and knowledge. Attendees engaged in thought-provoking dialogues on a range of topics, such as, sustainable development, biodiversity, integral ecology and noise reduction. In addition to these dialogues, participants had the opportunity to share their experiences, such as initiatives like school and community gardens, “Greening Africa Together“, “Grüne Dach Impulse”, while they also took part in workshop in workshops. Moreover, the event was graced by the presence of esteemed experts whose insights elevated the dialogues and provided attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and solutions. Dr. Helmut Maurer, an authority on environmental matters, shared invaluable perspectives during an interview focused on the implementation of the Green Deal, shedding light on the practical steps needed to address environmental issues. Lorna Gold, the Chair of the Laudato Si Movement and CEO at FaithInvest, brought her wealth of experience to the event, inspiring participants with her wisdom and vision. A multi-project endeavor This event was not just a standalone gathering but a crucial component of the broader initiative “Project DialogUE“. The overarching goal of this initiative is to actively engage with citizens, giving them a platform to voice their concerns and ideas. As part of this mission, the event had a distinct purpose: to facilitate meaningful dialogues and craft proposals that could be presented to the European Union. In pursuit of this objective, participants had the unique opportunity to visit EU institutions, gaining deeper insights into the processes and avenues through which their proposals and requests could be channeled. “Project DialogUE” aligns with the commitment of the Focolare movement to listen to the cry of the earth and respond to its needs. This commitment is encapsulated in the EcoPlan – the Focolare Movement statement for Integral Ecology – that was also presented during the event, outlining a path towards a more sustainable and integral ecological conscious future. Connecting for change 
Beyond the invaluable knowledge gained and the experiences shared, these four days left a profound impact on the participants. They felt more than just attendees; they became part of a global community with a shared concern for our planet’s well-being. The sense of connection, dialogue, and collective purpose was palpable, as individuals from diverse backgrounds and countries came together to answer the cry of the earth. As Anna Waibel, a driving force behind the School Gardens project in Austria, expressed, “For me it was really awesome to see that my school is not the only place that tries to change something, but that others also want to do so. I noticed that nothing works without community and acting together.” Anny Hesius, the Multipolar Dialogue coordinator from Belgium, aptly summarized the collective sentiment, saying, “The proposal was to offer each other to listen and exchange knowledge and it has made us more aware, stronger, more co-responsible and more decisive. We have become a true family. Protagonists of peace and justice, of love toward the inhabitants of the earth and our common home” In these four days, participants not only expanded their ecological knowledge but also found a sense of purpose and community, leaving with a renewed determination to collaborate and bring about meaningful change on a global scale.
Ana Clara Giovani
6 Nov 2023 | Non categorizzato
A journey of knowledge and discovery to be made together on a daily basis and in a great spirit of acceptance, while coping with the many challenges that the world presents. We talked about this with Antonio Salimbeni and Rita Moussallem, the leaders of the Center for Interreligious Dialogue (CDI). In the world landscape that is undergoing a profound transformation toward an increasingly multicultural and multi-religious society, the Focolare Movement promotes dialogue among religions, so that the religious pluralism of humanity may not be the cause of divisions and wars, but contribute to fraternity and peace. Antonio Salimbeni and Rita Moussallem, leaders of the Center for Interreligious Dialogue (CDI), answer some questions. In light of what is affecting the world today, particularly the new conflicts that are being added to existing ones, what contribution can interfaith dialogue make to building one big human family? In the face of the heartbreaking and shocking events of recent weeks, we feel dismay and deep sorrow as well as a sense of bewilderment. Religion is often instrumentalized by political powers. We realize how ideologies, religious nationalism and any form of polarization always lead to conflict. Dialogue can help purify our approach, deepen our knowledge of the other, and focus our engagement on the essence of our religions, which is our relationship with God, Love and Mercy. Dialogue can raise the level of our relationships to a deep spiritual dimension and push us to live the deepest human values, to work together to spread Goodness and fraternity. How does the Focolare Movement pursue its commitment in this area? The Focolare Movement, founded on a profound spirituality centered on unity and fraternity among all, discovered its vocation to interreligious dialogue more than five decades ago. Since then, it has established – including through its Center for Interreligious Dialogue (CDI) and its centers present in various countries – intense and fraternal relationships with thousands of faithful and numerous institutions, associations, movements and organizations of the most diverse religions in the conviction that friendship among people of different faiths is a vital potential for building universal brotherhood. It is a dialogue among brothers. A dialogue sustained by listening, sharing and collaboration. It is a dialogue that makes us discover diversity, whatever it may be, as a gift. Whoever is close to me,” said Chiara Lubich, founder of the Movement, “was created as a gift for me, and I was created as a gift for whoever is close to me: her formula for a fraternal world. What are the next scheduled appointments? What are the issues to be addressed and the goals? An idea has been maturing for the past few months, which is to organize an interfaith conference for fraternity next June 2024. This becomes even more urgent and necessary in light of the growing crisis that intensifies divisions in humanity. It is an event that aims to contribute to reconciliation efforts with innovative actions at the global level and to walk the path of dialogue and fraternity by strengthening relations and cooperation among people of different faiths. The conference will kick off on May 29 and end on June 5, 2024. It will consist of several moments that will have as a common denominator the theme of peace among people and with creation. There will be two open days, one in Castel Gandolfo in collaboration with FaithInvest organization and one in Assisi together with the Laudato Si Movement, to celebrate the importance and commitment of different faiths in the custody of our common home. In this urgent endeavor we are partnering with Consulus, a global innovation consulting firm with its presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, as our global knowledge partner.
Maria Grazia Berretta
26 Oct 2023 | Non categorizzato
The phrase “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mt 22:21) contains an imminent request to live out our faith radically and this is what loving really means: to do the will of God who gives us everything and to do it wholeheartedly; recognizing His voice amid the deafening noise of the world and choosing it as the best way forward in everyday life. With the poor in the peripheries Moved by the situation of squalor and poverty of many families in our area and stimulated by the Word of God, a group of us submitted a proposal to the religious and civil authorities and took action to dedicate ourselves to children in particular in the peripheries. First, some mothers who lived in huts offered to help us for families even poorer than themselves. Our service started by registering and weighing children from zero to five years old, educating mothers on alternative feeding (low cost and high nutritional value), vaccinations, breastfeeding and education. It was only a first step to dealing with more serious problems: unemployment, alcoholism, abandonment, hunger, lack of housing, drugs, poverty. Every weekend, we go with our families to help those who live in the huts to offer them, in cooperation with other Christians, better living conditions. Our communion of goods contributes to improving the quality of life of these children so that they don’t just survive but can have a dignified life. (M.N. – Brazil) An unexpected job Some time ago, a couple with five children came to live in our town. The father was out of work and had to move house for health reasons. His profession was compatible with my husband’s and we had been promised an important job, so we decided to hire him in our company. However, a few months later, the work we were expecting didn’t come through and we began to worry about the future. At that time, the Word of the Gospel that we were trying to live invited us to pray because, the commentary said, there are two temptations: “The presumption of managing on our own and the fear of not making it. Whereas Jesus assures us that the heavenly Father will ensure that we have the strength of the Spirit if we watch and ask Him with faith.” So we turned to Him with faith, entrusting him with the new situation, sure that he would look after it. The next day, my husband unexpectedly received an important job. Since then, we have always had work and the newcomer continues to work with us. (M.R. – Switzerland) The loan During the first trimester of school, I had shared my scholarship with another student who could not afford a canteen card because he came from a very poor family. At the beginning of the second trimester, he told me that his parents needed money urgently and he asked me to lend him a certain amount. I had set that sum aside for books and food, but out of friendship I decided to oblige him. Then I didn’t see him around for a few days, while previously he always came to talk to me. I started to worry and even get angry. Then, suddenly, the Gospel came to my aid with the thought that it is right to help a neighbour who is worse off than me. When I calmed down, I went to visit him at his house. As soon as we met, he told me that he hadn’t shown up again because he was ashamed of not yet having the money to pay me back and he didn’t know what to do. I reassured him, saying that he could pay me back whenever it was possible and that otherwise it would be fine anyway: the most important thing was that we should remain friends. (J.B. – Africa)
compiled by Maria Grazia Berretta
(taken from “The Gospel of the Day”, Città Nuova, year IX – no.1 September-October 2023)
