Margaret Karram: the first words of the new President of the Focolare Movement
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Margaret Karram is the new President of the Focolare Movement
Elected on 31 January, she is the third President to lead the Movement after the founder, Chiara Lubich, and after Maria Voce who has just completed two terms. PRESS RELEASE – 1st February 2021 Yesterday, Margaret Karram, was elected President of the Focolare Movement with more than two thirds of the votes cast among the participants in the General Assembly of the Movement, composed of 359 representatives from all over the world. She succeeds the founder Chiara Lubich and Maria Voce who was in office for 12 years (two terms). Margaret Karram was born in Haifa, Israel in 1962 into a Palestinian Catholic family. She holds a B.A. in Jewish Studies from the American Jewish University in the United States. She has held various positions for the Focolare in Los Angeles and in Jerusalem. Her past experience includes membership of various commissions and organizations for the promotion of dialogue between the three monotheistic religions, such as the Episcopal Commission for Interreligious Dialogue, the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land and the ICCI (Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel). She worked for 14 years at the Consulate General of Italy in Jerusalem. Since 2014, she has been at the International Centre of the Focolare as councillor for Italy and Albania and co-responsible for Dialogue between Ecclesial Movements and New Catholic Communities. She speaks Arabic, Hebrew, Italian and English. In 2013 she received the Mount Zion Award for Reconciliation, together with the scholar and researcher Yisca Harani, for their commitment to developing dialogue between different cultures and religions. In 2016 she received the St Rita International Award for having promoted dialogue between Christians, Jews, Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians, starting from people’s everyday life. The election took place yesterday, 31 January 2021, but her appointment only became effective today, following confirmation by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, as envisaged by the General Statutes of the Focolare Movement. The document expresses the hope that the new president will be able to carry out her task “with faithfulness, in a spirit of service and ecclesial sensitivity, for the good of the members of the Movement and of the universal Church.” Duties of the Focolare President According to the Movement’s General Statutes, the President is chosen from among the focolarine (consecrated women with perpetual vows) and will always be a woman. In the Statutes we read, she “is the sign of the unity of the Movement”. This means that she represents the great religious, cultural, social and geographical variety of those who adhere to the spirituality of the Focolare in the 182 countries where the Movement is present and who identify with the message of fraternity that the founder, Chiara Lubich, drew from the Gospel: “Father, that they may all be one” (Jn 17:20-26). There are many commitments and challenges awaiting Margaret Karram in the coming years: the tasks of governing and directing a worldwide Movement like the Focolare, which is deeply immersed in local and global realities and the challenges of humanity, starting from this time of pandemic. The Statutes also indicate the “style” that should distinguish the work of the President: “Hers is to be, above all, a presidency of love – they state – because she must be the first in loving and, therefore, in serving her own brothers and sisters, remembering the words of Jesus: “Whoever wishes to be first among you must be the servant of all” (Mk 10:44). The primary commitment of the President, therefore, is to be a builder of bridges and a spokesperson for the central message of the spirituality of the Focolare, ready to practise and spread it, as we read further on, even at the cost of her own life. The next steps of the General Assembly of the Focolare are the election of the Co-President this afternoon and of the councillors on 4th February. Stefania Tanesini -Cell. +39 338 5658244 Text in PDF
Laudato Si week to mark the fifth anniversary of the Pope’s encyclical
A global campaign that involved thousands of faithful through interactive and educational seminars on the care of our common home. Launched by the Pope, it was organized by the Department for the Service of Integral Human Development with the support of a group of Catholic partners. From May 16th to 24th the Laudato Si’ Week was held under the title “Everything is connected”, a global campaign on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the care of the common house. The event engaged Catholic communities worldwide involving dioceses, parishes, movements and associations, schools and institutions to deepen their commitment to safeguarding Creation and promoting an integral ecology. Strongly desired by the Pope, it was organized by the Department for the Service of Integral Human Development with the support of various Catholic partners including the Global Catholic Climate Movement which includes more than 900 Catholic organizations worldwide among which the Focolare Movement. During the Week there were various online initiatives following the indications of Laudato Si. In fact due to the Covid-19 emergency, the event took place entirely online through interactive and formative seminars. On Sunday, May 24th the event concluded with a world day of prayer: at 12 noon (local time in each time zone), everyone was invited to pray for the Earth with this prayer. In March the Pope sent a video message in which he encouraged the faithful to participate in protecting our common home. Together, through action and faith, we can solve the ecological crisis. “What kind of world do we want to leave to those who will come after us, to the children who are growing up? – says the Pope – I renew my urgent appeal to respond to the ecological crisis. The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor can no longer wait. Let us take care of creation, a gift from our good Creator God “. In these 5 years, the Pope’s encyclical has stirred the consciences of many citizens. People have formed communities with the aim of doing something for the environment, driven by the Pope’s words on a more attentive ecological vision of our Common Home. Yet after five years these words resonate very topical in today’s world torn apart by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Vatican Department for the Service of Integral Human Development also stresses how the teachings of the Encyclical are particularly relevant in the current context of Covid-19 that has brought life to a standstill in many parts of the world. “The pandemic has struck everywhere and teaches us how only with the commitment of all can we rise up and defeat even the virus of social selfishness with the antibodies of justice, charity and solidarity. To be builders of a more just and sustainable world, of an integral human development that leaves no one behind”- underlines Don Francesco Soddu, director of Caritas Italiana – During this week we have not only talked about ecology. The organizers asked themselves: what role does the economy play in terms of safeguarding Creation? In fact, on Thursday May 21st an online meeting was held with the English economist Kate Raworth, from Oxford University and Cambridge University, one of the most influential economists internationally. This meeting was also part of the preparation and formation process for “The Economy of Francesco”, the event wanted by the Pope to be held in November in Assisi for which 3000 young entrepreneurs from all over the world have already registered. On the subject of safeguarding Creation, ” the economy is responsible for at least 50% if we consider each individual’s economy, the economy of enterprises and the economy of States and the effects that all this has on the pollution of the Planet . Then there is politics, our lifestyles, etc…. (…) If we also look at what has contributed to the the failures of these decades , global warming, for example, we realize that in short, the capitalist economy really has a great responsibility. So if we want to make a change we have to change the economy”- says the economist Luigino Bruni – Therefore, to live Laudato Si means to show our sensitivity to the theme of safeguarding Creation but it also means we make life choices in the economic sphere. We can contribute to a profound economic and ecological conversion through practical experiences. We also need to understand what political change we need to promote in order to truly listen to the cry of the earth and of the poor.
Lorenzo Russo
Celebrating Europe on 9 May
A day for communities, movements and countries to meet and witness peace and solidarity among peoples May 9 is the feast day of the European continent, celebrating peace and unity among peoples. This year the Covid-19 pandemic prevented people from seeing each other in church, city squares, gatherings or conferences and prayers. This does not mean that this day’s activities were cancelled. On the contrary: with a lot of creativity, digital conferences, prayers, discussion groups and online dialogues between communities, movements and political representatives were held, for example, in Utrecht, Graz, Rome, Lyon or Esslingen. 
This year’s events had the papal blessing, through a letter from Pope Francis that arrived on 22 April. The pope appreciates the service to the common good that the Together for Europe network operates through committed communities and movements, inspired by the values of solidarity, peace and justice. The Together for Europe network emerged from the historic signing on 31 October 1999 of the “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification” between the leaders of different Evangelical and Catholic movements and ecclesiastical communities from Italy and Germany. It has been a journey together to rediscover the old continent’s values of peace and fraternity. For the Feast of Europe, together with Graz, the Together for Europe committees in Italy organized and promoted an online event dedicated to a “yes to creation,” defending nature and the environment, entitled “Holistic Ecology: A Sustainable Utopia for Europe” on May 9. Through the reflections of Stefania Papa, professor and ecology expert, and Luca Fiorani, climate physicist, and a video of three messages from Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew I and Antonio Guterres (UN) for the 50th World Earth Day, we are becoming more aware of how we can work together for a better present and future, respecting our Earth, in a culture of respect, cooperation and reciprocity. One of the objectives of Together for Europe, in fact, is a “culture of reciprocity”. In it, different individuals and peoples can welcome each other, get to know each other, reconcile, and learn to esteem and support each other. This includes many activities in favour of reconciliation and peace, the protection of life and creation, a fair economy, solidarity with the poor and the marginalized, the family, the good of cities and brotherhood on the European continent. Diversity should not be a reason for fear or separation, but rather a wealth that is developed and harmonized for a united, living, fraternal Europe.
For more information visit together4europe.org.
Lorenzo Russo