It was with deep sorrow that I learned of the return to the house of the Father of our beloved Pope Francis. Together with the whole Church, we give him back to God, filled with gratitude for the extraordinary example and gift of love that he has been for every person and every people.
There have been many moments, throughout his entire pontificate, in which the Holy Father has been a close and loving shepherd also for the Focolare Movement. He has always welcomed us and has guided us to witness to the Gospel with courage and in a radical way.
We have lived many moments with him, which we will never forget In one of them we remember his words to the General Assembly of the Focolare, when he received us in audience in 2021:
‘Always listen to Christ’s cry of abandonment on the cross, which manifests the highest measure of love. The grace that comes from this, is capable of inspiring in us, who are weak and sinners, generous and sometimes heroic responses. It is capable of transforming suffering and even tragedy into a source of light and hope for humanity’.
Finally, I cannot fail to testify also to the Pope’s love and personal concern for me, for the sufferings of my people in the Holy Land, and my immense gratitude for having invited me to participate in the Synod on Synodality, where he himself opened the doors of the Synodal Church that is now starting to take its steps throughout the world.
Together with the entire Focolare Movement in the world, I unite myself to the prayer of the universal Church and of all men and women of good will, certain that Our Lady ‘Salus Populi Romani’, (Mary, Health of the Roman People) to whom he was so devoted, will welcome him into heaven with open arms.
Dear Pope Francis, you may not remember, but we met on 26th September, 2014, when you received a delegation from the Focolare Movement in a private audience. I was part of it, Luciana Scalacci from Abbadia San Salvatore, representing the non-religious cultures that also have a home in the Focolare. I am one of those people who, as Jesus Moran once told me, “helped Chiara Lubich to open new horizons for the charism of unity”. I am a non-believer who has received a great deal from the Movement.
On that extraordinary day, I had the privilege of exchanging a few words with you that I will never forget and that I recall here:
Luciana: “Your Holiness, when you took office as Bishop of Rome, I wrote you a letter, even though I knew that you probably wouldn’t read it with all the letters you receive, but it was important for me to send you my affection and my best wishes, because Your Holiness, I do not recognize myself in any religious faith, but for more than 20 years I have been part of the Focolare Movement, it gave me back the hope that it is still possible to build a united world.”
Pope: “Pray for me, but you are not a believer, you do not pray, so keep me in your thoughts, a lot, think of me, I need it”.
Luciana: “But Holiness, in my own way I do pray for you.”
Pope: “A secular prayer and you keep me very much in your thoughts, I need it”.
Luciana: “Holiness, stay healthy, with courage, with strength! The Catholic Church and the whole world need you. The Catholic Church needs you. ”
Pope: “Keep me in your thoughts and pray for me in a secular way”.
Now, dear Pope Francis, you are in a hospital bed and I am too. Both of us are facing the fragility of our humanity. I want to assure you that I continue to think about you and pray for you in a secular way. You pray for me in a Christian way.
The President of the Focolare Movement, Margaret Karram, sent a message to Pope Francis assuring him of her affectionate closeness and fervent prayer.
She wrote, “May Mary envelop you with her maternal love and all the tenderness that you have always recommended that we should have for the good of every person next to us and every nation.”
She added, “I send you the embrace of everyone in the worldwide Focolare Movement who is praying and constantly offering up everything for you.We are infinitely grateful for your life completely given to God and given for the good of humanity.”
“Please, first of all, sow the seeds of the Gospel which is the Good News, so as to be credible in a time torn apart by discord and conflict, where peace now seems an unattainable dream.” A strong invitation that Pope Francis addressed to some family focolares in a long letter. On the 27th of October 2024 at the Mariapolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo (Italy), Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, while meeting with the young focolare families, read to them the message received from the Pope. It was a beautiful surprise which was written specifically for them. The family focolares are characterised by both spouses being married focolarini. In the world today there are 130 young focolare families in addition to the many families who are living the spirituality of unity that is a typical feature of the Focolare Movement.
The meeting in October at Castel Gandolfo was the last part of a formation course in six stages carried out in different regions of the world: Poland, the Philippines, Lebanon, Guatemala, Portugal. The last one was attended by 55 families coming from different countries.
In his long letter, the Pope explains that he has been informed of “the important work within the Movement in favour of families who have embarked on a unique path of formation”. And he thanks the President “for letting me be part of this exciting experience of faith that is being lived by many couples of various nationalities and religious expressions. I am particularly pleased to know that you are joyfully carrying out your apostolate in various human and social contexts, and with great passion you are striving to create harmony and understanding”.
Pope Francis then asked Margaret Karram to bring his spiritual closeness to the families, encouraging each one to become an instrument of love, demonstrating the richness of sincere and loving fraternity. He thus turned his thoughts to families in crisis “who have lost the courage to cherish the beauty of the Sacrament they have received”, and to help young people” not to be afraid of marriage and its vulnerability”.
Also significant is the date on which the Pope wanted to write the letter: 26 July 2024, the commemoration of Saints Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin Mary. A gesture that didn’t happen by chance for those to whom the letter is addressed: the families.
“Dear families, as you return to your homes,” the Pope continues, “revive the domestic hearth with constant prayer, lend your ear to the voice of the Holy Spirit who guides, enlightens and sustains the journey of life, open to those who knock at your door so as to be heard and comforted, always offer the wine of joy and share the good bread of communion. May the Holy Family of Nazareth be a source of inspiration and hope in times of trial, so that you may be builders of unity everywhere in the service of the Church and humanity.”
Margaret Karram, as she finished reading the letter, said: “I have read it many times and truly, like you, I was moved. I said: this shows an immense love of the Pope for you, especially for you.”
A precious gift extended to all the families in the world, as a guiding star for each one’s journey.
Nearly 9,000 kilometres away from their home in Loppiano, Italy, the international band, “Gen Rosso”, visited Mongolia for the first time. Mongolia, an Asian nation nestled between Russia and China, is home to a small but vibrant Catholic Church led by the Apostolic Prefect, Cardinal Giorgio Marengo. With approximately 1,500 baptized Catholics among a population of 3.5 million, this visit marked a significant step in the community’s preparation for the Catholic Church’s Jubilee in 2025. Cardinal Marengo said, “A young Church, made up of young people, needs a youthful language to connect with people. I grew up with Gen Rosso’s songs. When someone suggested inviting you to Mongolia, I thought it was an excellent opportunity for missionary outreach in Gen Rosso’s style. Your art and lyrics have broad horizons, making it an ideal approach for a place like Mongolia, where the Church is in its early stages. This seemed like a golden opportunity.”
From 23rd November-2nd December, Gen Rosso engaged with hundreds of people, mostly young people, through various workshops in artistic disciplines like hip-hop dance, Broadway-style performance, party dance and choral singing. The workshops culminated in a concert held on 1st December in Ulaanbaatar, the capital.
The band recounted, “We envisioned a ‘participatory’ concert to which the young people we met during our stay in Mongolia could also contribute. Our goal? To encourage cultural exchange among young people and prepare them to help animate the 1st December concert. We sang mainly in English, with some songs in Italian and included at least one verse of the song, ‘Hopes of Peace’ in Mongolian. Our aim was to foster a culture of peace and fraternity rooted in sharing and unity.”
Other highlights included visits to an orphanage, encounters with homeless people and meetings with nomadic families. “It was deeply moving to spend time with them, to sing together with the children, to give hope to these people and learn about their cultures and traditions,” said Emanuele Chirco and Adelson Oliveira of Gen Rosso. The Band also met with local young artists to promote a culture of peace and fraternity through music and art. Gen Rosso, founded in 1966 in Loppiano from an inspiration of Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolare Movement, continues to spread these values through their music. Before leaving, they were warmly received by Italy’s Ambassador to Mongolia, Dr. Giovanna Piccarreta.
This journey marked a significant milestone for Mongolia’s Catholic community. When Pope John Paul II established the Prefecture in 2002, the Church in Mongolia had just over a hundred faithful and a small number of religious and priests. Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, a Consolata Missionary, arrived in 2003 and has witnessed the steady growth of the community. In 2023, Pope Francis made a historic visit to Mongolia, bringing a message of hope.
At the end of the tour Cardinal Marengo said, “It has been a wonderful experience of friendship with Gen Rosso; we felt united by the common denominator of Jesus. We immediately felt a connection. I was also struck by the brotherly care with which the Band members related to one another. I was certain that when they went on stage, they would deliver an experience of beauty and depth that would inspire reflection.”
Lorenzo Russo
For more information and upcoming events featuring Gen Rosso, visit:www.genrosso.com
Experiencing the Church in its community dimension through the synodal method. This was one of the messages that emerged from the ecclesial convention organized by the Focolare Movement of Italy and Albania that was held in early November at the Mariapolis Center of Castel Gandolfo in Italy. An event that was attended by about a thousand people, of different ages and vocations, who adhere to the spirituality of the Focolare Movement, but also representatives of other associations.
Cristiana Formosa and Gabriele Bardo, Focolare leaders in Italy and Albania highlighted the path taken so far together with other groups of the Italian Church. It all stemmed from “a deep dialogue that grew over time, between priests and laity; a working together, people from all the branches of the Work of Mary (or. The Focolare Movement); a growing appreciation of all those who work in various capacities in the local church and in diocesan and national bodies. […] We feel that in recent years this sensitivity has grown a lot within the Movement, and both at the national and local levels there is much more collaboration with other Movements and Church Associations.”.
On the first day, Prof. Vincenzo Di Pilato, professor of Fundamental Theology and Academic Coordinator of the Centro Evangelii Gaudium emphasized (text) the figure of Mary as Mother of God and Mother of humanity, highlighting the Trinitarian root of the incarnation and Mary’s social dimension.
This was followed by Card. Giuseppe Petrocchi who deepened the reality of being church today, emphasizing how one needs to have a value compass to understand how to move, what church to be and how to be church. One must study and love the sociocultural context of the area in which one acts as well as being attentive to signs of the times: what the Lord is asking of us today.
Space then was given to various experiences on educational projects aimed at marginalized people, on the new generations, universal fraternity, the option for the “poor” for an inclusive synodality.
The second day was enriched with the presence of Dr. Linda Ghisoni, Under secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, Life, who brought greetings and encouragement from the Prefect of the Dicastery Card. Kevin Joseph Farrell. Dr. Ghisoni delivered a meditative reflection entitled “Marian dimension: a Church with a synodal face”. By retracing Mary’s life, she affirmed that we too must “trust God who is faithful. It’s up to us, far from all self-driven triumphalism, to be present in the face of the toughest situations in our society, in our family, in our movement. We should not be ashamed if we seem to belong to a group of failures, if we have people among us who are weaklings, and we should welcome the call to an ever-new generativity, proclaiming with closeness, care, listening, with intelligence, attention and dialogue, that God is faithful, is close, is merciful.”.
And she recalled the words that Cardinal Farrell addressed to the Focolare Movement on the 80th anniversary of its birth: “The ideal that Chiara (Lubich) transmitted to you remains ever relevant, even in today’s secularized world which is so different from that of when the Movement began. Your charism contains in itself a great life giving energy, but as the Holy Father often says: ‘it is not a museum piece… it needs to come into contact with reality, with people, with their anxieties and problems. And so, in this fruitful encounter with life, the charism grows, is renewed, and also reality is transformed, is transfigured through the spiritual force that such a charism brings with it.’”
With Marina Castellitto and Carlo Fusco the topic on the universal call to holiness was explored further through the figures of some Focolare members for whom the cause of beatification has been initiated.
This was followed by the experience of the Social Week of Italian Catholics held in Trent in July 2024. “Those days were an experience of listening and deepening the here and now of our time: questioning us about our being a community of believers in the larger ecclesial community and therefore politics as a history and network of human relationships,” stated Argia Albanese president of the Political Movement for Unity (Mppu) Italy.
The day continued with the experience of the National Council of Lay Aggregations (CNAL) in the presence of secretary Dr. Maddalena Pievaioli. The Council is the place where they live their relationship with the Italian Episcopate in a unified form, offering the richness of their associations and actively welcoming its programs and pastoral indications. The wish is that we can increasingly spread this reality within the Associations.
We concluded with the sharing of some best practices such as the Evangelii Gaudium Center, the experiences of the Diocesan Movement of Pesaro and Fermo, and insights on ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, dialogue with people of nonreligious beliefs, and dialogue with the world of culture.
Present on the last day were Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán, President and Co-President of the Focolare Movement. Margaret talked about her recent experience at the synod as one of nine specially invited guests. “The Synod, with its 368 participants, including bishops and laity, of whom 16 were fraternal delegates from other Christian Churches, offered us a perfect example of the universal dimension of this hope,” Margaret said. “We came from 129 nations and each of us was a bearer of our own experience of peace, of war, of poverty, of prosperity, of migration, of joys and sorrows of all kinds. So I would say that the first message, perhaps the most important, is the deeply missionary dimension of the Synod. […] And the first lesson we learned is: walk together, witness together, we need each other. The second lesson was the spiritual practice of discernment that requires: inner freedom, humility, mutual trust, openness to newness.” (…) Our responsibility is “to become bearers of synodality in every sphere: the ecclesial one in primis (first place), Just think of how many of us, and here you will be many! are engaged in our own local Church. But, we members of the Work of Mary, we cannot limit ourselves only to this sphere, we are a lay Movement and this lay characteristic is essential, it comes from the Charism and we cannot lose it. The Synod has stressed on many occasions that we must ‘widen our tent’ to include really everyone, especially those who feel outside.”
Jesús Morán gave a meditation-reflection on being a Church of Hope today. “Hope,” he said, ”makes us overcome fear. Hope must be united with faith and love, the three sisters of the theological life. Hope is a communal virtue; it frees us from the isolation of anguish and launches us toward ‘us’; an ‘us’ that becomes concrete love for our brother.”.
