Nov 27, 2023 | Chiesa, Non categorizzato
On 25th November 2023, Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, was appointed Member of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. Pope Francis has appointed 11 new Members of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, for a five-year period. They include the President of the Work of Mary (Focolare Movement), Margaret Karram. She is one of the men and women, single and married, engaged in different fields of activity and from different parts of the world who will represent and enrich the universal face of the Church, alongside those already in office. The other new members are: Archbishop Josep Ángel Saiz Meneses of Seville, Spain; the Reverend Andrea D’Auria, F.S.C.B., director of the International Centre of Communion and Liberation; the Reverend Luis Felipe Navarro Marfá, Magnificent Rector of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, Italy; the Distinguished Benoît and Véronique Rabourdin, international heads of Amour et Verité della Communauté de l’Emmanuel; Joseph Teyu Chou and Clare Jiayann Yeh, respectively lecturer in the Department of Public Finance of the National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan and founder and director of the Marriage and Family Pastoral Center of the Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference; Professor Ana María Celis Brunet, president of the Consejo Nacional para la Prevención de abusos y acompañamento de víctimas, of the Episcopal Conference of Chile; Professor Maria Luisa Di Pietro, director of the Centre for Research and Study on Reproductive Health of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome, Italy; Professor Carmen Peña García, lecturer in marriage law at the Facultad de Derecho Canónico dell’Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid, Spain. The new members, whose appointment was published on 25th November 2023 in the Bulletin of the Holy See Press Office, join those previously appointed and all those still in office. The updated list can be consulted on the website of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life on the “Members and Consultors” page.
May 14, 2013 | Chiara Lubich, Chiesa, Focolare Worldwide, Focolari nel Mondo, Spiritualità
http://vimeo.com/66238590 http://vimeo.com/66238590 ©Centro S. Chiara Audiovisivi Soc. Coop. a.r.l. All rights reserved
The wide embrace of Bernini’s colonnade is not able to contain the crowd of people who belong to as many as 56 new communities and ecclesial movements; a tiny representation of the approximately 80,000,000 Catholics, for the most part lay people, who make up this immense people. It’s the first time that they are meeting all together with the Pope. An enormous multicolored garden: this is the way someone described St. Peter’s Square on that sunny afternoon of May 30. The presence of members of the various movements, who with their specific charisms contribute towards making the Church beautiful, alive, and credible, constituted a surprising and remarkable display of unity in diversity. A reality witnessed to by founders of four of the most widespread movements: Chiara Lubich, Kiko Arguello, Jean Vanier, Luigi Giussani. Their charisms draw life from the same Spirit; it is a unity in diversity, demonstrating Christian life as a reflection of the Trinitarian mystery. « …numerous charisms are always born in the most important moments of the life of the Church. I’m thinking of the Council of Trent. … Today then, I would say that the Holy Spirit …, blowing in the same direction, puts the accent on different notes, because the life of the Church is like a symphony, a great concert; many instruments are needed, the greatest number of voices are needed». (Msgr. Piero Coda) 
Therefore, a wide variety of charisms are at the basis of the many new ecclesial movements, supported and encouraged by the Pope as the providential answer of the Holy Spirit to the challenges at the end of this millennium. In his address Pope John Paul II does not hesitate to affirm that what happened in the Upper Room in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, is being renewed this evening in St. Peter’s Square. «With the Second Vatican Council, the Comforter recently gave the Church … a renewed Pentecost, instilling a new and unforeseen dynamism. … You, present here, are the tangible proof of this “outpouring” of the Spirit». (Pope John Paul II) In speaking of the journey taken so far by the movements, Pope John Paul II sees them now on their way toward a new stage of ecclesial maturity in which their strong common announcement is a valid alternative to the secularized culture which encourages and promotes models of life without God. «It constitutes a precious capital for the entire mission of the Church. Its founder did not say in vain that the witness of unity is “so that the world may believe.” The missionary fecundity of the movements will be potentiated if this witness of unity in diversity shines forth so that the world may believe».(Gusmán Carriquiri) A witness of unity among all the movements in view of the new evangelization: Chiara expressed this need to the Pope.
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We know that the Church, and you too, desire full communion, unity among the Movements, and this has already begun. We want to assure you, Your Holiness, that, because our specific charism is unity, we will make every effort to contribute, with all our strength, towards fully accomplishing it». (
Chiara Lubich) This commitment assumed by Chiara corresponds to the aspirations of all the leaders of other movements.
«It’s important that we create among ourselves opportunities for dialogue, as we do with people of other Christian confessions or with people of other religions. We all belong to something much greater than the individual movements. Each one must simply find his place and know how to stay with the others». (Jean Vanier) «If each one of us understands that from the contribution of each one, a contribution that springs also, I hope, I think, from a journey that we are taking towards precise goals, like many rivers which then flow together into a sea, we will surely be able to permeate many more areas of culture, many more areas of science, many more areas of human promotion which we have too often delegated to those who might not have convincing proposals to offer people … and to bring them to Christ Jesus». (Salvatore Martinez) «… the Movements must grow in friendship. They should get to know one another, have esteem and love for one another. Of course, all this cannot be accomplished… with politics, through agreements …. My hope is that the understanding among Movements will grow, and it will grow in the measure that the various charisms become increasingly more involved in evangelization. Because it’s not a question of coordination, but of a spirit, of a spirit that must mature, that must penetrate, of a spirit that is grafted onto different stories, persons and Movements.» (Andrea Riccardi) This really seems to be the best attitude for responding to the expectations of the Church and for effectively adhering to the Pope’s invitation at the conclusion of the historical meeting of May 30. « Today, from this Square, Christ says to each of you: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mk. 16:15). He is counting on each and every one of you!» ( Pope John Paul II) Excerpt from the documentary “ON THE WINGS OF THE SPIRIT. Ecclesial Movements: Springtime of the Church” produced on the occasion of Pentecost 1998 ©Centro S. Chiara Audiovisivi Soc. Coop. a.r.l.. All rights reserved. (more…)
