In the homily of the Eucharistic Celebration celebrated on Saturday, 17th January on the occasion of the closing of the Diocesan Inquiry launched in Albano for the cause of Beatification and Canonization of Domenico Mangano, a Volunteer of God of the Focolare Movement, Mons. Stefano Russo, Bishop of the Diocese of Velletri-Segni and Frascati, near Rome said, “The Lord continues to call through His word (…) As happened to John the Baptist who, enlightened by the love of God, recognized the Son of God and pointed him out to others (…) something similar happens at the start of a path of canonization of a person when someone points out the presence of holiness, a consequence of an encounter with Christ. This was the case for Domenico. A community said: “We met him, we shared many experiences with him, participating together in a holy journey, we saw his actions illuminated by the Lord especially from the moment he met the charism of unity”.
The family of Domenico Mangano, his friends and members of the Focolare Movement were present in the Auditorium of the International Centre of the Focolare Movement while a live-stream connection allowed many people from different parts of the world to follow the event.
Who was Domenico?
Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, described Domenico’s life as, “a life marked by availability, attentiveness to others and a concrete love, lived without fanfare but with fidelity. Like the Good Samaritan, Domenico knew how to stop, to draw close and to transform an encounter with another person into a gift”.
Jesús Morán, Co-President of the Focolare Movement, said, “A Christian layman who took faith seriously in real life. A husband, father, worker, citizen deeply rooted in his community, he didn’t live the Gospel as a private matter, but as a light capable of illuminating public choices, social responsibilities and commitment to the common good. His spirituality was deeply incarnated: rooted in faith, which does not distance people from the world but is always attentive to history, to people’s problems and to the needs of society.”
Domenico felt the Gospel call to serve the community by promoting respect, dignity, social co-responsibility and a culture of participation, so that every citizen could feel that they were a living part of society. He was a man of dialogue by inner choice and Christian responsibility. For him, politics was never a place of conquest, but a space of service, a concrete form of social charity, lived with moral seriousness, clarity of judgment and a deep sense of justice. He constantly tried to unite Heaven and earth by translating the message of the Gospel into social life.
Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement; Jesús Morán, Co-President of the Focolare Movement; Dr Waldery Hilgeman, Postulator of the Cause; and Monsignor Stefano Russo, Bishop of Velletri-Segni and Frascati.
Along this journey, the lifeblood flowed from the spirituality of unity and from his commitment to the “Volunteers of God” whom Chiara Lubich, Foundress of the Focolare Movement, defined as “the first Christians of the twentieth century who live to render the presence of Jesus visible wherever they are.”
Through his commitment to a lifestyle based on the Gospel, a deep spiritual dimension matured in him: he gradually learned to let God be at the centre, to guide his life and his choices and, with Him, to place the people, the community and the common good at the heart of everything. This was the source of his inner freedom, serenity and of his ability to love concretely.
Fr Andrea De Matteis, Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Albano, Episcopal Delegate for this Cause, recalled that many have described Domenico as “a mystic of the ordinary: prayer, family, work and civil commitment formed a single reality in him. He lived a mysticism of presence, recognizable in the simplest gestures: in listening, in a discreet word or in a smile. A contemplative heart immersed in the world, a man who sought to please God in the practicalities of daily life. In his disarming simplicity, he bore witness to how it is possible to make the ordinary extraordinary, normality exceptional and to draw the divine into the fragile human condition of each person.”
Domenico also experienced the trial of illness with demanding faith, experiencing it as a time of entrusting and offering. Along that painful path, he once again recognized the presence of God who calls, transforms and leads to fulfillment.
In the photos: 1- The boxes containing the documents of the Cause – 2 – from left, Dr Waldery Hilgeman, Postulator, and then the members of the Diocesan Tribunal of the Cause: Prof. Marco Capri, Notary, Don Andrea De Matteis, Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Albano and Episcopal Delegate, and Prof. Emanuele Spedicato, Promoter of Justice – 3 – on the left, Juan Ignacio Larrañaga, central coordinator of the Volunteers of God; in the centre, Dr Paolo Mottironi, central manager of the Volunteers of God at the time the Cause began.
The solemn conclusion of the diocesan phase for Domenico – which for a long time has involved the dedicated service of the Bishops of Albano, at first Mons. Marcello Semeraro then Mons. Vincenzo Viva, alongside the Tribunal, various collaborators and many witnesses – was an event of profound ecclesial significance.
With this official act it was declared before God and the ecclesial community, that the patient and passionate work of listening, gathering and evaluating evidence, was carried out by many with integrity, truth and fidelity to the norms of the Church and a deep awareness of the gift entrusted to them.
In Domenico Mangano we see how holiness can flourish in ordinary life, in the choices made with love and truth wherever the Lord places us, when a person allows themselves to be emptied of self in order to be filled by God.
The concluding residential week of the first year of the two-year political action training programme will be held from 26th January-1st February 2026. The programme is promoted by the New Humanity NGO of the Focolare Movement in collaboration with the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and the support of the Porticus Foundation.
Using the Hackathon methodology, the event will bring together 100 young leaders from different cultures and political beliefs, from the five continents, who are engaged in political and social life in their own countries. Following months of intensive online work, the young people will meet in Rome in person to translate the learning journey which they shared remotely, into proposals for political impact. The challenge they will face is to design processes and tools capable of addressing the critical issues that emerge in the exercise of political power, in relationships and in political institutions.
Great attention will be paid to the participatory dimension of public policies, leading to the definition of shared pathways that will be assessed and presented during an evening open to the public, to young people and interested politicians.
Javier Baquero, a young Colombian politician and President of the international Political Movement for Unity (MPPU) explained, “Today we are facing very serious problems. We must foster a political culture that sees humanity as one and the planet as our common home. In our opinion, there is a different paradigm that we must explore and experiment with together, learning to compose our different visions starting from some universal values.”
Argia Albanese, President of MPPU Italy agreed, “A meaningful response to the needs of our peoples cannot rely solely on the reform of institutions or from a purely managerial approach, which often seems devoid of democratic content. Our starting point must continue to be the social and community bond rooted in universal fraternity and sisterhood.”
The week concludes the interdisciplinary training focused on integral ecology, civil economy, collaborative governance and generative communication, which began in May 2025 with the support of experts from various academic institutions: Rotterdam School of Management (Netherlands), Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina), Georgetown University (Washington DC), University of the Philippines, Universidade de Ribeirão Preto (Brazil), Escuela Superior de Administración Pública Bogotá (Colombia), University of Dschang (Cameroon), Sophia University Institute (Italy).
The week in Rome includes:
Two Hackathon days, in which the participants, divided into language groups, will seek solutions to collective problems.
Dialogues with experts and policy makers to connect reflection and proposals within a broad international framework.
A public meeting to present the Hackathon outcomes and to engage with politicians active at various levels and from different perspectives.
Visits and workshop activities in Rome at research and social engagement centres (which support migrants, women’s rights, climate justice, unemployment and disarmament).
Workshops to set up the global network for the second year and its governance.
There will be a much-anticipated audience with Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, 31st January. Representatives of the MPPU Centres who will come to Rome for the occasion will also participate and will have the opportunity to evaluate the results of the experience with the participants and to plan the next steps.
It is an intensive workshop designed to develop solutions to collective problems. The idea comes from the world of digital innovation, applying the logic of “doing together and doing it quickly” to the civic sphere.
By integrating political, administrative, economic, communication, social and technological skills, the process unfolds in several phases: analysis of problems and needs, definition of priorities and stakeholders, development of operational proposals and tools for public action.
Within the framework of the themes explored throughout the year, participants will address challenges such as corruption, oligarchic governance, media monopolies, polarization, crisis of representation and electoral abstention.
In the time available, with the support of the coaches, each group will move from problem identification to strategic proposal, building problem maps, analysing available data and designing implementable ideas. At the end, the groups will present their solutions: prototypes of intervention plans, political initiatives and cultural impact projects, participatory models and communication methods and strategies.
The added value lies not only in the ideas developed, but also in the method, which demonstrated how solutions to public problems can be co-designed with creativity and rigour, enhancing and integrating different perspectives, in the search for effective solutions to increase the quality and values of a way of living politics at the service of the unity of the human family.
From 28th-30th November, the“Restarting the economy”event will take place at the Mariapolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo (Rome, Italy), promoted by The Economy of Francis Foundation (EoF) with the support of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
It is the first time that the EoF Global Event is taking place far from its birthplace in Assisi and without the presence of Pope Francis. , President of the Foundation, views this as a positive evolution: “This is not a sign of distance, but an expansion of our mission. The spirit of Assisi is coming closer to Rome and to the Holy Father, to continue inspiring an economy committed to humanity and creation.” Msgr. Domenico Sorrentino , President of the Foundation, views this as a positive evolution: “This is not a sign of distance, but an expansion of our mission. The spirit of Assisi is coming closer to Rome and to the Holy Father, to continue inspiring an economy committed to humanity and creation.”
The EoF meeting in Assisi, September 2022
Over 600 young people, primarily women, representing 66 countries will attend and will include 80 second level students, alongside seasoned economists, philosophers, entrepreneurs, theologians, artists, and policy makers.
Is, “a sign that the commitment of young people to transform the economy is vibrant and full of potential for the future”, said prof. Luigino Bruni , Vice President of the Foundation and the original architect of the initiative. Then he explained the deeper significance of the theme: “‘Restarting the Economy’ is the EoF’s version of the Jubilee: a return to the original biblical sense with the liberation of today’s slaves (dependencies, usury, miseries), the remission of debts (touching upon the great theme of finance, both good and bad) and the restitution of land (addressing ecology, justice, and the critical challenges facing the Amazon, Africa, and our cities).”
During the event, the 2025 EoF Fraternity Report will be presented. It is the result of work carried out this year and is intended to be published annually: a measurement of the state of fraternity in the world, a concept dear to St. Francis and to Pope Francis. Paolo Santori, Chairman of the Foundation’s Scientific Committee, told us, “The report highlights how fraternity, a moral and social pillar, is also a decisive but still unmeasured economic component. Developing an innovative indicator based on international data, the study analyses the degree of fraternity within and between global economies (…) and invites us to rethink development, cooperation and collective well-being.”
The Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has accompanied the Economy of Francesco from the beginning, recognizing a strong harmony with its mission. Father Avelino Chicoma Bundo Chico, S.J., Head of Office of the Dicastery noted that, “Values such as the centrality of the person, social and ecological justice, solidarity, inclusion and cooperation represent a common ground on which a respectful accompaniment of the movement’s autonomy has been developed, all while supporting its growth and initiatives in recent years.”
Presentation of the event in the Vatican Press Room. From left: Luca Iacovone, Luigino Bruni, Monsignor Domenico Sorrentino, Rita Sacramento Monteiro, Father Avelino Chicoma Bundo Chico and Cristiane Murray .
According to Rita Sacramento Monteiro and Luca Iacovone of the event staff, the program at Castel Gandolfo “will be divided into plenaries featuring international guests such as Sabine Alkire, Jennifer Nedelsky, Paolo Benanti, Massimo Mercati and Stefano Zamagni; thematic workshops; spiritual and creative moments and the EoF Fair, a large exhibition of projects and experiences from within the EoF movement. Particular emphasis will be given to two dedicated sessions: Prophetic Voices for a New Economy, in which young people from different backgrounds will recount experiences of change already underway and Extraordinary Ideas for the Economy of Francesco, a review of short inputs giving voice to business ideas, social initiatives and innovative research, selected through international calls.
The 80th anniversary of the United Nations offered the opportunity to hold an international event in Nairobi, entitled “Cities, Communities, Care-Youth in Action for Sustaining Peace”. The conference gathered many young Africans and representatives from all over the world, protagonists of a renewed momentum towards the construction of peaceful and resilient societies, capable of shaping the future of the African continent, with the vision of a united world at heart.
The high point was the presentation of the “Charter of Commitments”, a document promoting peace through intercultural dialogue, artistic initiatives and community programmes, recognising young people as key “peace influencers” and agents of change. At the heart of the vision presented is the adoption of the values of ubuntu, the African philosophy that calls for sharing and reciprocity, as the foundations of a caring society. Young people encourage the United Nations and the African Union and appreciate their role in supporting and collaborating with local governments, civil society actors, religious institutions and youth organizations, in promoting solidarity, justice and equality, both locally and globally. The Charter advocates concrete actions for more welcoming cities, sustainable development, new impetus for youth entrepreneurship and a new African vision, free from borders and barriers. It stresses the urgency of greater inclusion, training and youth participation in decision-making, at all levels.
This appeal comes at the end of the event organized by New Humanity, the NGO of the Focolare Movement. It took place in the Mariapolis Piero in Nairobi. Partners included: UN Habitat (the UN agency for urban development), UNEP (the United Nations environment agency), the Laudato Sì Movement in Africa, Greening Africa Together, Living Peace International, Africa Interfaith Youth Network, International Sociological Association, ASCES University Center of Caruarù in Brazil and all the social, political and cultural expressions of the Focolare Movement.
Peace, Urban Development, Environment and Leadership of Communion
According to the youth leaders gathered in Nairobi, this new perspective can only be achieved through the creation of permanent mechanisms of collaboration both locally and internationally – a true effort of building and consolidating networks. The event saw the participation of thirty international speakers, eight round tables, six live link-ups and eight video testimonials, from cities of five continents, with a constant focus on dialogue with young people. The topics addressed touched on peace, urban development, care for the environment and new forms of leadership of communion.
Greetings
The conference was opened by video messages from Felipe Paullier, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs and Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement. Paullier, after recalling that Nairobi is one of the three main headquarters of the United Nations, said that “every war is a defeat for humanity, a failure of dialogue. Young people are not only victims of today’s crises: they are creators, leaders and builders of peace”. And, he added, there are more than 2 billion young people “ready to be equal partners in the construction of our common future”. A clear message for everyone: relying on a generation that “resists hatred, rejects indifference and chooses peace as a daily responsibility”, it is possible to start from cities and communities, because it is “in neighbourhoods, schools, places of worship and local communities that cooperation becomes tangible”.
Margaret Karram recalled the decade-long initiative to form a leadership of communion that was initiated by the Sophia University Institute and the Political Movement for Unity with the “Together for a New Africa” program. In its most recent 3-year cycle, the course, involved 140 young people from 14 African countries, together with tutors and teachers, who in the days leading up to the Conference held their annual Summer School in hybrid mode, to collect and discuss the results of their local actions. Altro programma ricordato dalla Presidente dei Focolari, che raccoglie da un anno 150 giovani di 60 Paesi del mondo, attivi in ambito politico e nella società civile, è “One Humanity, One Planet: Synodal Leadership”. Young people “who train and work to implement good policies and generate social impact, with a vision inspired by the culture of unity.”
These are perspectives that define the commitment of the entire Focolare Movement, already “culminated in the document ‘Together To Care’ delivered to the UN a year ago”, explained the President, drawing on “initiatives such as Living Peace, which involves over 2 million young people worldwide”; together with “AMU with almost 900 cooperation projects, they testify to a concrete and widespread commitment”. In this context, she welcomed the effort to “shape a common path with which to redefine urban life, enhancing and strengthening social ties” adding: “African cultures have a lot to teach us about this important aspect”. Her invitation to rediscover in the heart of cities “communities of solidarity and reconciliation not perceptible to the human eye”: “‘invisible cities’ that in their smallness, day after day, contribute to building a world network of peace and that show that another world is possible” was striking. She concluded by emphasizing reciprocity as the key to change, which Chiara Lubich had already highlighted in 1997 at the UN Glass Palace: “reciprocity is a goal that can bring us closer, help us grow, that can become a reality when we take the first step towards the other, whoever they may be and whatever their beliefs, to understand their reasons, to seek a connection and to establish a relationship.”
Africa’s Challenges and UN Habitat’s contribution
Among the guests, Christelle Lahoud of UN-Habitat stressed that Africa, the continent with the youngest and fastest urbanizing population, represents both a crisis and an opportunity. Peacebuilding is strengthened when young people can actively participate in decision-making processes, contributing to the creation of safe and inclusive urban spaces. With an urban population estimated to reach 70% globally by 2050, cities are called upon to respond to growing challenges, including inequalities, forced migration, and climate emergencies, which put pressure on social cohesion and resources.
Lahoud highlighted how young people are already playing a leading role in the co-creation of more resilient urban spaces by assessing risks, collecting data and influencing local policies, collaborating with administrations and authorities to shape cities that reflect the real needs of communities. Cities, therefore, become a reflection of how societies live together, build trust across generations and pursue collective well-being, in tune with the ubuntu philosophy.
International experiences and engagement in cities around the world
Experiences from cities such as Bethlehem, Beirut, Kinshasa, Trent, Manila, Pajule, Koper and Medellin helped give the event an international dimension, demonstrating that social and cultural transformation can come from the grassroots, through collaboration between civil society and institutions. Testimonies such as that of Agnes Aloyotoo, a candidate in the elections in Uganda and Jonathan Masuta, president of one of the youth federations of the African Union, showed how the new generations are already active in giving young people a voice in executive decision-making.
The message coming from Nairobi is clear: trust in youth leadership is the key to building more just, caring and peaceful societies, starting from cities and local communities. A strong determination to act as a network, both locally and internationally and to promote a culture of peace based on responsibility, collaboration and the inclusion of the new generations is the take away from this event.
The Evangelii Gaudium Centre’s (CEG) fourth course on Synodality will soon begin. What’s new this year?
We are in a new phase of the synodal process. After the first 3 years which culminated with the Assembly of October 2024, we have now entered what is called the implementation phase. On 15th March, 2025, Pope Francis approved the start of a process to accompany the implementation phase, led by the General Secretariat of the Synod. This process involves everyone, from dioceses to lay associations, ecclesial movements and new communities.
Click on the image to download the poster
This is why we decided to launch a new course, entitled Practices for a Synodal Church as a concrete contribution to the implementation of the synodal process. We are convinced that the practice of synodality is much more than an attempt to make the Church more participatory – it is a new paradigm for ecclesial life. Moreover, we believe that this is not just a religious matter. Our societies are changing radically and, we all see this, truth, core values and mutual commitment are giving way to the law of the jungle. On the other hand, at local and regional levels, new ideas are emerging that reveal parallels with the synodal process in civil society. We believe that the synodal process in which the Church is engaged could offer a valuable contribution in this historical moment for the whole of society.
This year we want to explore these aspects, offering aa closer look at the ongoing process, seeking to discover new pathways and tools to embody synodality in the realities in which we live, as we are invited to do by the Final Document of the Synod and the subsequent document of the Secretariat last July, Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod. We are certain that this is a journey in which the true protagonist is the Holy Spirit and that above all we must open ourselves to Him and let Him guide history, our personal history and that of the Church and humanity.
The theme of “Synodality” was central during the years of Francis’ pontificate. How are we continuing on this path with Pope Leo XIV?
Maria do Sameiro Freitas
On 8th May, in his first message to the people of God, on the day of his election, Pope Leo drew up a programme: “To all of you, brothers and sisters in Rome, in Italy, throughout the world: we want to be a synodal Church, a Church that moves forward, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close above all to those who are suffering.”
And in several other circumstances, in particular on 26th June, to the members of the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod, he reiterated: And the legacy that he (Pope Francis) left us seems to me to be above all this: that synodality is a style, an attitude that helps us to be Church, promoting authentic experiences of participation and communion.
It seems clear that his approach follows that of his predecessor, in the conviction that synodality is intrinsic to the Church. The upcoming Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies that will take place from 24th-26th October in the Vatican is another significant occasion. Over 2,000 participants are expected, to whom the Pope will address a message on the afternoon of the 24th. It will be a further decisive step forward, journeying together throughout the world.
How the course will be structured? What is its target audience?
The Course will once again be online, in Italian with simultaneous translation into three languages: English, Portuguese and Spanish. With regard to content, it will draw on the Final Document of the Synod and the Pathways for its Implementation, trying to discover new paths for a synodal practice and how to apply them in each participant’s own context.
It will also offer practical tools for carrying out the synodal process, such as methods of facilitation, accountability, evaluation and verification.
Good practices already underway will be highlighted, and shared at international level. All this with the firm conviction that the synodal process is not a technique but an experience of openness to our brothers and sisters, a space for the presence of Jesus among his people (cf. Mt 18:20) which in the light of this presence, enables us to listen to the Spirit.
Each session will include the opportunity for students to share good practices, reflections or suggestions.
The Course will end with a workshop in April where the participants will be able put into practice what they have learned during the year.
The opening session on 3rd November will feature a special lecture by the General Secretariat of the Synod and a contribution from Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement who participated in both Synodal Assemblies. The opening event is open to all.
Participants include people of all vocations, many lay people and also priests, religious and consecrated persons, engaged in both ecclesial and civil contexts. Several are students from previous years but we also have many new registrations from different countries.
In light of previous years, what are your hopes?
We hope that this Course will contribute to the implementation of the synodal process in the various environments where the participants live and work.
In previous years we have seen that several students have become involved at diocesan, parish and association levels, putting into practice what they have learned; others have become multipliers of ideas in universities and schools.
We have a wide range of participants from different countries, from the Philippines to Canada, from South Africa to Sweden. The exchange of good practices may inspire new ideas and decisive stimuli to advance the synodal process, for the good of the Church and society alike.
The document provides a concise overview of the general guidelines for the Focolare Movement’s educational endeavours. In essence, it outlines the first mapping of the many and varied educational experiences designed not only for members of the Movement, but also for schools and to cultural and training agencies promoted by the Focolare in diverse contexts worldwide.
To download the document, click on the image.
It is therefore addressed to all those engaged in education within the various branches and training initiatives of the Focolare Movement, in their own Churches or Christian communities, in their own religions and in society at large.
While acknowledging that reflection and implementation on it are still at an early stage, the document also reaches out to people working in other institutions and organisations involved in education and formation, as a stimulus for dialogue and mutual enrichment.
In several motions of the 2021 General Assembly, the desire was expressed to focus more deeply on the pedagogy that flows from the charism of unity and to foster synergies both within and beyond the Movement in this area. On the eve of the 2026 Assembly, this first document is now being made available online rather than in print to highlight its nature as a work in progress: an open document, to be enriched and updated over time.
The first section identifies the intended audience, the guiding principles, objectives and the key participants in the educational process. This is followed by a summary of the content and methodology and finally a compilation of the agencies and educational programmes offered by the Focolare Movement.
