In Latin America there are 826 indigenous peoples, with a population of about 50 million, 8% of the total population and an estimated 200 more live in voluntary isolation. Since the arrival of the Focolare Movement in these lands, importance has been placed on fostering dialogue among the region’s three major cultural roots: the original cultures of the Americas, the Hispanic-Portuguese-French cultures, and the African cultures of those brought to the Americas. The many members of the Movement belonging to these ethnic groups are proof of this commitment.
About one hundred people, representing almost all the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, gathered in Atuntaqui, in northern Ecuador, from 1st-4th May, 2025, to participate in the “Rimarishun”, an inter-cultural experience based on an exercise in dialogue between the Andean and Caribbean worldviews of the native peoples and the charism of Unity. This initiative began a few years ago in Ecuador and is gradually spreading to all Latin American countries.
“Participants explained, “We are aware of the pain that, throughout history, has marked our relationships as Latin Americans due to racism and separation that have hindered the symmetrical relationship between cultures and broke down relations between people of different cultural groups, leading to unjust social relations. For this reason, in Ecuador, in 2017, we began a path of fraternity, which in the Quichwa language we call “Rimarishun” (Let’s talk), making inter-culturality a way of life and using fraternal dialogue as a method”. ”.
The Congress was conceived as a journey, a vital “pilgrimage”, which began with a visit of participants to the Quichua community of Gualapuro. It was immediately clear that the goal was to create intercultural spaces that build bridges between groups of peoples, nationalities or different cultures, where it is essential to meet each other, welcoming and taking care of each other as brothers and sisters. Manuel Lema, from the Quichua community, welcomed the participants under a large tent set up for the occasion: “We can generate a different way of thinking, to see the world in different ways, but, at the same time, be one”. And Jesús Morán, Co-President of Focolare, who with a small group of Focolare’s General Council, came from Italy to attend the Congress, brought the greeting of President Margaret Karram to everyone and added: “We are building something new. Faced with an overdeveloped society, we discover here that there is a deeper wisdom that comes from native peoples.” ”. Then they all climbed the hill to participate in the “Guatchacaram”, a rite of thanksgiving to Mother Earth. Later, after sharing lunch, the gathering became a moment of celebration that expressed fraternity in music, dances and singing. At the end of the day, some trees were planted in memory of those who helped initiate this dialogue and who are no longer among us, including one dedicated to Pope Francis.
Another stop on this trip was a visit to the home of Bishop Leonidas Proaño (1910-1988), known as “the apostle of the Indians”. HIs dedication to the poorest and most exploited indigenous populations is a powerful example of interculturality. In this environment, the “mingas” began to develop, groups which together explore various topics: economy, ecology, education, spirituality, culture and racism, taking reciprocity as the central principle of relationships.
The rites of the Afro-descendants of the Caribbean and Central America and the Mayan rite were shared with great respect, taking into account their diversity, connected to a deep respect for nature, “Mother Earth” and for the transcendent. In this context, testimonies such as that of the Focolares in the regions of indigenous peoples, of schools aimed at recovering ancestral knowledge and culture, and even the Amerindian mathematical system, enriched everyone.
The “pilgrimage” continued at the Catholic University of Ecuador in Ibarra with an event open to the academic community and the public. Speakers at the round table included Custodio Ferreira (Brazil), a graduate in education, specialized in African history, who spoke about the “wounds of reality”: “the racism that exists today throughout Latin America and the Caribbean is an open wound that continues to bleed. Its healing and recovery require a fraternal dialogue and, in this sense, interculturality, as experienced by Rimarishum, is a concrete response to start this healing process “. ”.
Osvaldo Barreneche (Argentina), dottore in storia, responsabile del Centro dei Focolari per il dialogo con la cultura contemporanea, ha parlato di “fraternità e cura della terra attraverso alcuni scritti di Papa Francesco”.
Jesus Moran (Spain), Co-President of the Focolare Movement, who lived in Latin America for 27 years, said:“This work of interculturality is very important and is being carried out with admirable dedication in many parts of Latin America. For us who are Christians, it means we can discover aspects of Christ’s revelation in Indigenous cultures that have not yet been sufficiently highlighted. ” ”.
Maydy Estrada Bayona (Cuba), PhD in Philosophical Sciences and lecturer at the University of Havana, presented the “Afro-Caribbean Worldview”. Monica Montes (Colombia), PhD in Hispanic Philology, lecturer and researcher at the University of La Sabana, addressed “Fraternity and care through Latin American thought”. Jery Chavez Hermosa (Bolivia), founder of an organization for Andean migrants (Aymara, Quechua, and Guaraní) in Córdoba, Argentina, gave a dynamic closing presentation that engaged everyone.
The meeting ended with a Mass featuring traditional dances, songs and drums in a church adorned with flowers and rose petals. It was celebrated by Msgr. Adalberto Jiménez, Bishop of the Vicariate of Aguarico, who had actively participated in the meeting. The Our Father was recited in 12 languages in succession, a powerful symbol of the intercultural experience lived over these days.
In his homily, Bishop Adalberto, reflecting on the Gospel account of the multiplication of the loaves, invited everyone to look to the future:: “This Jesus, this God who unites us in different names, in different rites, is the story we must tell, the rites of life, of unity. Today we leave with a little more light, which is fire, which illuminates. This is what Chiara Lubich and Pope Francis have left us, they are present and call us to take care of interculturality. Thank you Rimarishun”. ”.
Agustin, Patricia and their two children are an Argentinian family. After following a course at Sophia ALC, the Latin-American branch of the university institute that is based in the international little town of Loppiano (Italy), they began to research their roots among the indigenous peoples, and this gave rise to a strong commitment in intercultural dialogue.
The 2025 edition of the traditional youth festival in the Focolare little town will showcase the fragility and conflicts experienced by young people today and transform them into an immersive artistic experience full of hope. There will be many workshops and a live final show to tell everyone: ‘You are born to bloom’.
‘Remember that you were born to bloom, to be happy’. This is the message that, in the Jubilee Year of Hope, the young organisers of May Day in Loppiano (Figline and Incisa Valdarno – Florence) want to give to their peers who will participate in the 2025 edition of the traditional festival that has been held since 1973 in the international town of the Focolare Movement on Labour Day.
The theme
At the heart of ‘You are born to bloom, the courage to flourish’, the title of the event, are the fragility, wounds and conflicts experienced by today’s children and young people, sublimated into an artistic, immersive and growth-oriented experience.
‘We believe that the conflict we often experience in the most difficult stages of life can become an opportunity to be reborn stronger and more aware of who we are,’ explain Emily Zeidan, from Syria, and Marco D’Ercole, from Italy, members of the international team of young organisers of the festival. As Pope Francis told us, ‘Conflict is like a labyrinth’, we must not be afraid to go through it, because ‘conflicts make us grow’. But ‘you cannot get out of the labyrinth alone; you get out with someone else who helps you’. So, on May Day in Loppiano, we want to remind everyone of the beauty of each other, even in moments of vulnerability.
The theme of May Day in Loppiano is highly topical, considering that in Italy, one in five minors suffers from a mental disorder (depression, social withdrawal, school refusal, self-harm, anxiety, eating disorders, suicidal tendencies), according to data from the Italian Society of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry. Those under 35, on the other hand, experience job insecurity, are underpaid, suffer from territorial and gender inequality (‘Youth 2024: the balance sheet of a generation’, EURES), and do not feel understood by adults in their needs and experiences, particularly when it comes to fears and fragility, aspirations and dreams.
Pope Francis had great faith in us young people. He never missed an opportunity to remind us that the world needs us, our dreams, and great horizons to look towards together, in order to ‘lay the foundations of social solidarity and a culture of encounter,’ emphasise Emily and Marco. For this reason, ‘You are Born to Bloom’ will be a show created together, where the audience will not only be spectators but an integral part of the international town of the Focolare Movement. Narration: everyone who participates will be called upon to become a protagonist of the show, giving their best with others.
The programme
In the morning, participants in the May Day festival in Loppiano will have the opportunity to explore their own fragility and beauty through art, motivational and experiential workshops led by psychologists, trainers, counsellors, artists and performers.
Among these, the Gen Verde International Performing Arts Group will prepare young people to take to the stage and be part of the cast of choreographies, choirs, theatre company and band in the final show. The Gen Verde workshops are part of the project ‘M.E.D.I.T.erraNEW: Mediation, Emotions, Dialogue, Interculturality, Talents to foster youth social inclusion in the Mare Nostrum’, Erasmus Plus – Youth – cooperation partnership.
The festival will culminate in the afternoon with the collective creation of a live performance: all participants will be an active part of the story, and there will be no distance between the stage and the audience.
Among the artists who have confirmed their participation are Martinico and the band As One.
‘You are born to bloom, the courage to flourish’ is made possible thanks to the contribution of Fondazione CR Firenze.
Loppiano’s May Day is an event of the 2025 United World Week (1-7 May 2025), a global workshop and expo to raise awareness of fraternity and peace.
For information and reservations, please contact: primomaggio@loppiano.it +39 055 9051102 www.primomaggioloppiano.it
Wars, massacres and bloodshed, extreme polarizations, situations in which even pacifism can become divisive: this is the current situation in which we are immersed.
The figure of Igino Giordani (1894-1980), a man of peace because he was a just and coherent man, gives us some inspiration today to lift our gaze and continue to hope, attempting to foster a dialogue even where it seems impossible, to break down crystallised ideologies and absolutisms, to build an inclusive society and to rebuild peace on unity.
One of the most vivid witnesses of the culture of peace of the twentieth century, his pacifism draws directly from the Gospel: killing another man means murdering a being made in the image and likeness of God. Giordani therefore yearned for peace, spent himself in every possible way for it ways, engaged in dialogue with anyone in the name of peace, did not back down even when it came to lending his support to the ratification of the Atlantic Pact and ensuring the security and defence of Europe and Italy… We can say that his pacifism was comprehensive and spared no effort.
Let’s look at some of his writings.
“…World War I broke out […] And massive pro-war rallies took place in the streets, which I attended so as to protest against the war; so much so that once a person I respected, upon hearing my shouts, admonished me: ‘You’re asking to be killed!’…
[…] In the “radiant May” 1915, I was called to arms. […] […]
The trenches. It was there, that I left school and entered life, in the arms of death under the salvos of cannons. Mud, cold, filth, there I bitterly discovered that the soldiers were all opposed to the ‘murder’ called war, because murder meant the killing of a man: they all detested it… […] We were in Oslavia, near some ruins called Pri-Fabrisu: Later during a three-year hospital stay, I recalled the memory of the agony (from the Greek, “agon” meaning struggle) suffered in those places in a short poem entitled The faces of the dead. I remember the last verse that said: “This is curse of war” [2]».
Giordani was seriously injured and when he returned from the trenches, he spent three years in the military hospital in Milan, suffering irreversible damage to one leg. His pacifism was therefore grounded in life experience. Later, when he was engaged in political life, he always strove for dialogue with everyone, even with those whose views differed from his, firmly believing that every person should always be welcomed and understood. He never entrenched himself in absolute positions. This is how he described his speech in Parliament in favour of the Atlantic Pact:
“I remember a speech I gave in the Chamber on 16th March, 1949 […], about the Atlantic Pact, which had for too long been presented solely in its anti-communist aspect, that is, as a military build-up against the Russians […] I said that every war is a failure of Christians: “If the world were Christian, there would be no wars… […] War, I added, is murder, it is deicide (killing of God’s image, that is, of man who is made in his image) and it is suicide”
Giordani’s speech was applauded by both the right and the left: a patient weaver of relationships, he highlighted the positive value of a choice by Italy that could have been interpreted as in favour of war. Giordani firmly believed that for peace to prevail, every possible path must be pursued, transcending strategic allegiances. He hoped that Christian politics would be capable of unravelling the existing polarizations to act in favour peace.
In 1953, he wrote:
“War is a large-scale murder, cloaked in a kind of sacred cult […]. It is to humanity, what disease is to health, what sin is to the soul: it is destruction and devastation, affecting both body and soul, individuals and communities.
[…] The end may be justice, freedom, honour, bread, but the means produce such destruction of bread, honour, freedom and justice, as well as human lives, including those of women, children, the elderly and innocents of all kinds, which tragically nullifies the very purpose for which they were intended.
In essence, war accomplishes nothing except to destroy lives and wealth
Giordani therefore reminds us that peace is the result of a deliberate project: a project of fraternity among peoples, of solidarity with the most vulnerable, of mutual respect. This is how a more just world is built, today too.
[1] Igino Giordani, L ‘inutilità della guerra, Città Nuova, Rome, 2003, (third edition), p. 57 [2] Igino Giordani, Memorie di un cristiano ingenuo, Città Nuova, Rome 1994, pp.47-51 [3]Idem, p.111 [4] Igino Giordani, L’inutilità della guerra, Città Nuova, Roma, 2003, (third edition), p. 3
The Political Movement for Unity and the NGO New Humanity, both expressions of the Focolare Movement, supported by Porticus, are promoting a global political project entitled “One Humanity, One Planet: Synodal Leadership”. Aimed at young people aged 18-40 with experience in political representation, government leadership or social movements, the programme offers academic training, personalised mentoring and a hackathon in Rome with international experts.
Objective: to strengthen the participation of young politicians in global advocacy processes, through a collaborative journey of reflection and action between socio-political leaders, generating a global network of young leaders from different continents. The challenge is to overcome the current crises (social, environmental, political and economic) and contribute to building a leadership network for the development of international political strategies.
The program will start at the end of April 2025, the deadline for submitting applications is 31st March, it will last for two years and is fully funded (free of charge). It will include contributions from prestigious academic institutions and international NGOs. The format will be mixed, both in person and online through interactive modules with experts from around the world, including renowned political leaders and university professors. A week-long event is planned in Rome, from 6th-12th October 2025, with international guests to co-create proposals for collaborative actions at a global level to solve current social, environmental and economic challenges.
Language will not be an obstacle. Simultaneous translations will be available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, Italian and other languages as required.
What does the programme offer?
The initiative is a process of global collective action that integrates training, information, networking, tools and meetings. It offers experiences and methods to increase the quality of policy and improve its impact on social transformation. Participants will have access to learning spaces, collective knowledge-building and exchange with international scholars and experts, with spaces for reflection among the participants alongside dedicated discussion sessions. Each young participant will receive ongoing mentorship from an experiences political leader to refine their political, social, economic and environmental project. In the second year, participants will join a global network of 600 young leaders from different continents.
At the end of the program, participants will receive a formal diploma certifying their participation in the program.
On Tuesday 4th March, the 17th academic year of the’SophiaUniversityInstitutein Loppiano (Figline and Incisa Valdarno – Florence) was inaugurated. The ceremony took place in the main hall of the Institute, in the presence of the entire academic community and a representation of the rich network of relationships and collaborations that the Sophia University Institute has been able to weave with institutions, other universities and third sector organisations in these first 17 years of its existence.
The following people took part: the Rector, Declan O’Byrne; the Chancellor of the Institute, Gherardo Gambelli, Archbishop of Florence; the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement; the Bishop of Fiesole,Stefano Manetti; the mayor of Figline and Incisa Valdarno, Valerio Pianigiani; Paolo Cancelli, director of the Development Office of the Pontifical University Antonianum; Marco Salvatori, President of the Giorgio La Pira International Student Centre
The centrepiece of the ceremony was the inaugural lecture entitled ‘Dialogue, religions, geopolitics’ given by Fabio Petito, Professor of International Relations and Director of the Freedom of Religion or Belief & Foreign Policy Initiative at the University of Sussex, as well as Scientific Coordinator of the Religions and International Relations Programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ISPI (Institute for International Political Studies). Petito emphasised that today, ‘religion seems to be part of, and sometimes at the centre of, the current scenario of instability and international crisis’. However, although this is a less visible phenomenon globally, ‘it cannot be denied that in the last quarter of a century there has been a significant increase in the efforts of representatives of religious communities to respond to violence and political tensions through initiatives of dialogue and interreligious collaboration’. Petito thus emphasised the importance that places like the Sophia University Institute can have in creatively deepening and spreading the culture of encounter and ‘making small seeds of hope and fruits of unity and human fraternity blossom’.
Professor Fabio Petito
In true Sophia style, an international academic community and a laboratory of life, education, study and research, the inaugural lecture was followed by a dialogue, moderated by the journalist and Vatican expert Andrea Gagliarducci (Eternal Word Television Network and ACI Stampa), which involved the Chancellor Arcbishop Gherardo Gambelli, on his first visit to the Institute, the Vice-Chancellor Dr Margaret Karram and six students from the university.
The dialogue, starting from the personal stories of young people from the Holy Land, the Philippines, Argentina, Kosovo, Sierra Leone and Peru, touched on topics of global importance and burning current affairs: the value of grassroots diplomacy for conflict resolution and the search for peace; the commitment to a more just and equitable economy, with the experience of Economy of Francesco; the role of young people from the Mediterranean in building a culture of encounter; the value
of reconciliation and interreligious dialogue, in particular between Christians and Muslims with the Sophian experience of Wings of Unity; the hopes of young Africans involved in the Together for a New Africa project, for change and the common good of their continent; the concerns and fragility of young people in search of a vocation and fulfilment in a globalised world.
The inauguration of the 2024-25 academic year highlighted, once again, the ability of this still small academic organisation to train young people to face the complexity of today’s world, in a trans-disciplinary perspective, and to work in synergy with specialists from various fields and institutions to promote dialogue between cultures in the concreteness of social life, giving impetus to the inner, intellectual and social growth of people in a dynamic of reciprocity.
Statements
The Grand Chancellor of the Institute, H.E. Mons. Gherardo Gambelli, Archbishop of Florence: “Among the objectives of the Institute is ‘to promote, in the concreteness of social life, dialogue between cultures, fostering the inner, intellectual, and social growth of individuals in a dynamic of reciprocity.’ Several key words emerge from this project: promotion, social life, dialogue, inner, intellectual, and social growth, reciprocity. All these terms point towards personal development, enabling individuals not only to inhabit the ‘we’ of the community they belong to with dignity but also to feel ever more inhabited by that ‘we’ to which they belong. A ‘we’ that does not seek to oppose a hypothetical ‘you’ but is instead capable, every day, of embracing all that appears with the face of the other, the different, the marginalized.”
The Vice Grand Chancellor, Dr. Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement: “It is important that in an institution like ours, we emphasize dialogue and the role of religions in today’s global context, where—as we have seen in these past days—individuals and nations risk drowning in a state of confusion and despair. […] The Sophia University Institute, as a ‘home’ for a culture founded on the Gospel, is committed with and in the Church, to offer responses and guidance in the light of the Charism of unity. It is now up to us to move forward with courage and commitment, ensuring that this University Institute is increasingly recognized for its contribution to promoting a culture of unity that contributes to building peace and fraternity among individuals and peoples.”
Declan O’Byrne, Rector of the Sophia University Institute: “Together, as an academic community united by a common ideal, we continue to build Sophia as a beacon of wisdom and unity in the landscape of higher education. May our collective commitment continue to enlighten minds, inspire hearts, and transform society—one step at a time—towards that civilization of love to which we all aspire.”
Valerio Pianigiani,Mayor of Figline and Incisa Valdarno: “In the face of divisions and violence that cannot leave us indifferent, knowledge, understanding, tolerance and awareness of the world around us can serve as the antidote to brutality and divisions. A bridge that fosters understanding of the other, with the aim of working together and committing ourselves to the common good. I extend my gratitude to those who work in this Institute with passion and dedication every day, nurturing ever more aware minds here as well, in Figline and Incisa Valdarno—a community that stands firmly by the values of peace, solidarity, and dialogue.”
Stefano Manetti,Bishop of Fiesole: “The commitment to dialogue and communicate with everyone reduces distances, eliminates marginalization and becomes a sign of evangelical hope—something of which we are in great need. I therefore encourage professors and students to continue working for the benefit of the least among us through the gift of relationships, the sharing of cultural themes, and to keep being ‘angels of hope’ for all those you encounter on your path.”
Paolo Cancelli, Director of the Development Office of the Pontifical Antonianum University: “We are convinced that we must work together in the culture of dialogue as a path, in common collaboration as a way of acting, and in mutual understanding as both method and principle. […] We must place humility at the centre, the vocation to serve a process in which we hold one certainty: no one is saved alone. And it is precisely within this logic, the symphony of diversity, that the time has come to bring forth our talents, emotions and willpower to create the opportunity for a different future. A future in which fraternity and harmony can, in some way, guide us within that symphony of diversity, making the university’s mission truly authentic. I believe that at both an academic and scientific level, this is realized through inter- and trans-disciplinarity. We are facing a complex and multifaceted reality and we cannot solve challenges alone, from a single field of study. We need the idea of being together.”
Marco Salvadori, President of the Giorgio La Pira International Student Centre: “It is with great joy that I bring greetings from the Giorgio La Pira International Student Centre. The inauguration of a new academic year is always a moment of great enthusiasm and reflection. It is an opportunity to look ahead, embrace challenges and contribute to building a fairer and more sustainable world through study, commitment and dedication. What we celebrate today is not just the beginning of a new academic year, but also the chance to learn, grow together and build lasting bonds between cultures and generations. I wish all of you, especially the young students, a year full of discoveries and of personal and professional development.”
