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.”.
“To give a soul to Europe” is the aim of Together for Europe, a Christian network made up of over 300 Movements, Organizations and Communities from Western and Eastern Europe. It shines out as a sign of hope, especially in times of conflict and crisis.
On 31st October, Together for Europe (TfE) celebrated its 25th anniversary. This date also marked the historic 1999 Catholic-Lutheran Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in Augsburg, Germany, which healed a division of over 500 years between the two churches. In the years that followed, dialogue between them, based on mutual forgiveness, deepened, culminating in the historic Pact of Reciprocal Love in December 2001 at the Lutheran Church in Munich, attended by over 600 people.
The early promoters of TfE include Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, Andrea Riccardi,founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio and other founders of Italian Catholic and German Evangelical-Lutheran Movements and Communities, united by a commitment to journey together.
This year, from 31st October- 2nd November, more than 200 TfE representatives gathered in Graz-Seckau for the annual event, entitled “Called to Hope.” Participants represented 52 Movements, Communities and Organisations from 19 European countries and included Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Reformed and Free Church Christians, along with spiritual leaders, laypeople, civil authorities and political figures.
Among them were Bishop Wilhelm Krautwaschl of the host diocese, Bishop József Pál of the Diocese of Timișoara (Romania), Jesús Morán, Co-President of the Focolare Movement, Reinhardt Schink of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany, Markus Marosch of the Round Table (Austria), Márk Aurél Erszegi from the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Prime Ministers Alojz Peterle of Slovenia and Eduard Heger of Slovakia. A delegation from the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, including Secretary-General Maximos Charakopoulos (Greece) and Advisor Kostantinos Mygdalis, also participated.
In his opening speech, Gerhard Pross (Esslingen YMCA), moderator of TfE and a witness of its beginnings, highlighted the many moments of grace experienced over the past 25 years. Bishop Christian Krause, who in 1999 was President of the Lutheran World Federation and co-signed the Joint Declaration, sent a message emphasizing the significance of this shared journey.
One participant shared, “Given the current situation in Europe, I arrived here discouraged and depressed. But these days have filled me with courage and hope.” A Ukrainian lady echoed this sentiment: “To be ambassadors of reconciliation, that is what I take away from this gathering. I live in a country at war, where reconciliation is not yet up for discussion. But I feel we can be ambassadors, because ambassadors are by definition diplomats who offer and prepare rather than imposing. This is the mission I feel called to bring where I live. I will try to do so, striving to be, as Jesús Morán said, ‘an artisan of a new culture.’”
In his address, Jesús Morán emphasized, “Change does not happen overnight. What we need are artisans and farmers of a new culture who work, sow and hope with patience. The ‘togetherness’ we speak of is not a simple union. Unlike union, unity regards participants as individuals. Its goal is community… Unity transforms those involved, because it reaches their essence without undermining their individuality. Unity is more than shared commitment; it is being united as one in commitment. While diversity in union can lead to conflict, in unity it becomes a source of richness. Ultimately, unity transcends participants and is received as a gift.”
During the gathering, participants solemnly renewed the Pact of Reciprocal Love, the foundation of their shared commitment, praying in four languages: “Jesus, we want to love one another as You have loved us.”
The event concluded with the idea of hosting a major event in 2027 to send a powerful message of unity and hope to Europe.
As a participant from the Netherlands reflected: “I am sure that work, life, love and suffering will bring good to Europe. It is very important to be ambassadors of reconciliation… Artisans are essential, to plant seeds of hope.”
Speaking from the stage of the Genfest 2024 in Aparecida, Edy, a Peruvian Catholic, accompanied by 13 other young people from various Christian Churches and Latin American countries, said, “Ikuméni has transformed the way we young people relate to each other, the way we look at each other and how we can have unity in diversity”.
But what is Ikuméni? It is a four-month training course in a leadership style based on the art of hospitality, cooperation and good practice. Edy continued, “A highlight was our final face-to-face meeting”. Pablo, a Salvadoran Lutheran, immediately intervened: “One thing that had a big impact on us was learning to generate cooperation initiatives together, which we call good ecumenical and interreligious practices, working alongside people from different Churches and religions, willing to serve in the challenges we face today in our cities and rural areas.”
Ikuméni offers young people various paths for implementing good practices: this is how initiatives for peacebuilding, conflict resolution, integral ecology and sustainable development, humanitarian issues and resilience have emerged, working together not only with people from different Churches, but also with civil society to care for one another.
“In my case, we started a peace-building initiative in the social sciences faculty of the university where I study,” shared Laura Camila, a Colombian who lives in Buenos Aires and is a member of a Pentecostal ecclesial community. She stressed, “We need to work together for peace, we really need it. So in collaboration with various Churches, initiatives were born to strengthen resilience by creating ecumenical and interreligious networks and workshops for dialogue and training in conflict resolution”.
The Ikuméni training itinerary is a scholarship program and therefore there is no cost for the participants who are selected to participate in the course. It requires a commitment of 4 hours per week and attendance in person at the regional Ikuméni meeting. Young people aged 18-35 years old who have completed secondary education are eligible to participate. It is organized by CREAS (Regional Ecumenical Advisory and Service Centre) with the collaboration of several organizations.
Enrolment is currently open for the 2025 program. All the information is available here: https://ikumeni.org/
Have a look at the video we filmed a few months ago in Buenos Aires during the team meeting.
On October 16, 2024, the final conference of the DialogUE project, an initiative to promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue in Europe, was held at the European Parliament building in Brussels, Belgium. The event was hosted by MEP Catarina Martins (GUE-NGL) and was attended by 50 representatives of the project partners, European institutions, religious leaders and members of civil society.
Focus of the event was the presentation of recommendations for the European Union from the DialogUE project – “Diverse Identities Allied, Open, to Generate a United Europe” on issues crucial to the current European and world situation, summarized in the “DialogUE Kit” brochure.
“You can see with the naked eye that something happens when people of peace talk,” said MEP Catarina Martins of the European Left, who opened the meeting in a hall of the European Parliament. “And this is just such a moment. Dialogue is a powerful tool for peace.”
The project stems from the decades-long commitment of New Humanity, an expression of the Focolare Movement, which has significantly promoted good practices in interreligious and intercultural dialogue. The approach fosters mutual respect and trust, essential elements for fruitful dialogue and collaborative efforts.
Francisco Canzani, general counselor for the Culture and Study area of the Focolare Movement emphasized in his speech that dialogue is built from three elements: attitudes, tools, and method. On the latter, the method of differentiated consensus and qualified dissent, which originated within the platform between Christians and Marxists DIALOP, is now a source of inspiration and practice for other dialogue groups.
In 2023 and 2024, the project involved 4 dialogue groups in 3 main areas: Communication, Ecology and Social Policy. The dialogue groups were:
Among Christian citizens through the Together4Europe platform.
Between Christians and Muslims through the Focolare Movement’s Center for Interreligious Dialogue.
Between Christians and people who do not identify with a religious belief, through the DIALOP platform for cross-religious dialogue
Between Western and Eastern European citizens through the Multipolar Dialogue Group.
The project mainly facilitated the dissemination of the meaning and methodologies necessary for effective dialogue. It also brought together international experts on these three key challenges, who helped participants understand the main EU documents on these topics and explore the different dimensions of each theme.
The groups worked together to identify shared principles and common proposals. Their work led to recommendations that were submitted to the European Parliament.
The DialogUE project — was promoted by a consortium of 14 civil society organizations from 9 EU member countries.
Among the main results achieved by the project: 12 international meetings and a training for facilitators and experts; the direct involvement of 1,200 citizens and more than 10,000 indirectly; and the creation of the “Dialogue Kit,” intended for educators, NGOs, and policymakers to promote dialogue and social cohesion. These meetings resulted in shared recommendations for EU decision makers to promote more inclusive and sustainable policies.
In the afternoon of October 16, a discussion group hosted by KU Leuven (University of Leuven) in Brussels was held, during which participants analyzed some good practices that emerged from the project and discussed how to further disseminate these initiatives through the ‘Dialogue Kit.
Paola Iaccarino Idelson is a nutritionist biologist and expert in nutrition. She lives in Naples, southern Italy. I learned from a friend that she went to Brazil during this summer 2024. Intrigued, I tried to find her on social networks. I was amazed by the beautiful photos she had taken during her trip and by the powerful stories, which revealed a profound experience. I therefore decided to contact her for an interview.
Paola, from Naples to Brazil: why did you choose to make this journey?
It is a very long story. I was in Brazil for the first time fourteen years ago in Florianópolis. I went there because I have a passion for the Brazilian language. But I didn’t want to go there as a tourist, so through a doctor friend, I went to help a colleague of hers as a volunteer. We supported a priest in his daily mission. He had opened a school to help children prevent delinquency, and started a surfboard repair shop to provide decent work for local youth. For three weeks I weighed and measured the height of the children in that school: it was such a strong, intense and beautiful experience that when I returned to Italy I had to remove it from my mind so that I could continue living my life as before.
And then? What happened?
Last year I broke up with my boyfriend who didn’t like Brazil. So I said to myself: the time has come to take up this dream once more. But again I wanted to experience it not as a tourist, but by helping the local community in some way. I talked about it with a focolarina friend and she put me in touch with the Focolare community in Amazonia.
I would have liked to volunteer as a nutritionist, my profession, but I was willing to do anything. One of the focolarine in Brazil, Leda, told me about the hospital ship ‘Papa Francisco’ where I could work. So I finally left in August 2024. Leda was an angel, she organised my whole itinerary, put me in touch with the Focolare community and took care of me for the whole time there in Brazil.
Paola in BrazilPapa Francisco Hospital ShipAmazon river
The hospital ship Papa Francisco: what did you do there?
There was no specific task for me, as an expert in nutrition. There were about ten doctors, each with their own consulting room. I helped where I could. The alarm clock was set for 6 am as by 6.30 people were already arriving from neighbouring villages to be treated. We had to do reception, register the arrivals and manage the influx. I also did nutritional counselling and realised that there was an overweight and obesity problem, especially in women. I wondered a lot about the reasons for such conditions as it was quite a common problem there. Talking to someone, I realised the problem was a lack of physical activity and widespread use of sugary drinks, sweets and meat.
You were also able to experience first hand a lot of poverty….
I saw really poor but very dignified people who manage to get their children to study. I was very impressed by one family. There are 10 children, you could see that they live in very poor conditions. The father also has some health problems. Despite that, the parents managed to get their children to study, and one of the daughters is about to become a photographer. Great dignity despite those living conditions.
You saw an abundance of diversity, from the natural environment to the colours of people’s skin, from food to smells to tastes…
It was one of the things that struck me most about this trip and that I carry with me. A huge diversity in the way of life, especially in the incredible variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, flowers, plants, the colours of the rivers, the animals, the people. When I registered the arrivals for the visits, in the computer you had to write the colour of the skin and I had four options related to the diversity of ethnicities, origins, skin colour… This diversity was a strong experience and I am convinced that it is a great richness.
Boat tripA village on the banks of the Amazon River
How did the Focolare community welcome you and help you in this experience?
It was fundamental. I felt welcomed in every place I went. Loving everyone was not a slogan, it was real. I felt loved, people were so open and selfless. It did me a lot of good, a very moving welcome.
You went there to give of your time and professionalism but you received so much more. Has this trip changed your life a bit?
Look, I am fifty years old, not twenty. But why am I saying this? Because in my twenties, or even perhaps in my thirties, I still had the idea of going somewhere to give. Now it is very, very clear to me that the possibility of giving of myself in fact gives me something back. I knew very well that the word ‘volunteering’ included so much. Giving one’s time to others is good. First of all for the giver. I certainly had a very strong experience of sharing with the Focolare community. Although I don’t know the Focolare as a spirituality, I greatly appreciate all its other forms of expression of concrete love. I think it was a very, very beautiful experience. This idea of being able to live together, pooling everything you have, is precisely the idea of community. Being able to do good to others and live with others is something I really like.
This trip has enriched me a lot. It has had and will have a big impact on my life. I have come across wonderful people, realities completely different from my own. I now know that sharing is really possible.
Paola at the reception‘Giving one’s time to others is good’Paola at work in the hospital ship
You then returned to Naples and had an unexpected welcome!
Yes, indeed many people I met on my return and who I still meet today, tell me they have read my travel diaries on social media, they thank me for sharing this experience. Many also thank me and some want to know more about this trip. So I got the idea to arrange photo prints and show them at an evening event, where I can also tell them more about the experience. This really struck me: we live in a society where there is never time for relationships. To be asked to spend time together to learn more about my experience is a beautiful thing.
In closing, let’s wind the tape back and look at both your first and second trip to Brazil: how do you live your life today?
My first Brazilian experience many years ago, as I said, had to be removed from my life. Now I am trying really hard not to remove this last trip, not to forget, to keep this experience in my life in Naples and Italy. I want to keep this memory alive. Why? Because it gives me a sense of purpose and strength and it is very gratifying.
The first thing I did, back in Naples, was to contact my Portuguese teacher, who is Brazilian, to learn the language better. But another thing I would like to achieve is a twinning between a Neapolitan kindergarten and a Brazilian one, which is under construction. It would be nice to help those children by sending backpacks and all the necessary school material. Above all, I would love to see Brazilian children and Neapolitan children share their experiences.
The third synodality training course organized by the Evangelii Gaudium Center of Sophia University Institute will soon begin its third edition. What kind of assessment can one make?
We are on our third edition, and so far this course has seen hundreds of participants from all over the world and dozens of faculty from various disciplines. It is an intercultural, interlingual and interdisciplinary course. The classes themselves are mini-workshops because an integral part of them are group meetings.
Thanks to online platforms, it is possible to take the course from anywhere in the world. The time for Europe is in the evening (6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Rome time) but some people connect at 3 a.m. from Singapore and Malaysia; some at lunchtime from the Americas.
We have had good participation. A total of 380 enrolled. Students can either just attend the lectures or engage with final papers and get academic credits from Sophia University Institute. We work in conjunction with the General Secretariat of the Synod, which is among the sponsors of the course.
It was interesting for us and a nice encouragement that during the press conference presenting the Instrumentum Laboris for the phase of the Synod Assembly that just began on October 1, 2024, Cardinal Hollerich said: “I would like to recall the many initiatives of formation on synodality (…) At the international level we recall the MOOC of Boston College that has seen the collaboration of many experts of the Synod or again the university course proposed by the Evangelii Gaudium Center of Sophia University here in Italy.” (Press conference 09-07-20249)
After two years, what are the prospects for this third edition?
It seems to us that the course has made a small contribution to help create communities of people committed to living and spreading synodality where they are. There are those who propose it to their diocese, organizing formation actions; those who live it in their parish or religious community… Very important is the multiplier effect of the course and the networks that are being created. Networks that are intertwined with many others from different church movements, universities or the Church itself.
Particularly interesting are the workshops that take place during the course, which can be joined via zoom or in-person.
Castel Gandolfo (Italia)San Antonio (USA)
After the first year, a student from the U.S. proposed in her parish to take the course the following year: 12 signed up. At the end of the year, they asked to do the in-presence workshop in San Antonio. Forty people from various dioceses and the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio participated.
The number of formation actions carried out are countless because they are done by the students themselves using the content and method of the lessons: in Ireland for an entire parish, in Italy in several dioceses as well as in Australia, in Sydney; while in the Democratic Republic of Congo recently an action was done for more than a hundred priests from 8 dioceses, and in Angola for all the clergy of the diocese of Viana.
Viana (Angola)Democratic Republic of Congo
What will be the themes of the course that will start soon?
The next course will begin on Nov. 4, 2024, in the aftermath of the Assembly, with speeches by the Synod’s Secretary General himself, Msgr. Mario Grech, and the subsecretaries, Msgr. Luis Marin and Sr. Nathalie Becquart, theologian Piero Coda, and Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement and special invitee to the Synodal Assembly.
The themes of the course will be those that emerged from the Assembly itself: paths opened by the 16th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod: new practices in a synodal and missionary Church; Christian initiation and transmission of faith in synodal style. It will conclude with an in-person workshop.
Why this commitment of the Evangelii Gaudium center to synodality? In the past you have devoted yourselves to other issues, such as training on abuse or training pastoral workers.
It seems to us that synodality is not a slogan destined to pass away. Synodality has always been part of the Church’s being, as is well understood even when reading the Acts of the Apostles. On the other hand, it is also the actualization of those reforms that the Second Vatican Council indicated for the Church but which, as can be understood, have struggled and are struggling to be implemented.
Pope Francis himself said in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Synod of Bishops on Oct. 17, 2015: “The journey of synodality is the path God expects from the Church of the third millennium.”. And on October 9, 2021, he himself initiated the process of synod that today seeks to make its way throughout the Church.
From that point, we have been engaged in the formation and promotion of synodality through scholarships, seminars, trainings and networking around the world with other faculties and associations.
Synodality is also a style that is very much in keeping with the spirituality of communion that inspires the Sophia Center and Sophia University Institute. Card. Petrocchi, president of the Evangelii Gaudium Center’s Scientific Council, says we must come to “synodalize” our minds, both as individuals and as a church group, but also as a civil society group. Let us try to do our part, small but, we hope, effective.
