Pope Francis’ video message for Loppiano’s 50th anniversary

Oct 5, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide

The Holy See Press Office released the text of a video message from Pope Francis on the 50th anniversary of the founding of Loppiano, the Focolare movement’s first “little town.” The town, located in north-central Italy, has 2,600 residents from 70 nations.

“Dear brothers and sisters, inhabitants of Loppiano, good evening to you all.

I also wish to greet all those who today populate the citadel which Chiara Lubich had created, inspired by the Gospel of brotherhood – that universal brotherhood – and all those who from every corner of the world have linked up to participate in the Loppiano’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

Loppiano is at the service of the Church and the world, and I thank the Lord for this little town which is a living and effective testimonial of communion between people of different nations, cultures and vocations, and who make sure, especially in daily life to keep alive among you, mutual and constant charity.

I am glad that you chose to celebrate your anniversary on the same day in which the entire Church celebrates St Francis of Assisi, testimonial and creator of peace and brotherhood. It is really a happy coincidence also for me.”

The inhabitants of Loppiano, those who are permanent citizens and those who pass a period of training wish to become experts in mutual acceptance and dialogue, operators of peace, and generators of brotherhood,

Continue with renewed enthusiasm along this path, and I pray that you remain faithful and continue to incarnate more and more the prophetic design of this citadel which blossomed from the charisma of unity, exactly fifty years ago. All this was in harmony with the profound message which the Second Vatican Council was announcing in that period, to testify to the light and wisdom of the Gospel with mutual love towards all. Loppiano is, therefore, a school of life, where there is only one Teacher: Jesus.

Yes, a school of life, that makes the world hope once again, and that bears witness to the Gospel is truly the yeast and salt of the new civilization of love. And to do so, by drawing from the spiritual sap of the Gospel, you need to imagine and experience a new culture in all fields of social life: from family to politics, to the economy. In other words, the culture of relationships. The basics of wisdom is the sincere desire for education, and taking care of education means love. Therefore it is not surprising that Loppiano has for some years now become the seat of the Sophia University Institute established by the Holy See. There is an urgent need for young people, men and women who, besides having a qualified training in various disciplines, are at the same time imbued with the wisdom that springs from love of God.

Dear friends, my heartfelt wishes for all of you and Loppiano, to look ahead always, and aim high with faith, courage and creativity. No mediocrity! I entrust you all to Maria Theotokos, Mother of God, who embraces you all in the shrine which is the heart of the little town. And I ask you to pray for me. I bless and greet all of you.”

Video in Italian

Loppiano turns 50

Oct 4, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide

The official opening is at 19.00 (Italian time) – the celebration of 50 years since the start of Loppiano (Florence-Italian), the first international centre of the Focolare and a place of an on-going experience of a lifestyle based on dialogue and intercultural acceptance. Pope Francis will send a video message to the citizens of Loppiano and to all those following the event. The President of the Italian Council, Matteo Renzi, has confirmed his participation, out of a friendship that has linked him to the town for years, ever since the days when he was involved in politics in Tuscany. The event, which will be streamed live on loppiano.it and TV2000 at 22.30, marks the beginning of a year of cultural initiatives, a journey of discovery and dissemination of the values ​​that animate the life of Loppiano and which have attracted what is estimated to be more than one million two hundred thousand people from all over the world over these past 50 years. With its current 800 inhabitants from over 60 countries, Loppiano is an on-going inter-cultural workshop, a learning experience at the service of peace and harmony between peoples. The first 50 years of the International Centre will be retraced through interviews with the protagonists of the early days, international artistic contributions and witnesses from people of non-Christian religious and cultural traditions who, on returning back to their own countries, have translated their experience in Loppiano into political action, work and educational models in different social and cultural environments. The synergies with the local area and civil institutions are presented through the contribution of different cultural and economic components of the town and the local communities. Hosts for the evening are actress Barbara Lo Gaglio together with the actors Paolo Bonacelli and Fabrizio Bucci. The whole event is a co-production between Loppiano International Centre and TV 2000. The event is part of LoppianoLab, a national workshop of economy, culture, citizenship, communication and training with the method and vision of the culture of unity.

Link all’evento Loppiano: www.loppiano.it Blog Facebook Twitter @LoppianoLab Twitter: #50Loppiano The event will be transmitted live  loppiano.it and by TV2000 at 22.30 CET.

The Gospel lived within the family

Oct 2, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide

Reconcilement Years ago my mother and her siblings sold a property, One of my uncles, dissatisfied with his share, opposed the sale of a remaining building in ruins, cutting of relationships with everyone.  I thought that this quarrel for four stones was absurd, so my mother and I went to pay him a visit, bringing as a gift a book on the family history with positive experiences. With this quarrelsome uncle, it was just a matter of listening to his side of things, and understanding the reasons for his bitterness. To my surprise, he offered to accompany us by car to the bus station, and on saying goodbye, embraced me and his sister whom he had not greeted earlier on. M. F. L. – Italy She wouldn’t have been born Her parents and friends were pushing for an abortion. But she, an unwed mother, relying on the fact that she could count on us, stood her ground and gave birth to Maria, a sweet but fragile baby. For five months she entrusted the baby to us in order to complete her studies abroad. At times we asked ourselves if we had done the right thing: with none of our children had we ever woken up so many times in the night, and none of them had ever gotten sick like Maria. But then, a thought crossed our minds: without our help Maria would not even have been born, and who knows where her mother would have ended up. When she returned, her family took her in. A year later she got married and now has three children. F. Z.- Czech Republic Solidarity For about ten years now I have been living with my dad and the development of his illness. In place of a shopkeeper, his sharp remarks with everyone and the proud grandpa of his children, there was now a person who depended on others for all his needs. After the initial rebellion on my part, and my negative view of the situation, I realised that this illness had started up a solidarity campaign among many people. In fact people came to keep my mother company, and our relatives were more attentive and willing to help. And then, the Filipino caregiver who had good relations with everyone and was considered one of the family, once separated from her husband, came to assist dad and which gave her the means to support her three kids. N. B.- Italy A golden thread Our children had just finished high school when my husband fell gravely ill, despite the fact that he was as strong as a rock. The Calvary began, with hospital stays and many weakening operations. Since God was our only means of support, Michele and I prepared ourselves for our final separation which was imminent. In a very special moment between us, while his disease tormented him, he would encourage me: «You are a wonderful woman. Our children are lucky to have a mother like you.» And on giving me back his wedding ring, added: «I love you, I will always love you. I will help you more when I shall no longer be on earth.» When Michele died it was as if he had taken us along with him, and at the same time we feel his presence here as never before. A golden thread unites heaven and earth. L. S.- Italy

Brazil, the healthcare challenges and priorities

Sep 22, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide

“In face of such extreme specialization and advancement in technology which have reduced medicine to the mere biophysical dimension of man, we evidenced the precedence of the spiritual dimension and the stringent correlation between environment, socioeconomic conditions and health.  Reducing the gap between rich and poor, and giving incentives to solidarity, also mean reducing diseases and costs of healthcare.” This was the conviction of Dr Flavia Caretta, President of the International Medicine Dialogue Communion Association, who illustrated the general health project for the integral health of the human person at the Symposium, “Integral health – challenges and priorities in Latin America,” promoted by Associação Paulista de Medicina (APM) and the Brazilian Association, “Saude, Dialogo,  Comunhão”, a network of Healthcare operators who draw inspiration from the Focolari Movement’s spirituality of unity. It is a burning issue, as seen in the recent Brazilian protests against the cuts in healthcare and use of public funds for the soccer world championships of April 2014, part of the long wave of protests last year where thousands took the streets to denounce the alarming state of the malfunctions of the country’s healthcare system. Doctors, university professors, students and various healthcare operators from all over Brazil took part in this event held in Sao Paolo (Brazil), with participants also coming from Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile, who all discussed this great issue of the integral health of the person. Another strategic point highlighted was the so-called “revolution” of patients who, from passive entities, are called to become active players of care, in partnership with the doctors. In addition, the congress stressed the responsibility of citizens, called to become associate members of the Brazilian Healthcare System (SUS) itself. This lively debate led to the creation of an extensive project that may help to outline a healthcare policy model as a concrete answer to the expectations not only in Brazil but also in other Latin American Countries. A model of integrated health – according to Dr. Ruy Tanigawa, member of the Regional Council of Medicine of the State of Sao Paolo – “because of its social importance, is destined to spread.” This was the commitment undertaken by the participants at the closing of the event, who consolidated and widened the network of cooperation at regional and national levels, opening out also to Latin American and international entities.

Campus of Global Citizenship – Spring 2015

Sep 4, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide

The idea that young people are “citizens of the world”, or at least that they should be, given that today no nation can live alone, has become almost a cliché; and exactly because of this it is important that children receive the right formation, so as to be “capable of a look, a feeling or an action that embraces whoever passes us by or is unknown to us because far away, but never anonymous. Therefore, citizens of their own city, their own country and at the same time citizens of the world, capable of “Loving the homeland of others as their own.'” This is how AMU – Action for a United World – defines being “citizens of the world”, which again this year, for the sixth time, offers 1st and 2nd year students of Italian secondary schools the opportunity to participate in the Campus of global citizenship. The initiative will take place in the international town of Loppiano, Incisa Valdarno (Florence – Italy), over the course of a day between April and May 2015, and is addressed to all students accompanied by their teachers. The goal is to give young people an awareness of the meaning and importance of active citizenship, of being builders of a civil society, and to contribute to a multi-ethnic and intercultural educational experience, thanks also to the context in which the campus takes place: Loppiano, in fact, hosts people of all ages and from every continent, who have come to Tuscany to live out in every day life – it is in fact a city like any other, with schools, offices, businesses, and so on – that ideal of universal brotherhood proposed by the Focolare Movement. Therefore a place in which to experience diversity as richness, and the encounter with what is ‘different’, not as a threat but as an opportunity for exchange and sharing. The underlying theme of the day will be globalization: through simulation games, workshops and opportunities for dialogue the students will get to know the ups and downs of this process, the dynamics of the relationships between the various countries of the world, best practices for supportive and sustainable lifestyles, and experiences taken directly from those who have lived in this way. From there they will start to develop and propose practical projects to be carried out in the day-to-day life of their own cities. Interested schools are requested to contact the Education for Development (EAS) office of AMU by 31 December to agree on the didactic programme, so as to make it as consistent as possible with the course followed during the school year. Organizing Secretariat: Via Frascati, 342 – Rocca di Papa (RM) Tel. 06-94792170 Email: eas@amu-it.eu

Once can love even in sickness

Aug 29, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide

“Last year I was once again undergoing oncological treatment due to cancer; the second time round was even worst than the first. It was hard to accept this relapse after five years. The eight sessions of chemotherapy  went on for six months, followed by a period of rest so as to be able to continue with the 25 sessions of radiotherapy in a hospital that was around 30 km from my house. Sometimes my friends accompanied me, but often I went alone, bringing with me something to read or any other thing that could take my mind off the the treatment. The second week of treatment I became aware of a Muslim lady who was always seated alone in the waiting room with an expression of infinite sadness on her face. That day I was there for quite a long time and I saw them bring a little five-year old girl on a stretcher which they placed near her. I heard the nurses talking about that child: she was operated on for a brain tumour and now they were treating her with a special type of radiotherapy that obliged her to remain immobile and that is why they had to sedate her. The next day the same scene repeated itself. I observed what was happening and I said to myself that I had to do something. I was embarrassed to approach the mother because she didn’t speak my language well and I was afraid to embarrass her, so I asked the nurse to ask her if she needed anything. I came to know that the child needed a coat and also a stroller would be quite useful for her. I had an almost brand-new stroller which I had set aside for my sister and several coats of my daughter that I was sure would have fitted her! When I arrived home, I prepared everything and I even took some toys. I knew that I was doing all this for Jesus because He himself said: “Every time that you do these things to one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me” (Mt 25, 40).  I brought everything to the nurse. The next day the little girl arrived very happy with her little bag and a doll: it was a great joy to see her show off her “new” things! The mother wanted to get to know me, despite the fact that I wanted to remain anonymous: “Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Mt 6,3), but, since she was quite insistent, I went over to greet her. It was a very moving moment. She embraced me and thanked me with tears in her eyes. During the five days of my radiotherapy, I sat beside her and we talked a lot. I had embarked on my cancer treatment with anguish and apprehension knowing that after a month and a half my daughter would be having her first communion and I would not have been very presentable. My greatest worry was my hair. Today I thank God for having learned how to forget myself in order to take on the suffering of others, putting aside my own worries.” S.G. (Murcia – Spain)