Trent and the Wave of Peace

27 May 2014 | Focolare Worldwide

The history of Trent – birthplace of Chiara Lubich – does not forget that devastating bombardment of 13 May 1944, which destroyed lives, houses and ideals. On the same day, 70 years later, the city sees a “bombardment of acts of love”. This is what many of the children present say. It’s always held during May. The square in front of the Cathedral of Trent, like an enormous sitting room lined with frescoes, once more this year welcomes over 2,500 children, coming from 23 educational institutes in the city. Together with them are also students from middle and high schools, teachers, parents, grandparents, representatives of different institutions, the Lord Mayor and several town councillors. It is an annual appointment that has become part of the history of the city over the past eleven years. The schools come together to share in many different ways how they have tried to live out the phrases from the Cube of Love, and how they have tried to be ‘builders of peace’. The programme developed around the theme of ‘conflict’: how to live with it, how to face it and how to resolve it. The moment of the Time Out was very touching, a minute of silence and prayer to remember the countries overcome by conflicts, with a special thought for the 300 girls kidnapped in Nigeria. A lengthy minute which, with the tolling of the bells of the Cathedral at midday, gathered in silence the very lively square. A celebration on a beautiful sunny day. The city was invaded by a wave of peace, with thousands of messages and stories of “acts of love” written and distributed to passer-bys, shopkeepers and tourists. There were hundreds of paintings colouring the main streets in the historic centre. The children were the main protagonists again this year, enthusiastic and convinced that “peace begins with me”. The headline on the front page of the L’Adige newspaper read ‘The Square invaded by builders of peace’. And the daily local newspaper Trentino: “What a beautiful injection of hope to see thousands of children with their colourful hats and tee shirts, giving the impression of a living rainbow and shouting together ‘peace’.” Also the Italian National broadcaster RAI and other regional television and radio stations spoke of this hope. The “Trent – city of peace” celebration concludes the annual course of education for values carried out in the schools of the city and shared by over a hundred teachers, from different types of schools, at the monthly meetings of “Tavolo Tuttopace”. The initiative started 11 years ago, with a third grade Elementary class of children, their teacher and that Cube of peace which they threw every morning to live one of the phrases on its six faces. And then with that small magazine Giornalino Tuttopace, which communicated and shared with other children their acts of peace, drawings, poems, songs, and which today, as an insert in the local council’s newspaper, is delivered to all the families in Trent. And, still more, the creation together with the Lord Mayor of that time Alberto Pacher that “Flowerbed of Peace”, with the Cube at the centre, so that passers-by could “observe and learn”. Today, a new project has been developed as well called ‘”Trent, a city that educates”, which involves the seven educational institutes of the city, with nursery schools, elementary schools, secondary schools, private schools, higher institutes and schools of the Province to which schools from other cities are linked. Together with the teachers and children, also the families follow their own formation course. And with them the whole area, the town council and provincial administration and other institutions and associations. https://vimeo.com/69260156

Pope Francis in the Holy Land: Men and Women of the Resurrection

26 May 2014 | Focolare Worldwide

“Ut unum sint”, that all may be one, is the motto of Pope Francis’ pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to reaffirm the commitment to “walk together towards the unity” of Christians, searching also for an “authentic dialogue with Jewish, Muslim and other religious traditions” (from the common declaration signed by Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew). If, in fact, the central purpose of the journey was the meeting at the Holy Sepulchre with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I and the leaders of the churches in Jerusalem, to renew the unity expressed by Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras fifty years ago in Jerusalem, the presence of the Pope in the Holy Land has undoubtedly also had a strong effect on inter-religious dialogue and an encouragement on the path of peace. The expectations of Rabbi David Rosen, International Director of Interreligious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee, are a witness to this. Interviewed by Paolo Loriga, Citta Nuova’s correspondent, at his house in Jerusalem, he said that “the majority of Jews and Rabbis see this visit very positively”, and that the presence of the Pope ”could have a profound positive impact on Jewish consciousness and Christian understanding”. Rosen is one of the 400 signatories – including Rabbis and Jewish leaders – of a welcome message to the Pope, a gesture not only of courtesy, but a sign of a “rediscovery of brotherhood between Jews and Catholics. I am sure – he adds – that the visit will be a marvellous moment, an occasion of celebration and joy”. The shouts of jubilation in response to the Pope’s invitation to Peres and Abbas are a witness to this: “I invite the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli President Simon Peres to raise together with me a heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace”. The Pope was speaking in Bethlehem, on 25th May, after the mass celebrated in Manger Square. “I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer”. “This was a surprise for us all”, Mons William Shomali, Vicar of the Catholic Latin Patriarch of Palestine, and a great builder of relationships, said, given that the attempts to have a shared prayer during the visit had not met with success. Tana Imseeh comes from Ramallah and works at the Welfare Ministry: “We have heard an historic announcement which, I am sure, will bring fruits of peace”, she told our correspondent. The Pope arrived in Bethlehem from Jordan, where King Abdullah II had warmly welcomed him. The Pope had visited the site of Jesus’ baptism there, meeting with over 600 people including, amongst the Syrian refugees, injured and disabled young people. As soon as he was in Palestine, putting aside protocol, he wished for the Palestinian Authorities that “swords may be transformed into ploughshares and that this land may once more flourish in prosperity and concord”. He emphasised strongly that “it is time to end this situation of conflict which is increasingly unacceptable”, and pointed out that “the moment has arrived for everyone to courageously follow the path of peace”. On his way towards Manger Square he passed close to the wall that divides Bethlehem from Israel. The Pope asked to stop the jeep so he could get closer to the wall: and there he stood in silent prayer for a few minutes. Then he stepped forward to lean his forehead against it, to physically share the suffering of a people. This stop wasn’t planned in the programme, but Pope Francis confided: “It’s difficult to build peace, but to live without peace is constant torment”. Vatican site: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/travels/2014/outside/documents/papa-francesco-terra-santa-2014.html Official site for the visit to the Holy Land: http://popefrancisholyland2014.lpj.org/ Official site for the visit to Jordan: http://popevisit.jo/

Jordan. First Stop on Pope Francis’ Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

24 May 2014 | Focolare Worldwide

“Dialogue can lead to beneficial joint action,” said King Abdallah II of Jordan. These simple but incisive words reflect the human and spiritual stature of the king and the entire Hashemite family. He believes strongly in dialogue and spares no effort in practicing it in a part of the world that for decades has faced many challenges concerning tolerance and peace. Welcoming Pope Francis is one more concrete demonstration that he wants to establish and strengthen relationships and work together for peace. It is striking to see how this little State that is overwhelmingly Muslim is making every effort to make the Catholic pope feel at home. The streets of Amman are covered with huge posters showing the smiling faces of Francis and Abdalla II shaking hands; and next to their faces an expressive: “maan” (together). A few days ago the Apostolic Nuncio, Giorgio Lingua, enthusiastically affirmed that a real family does things with warmth, with the heart. And we can confirm that none of this is artificial, although it is obvious that the country will benefit both economically and in visibility from the Pope’s visit. But this is a sign of intelligence, not falsehood. Pope Francis could not have begun his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in a more appropriate place! Here is where Pope Paul VI was welcomed in 1964 by King Hussein; and John Paul II in 2000 and Benedict XVI in 2009, by King Abdallah II. These are certainly not rosy days for this region that has already been marked by so much instability. The conflict in Syria has been a shock for the neighbouring countries. It is enough to recall the millions and more Syrian refugees, or the thousands of Iraqi who have recently found secure refuge here. But welcoming all these people in a country that also suffers the lack of water and electricity gives a sense of the generous spirit of the Jordanian people.

http://popevisit.jo/

[:it]Balcani, solidarietà in mezzo alla tragedia[:de]Hilfe für den Balkan[:es]Balcanes, solidaridad en medio de la tragedia[:fr]Balkans, solidarités au cœur de la catastrophe[:pt]Bálcãs, solidariedade em meio à tragédia[:zh]巴爾幹半島──慘情中的和衷共濟

21 May 2014 | Focolare Worldwide

Tokyo: Young Buddhists and Christians hold symposium

21 May 2014 | Focolare Worldwide

Focolare and Rissho Kosei Kai: a bridge happily still in place after it was put in place long ago by the founders of the two Movements, Chiara Lubich and Nikkyo Niwano. Since the early ’80s, on the basis simply of their friendship, shared initiatives have been set up by Christians of the Focolare Movement and Buddhists of the Rissho Kosei Kai (RKK).

Indeed, on 3rd and 4th May a delegation of seven Focolare young people from across the world went to Tokyo to take part in a symposium of young Buddhists and Christians run by the two Movements. The theme was: Keep our faith during daily life and spread joy.

It was a journey that lasted from 30th to 8th May and it was not just a matter of simply going to a conference. As the participants explained, ‘We worked on the contents of the meeting with both the RKK and with the Focolare in Japan who hosted us, and we lived the time of preparation together with our travel as a chance to get to know better the history of the Movement’s friendship with the RKK and, at the same time, to try to consolidate it. It was a small step in dialogue with our Buddhist friends, but even more important for the whole scene of interreligious dialogue.’

Moments of dialogue were not restricted just to the symposium itself. On 2nd May the international delegation of young people spent the day with students of the Gakurin Seminary and they met its President. On 6th May it was the Focolare community in Tokyo’s turn. The community, which also has Buddhists in it, offered moments of dialogue and stories of lived experiences.

Getting to know a country means understanding something of its history and culture. Therefore on 5th May a group visited the capital and, on the 7th, they went to the Enoshima Hase-dera shrine. At the symposium itself, the participants considered the history of the friendship between the RKK (which has six million members, and is the second largest Buddhist Movement in Japan) and the Focolare, with each Movement being presented one after the other. There were, then, comparative talks on the conference theme, which were accompanied by stories of life experiences told by young people from the Focolare and from the RKK, as well as other moments of dialogue and workshops.

On the symposium’s second day the young people greeted the current President of the RKK, Nichiko Niawano. He and his wife came for Memorial Day, when, on the 4th of each month, the death of the RKK’s founder is remembered.

There were numerous testimonies given by the young people of each Movement at the end of the symposium. A Japanese girl said, ‘We have begun working together in a new way. It is a historic day. In ten years’ time I will be proud to say: “I was there!”’ Others said, ‘We have found a family!’ And, when they returned to their various countries, the young people of the Focolare said, ‘We’ve come back massively thankful to Chiara and with a huge passion for interreligious dialogue. We’ve seen that it’s a really important path for building a united world.’