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6 May 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
Berlin – Among the representatives from the various cultures and religions, there were the Apostolic Nunzio, Mons. Jean-Claude Périsset, the emeritus auxiliary bishop of Berlin, Wolfgang Wieder, the Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Clementina Shakembo Kamanga, and Sona Eypper, president of the International Convent of the Christian communities in Berlin. By means of video clips and some interviews on stage, the organisers of the evening gave a brief vision of the Focolare Movement’s commitment to dialogue on various fronts: between cultures and religions, in the fields of economics and politics, among generations. 
In her address, Maria Voce recalled some important challenges facing today’s society – in Europe and all over the world: material needs aggravated by the financial crisis, reservations in the face of increasing migration, social tensions provoked by cultural diversities and insufficient integration. “We have discovered dialogue as the highway which can be travelled with hope for success for all those who want to contribute to bring about universal brotherhood”, explained the president. “Dialogue is a style of life, a new culture, which the Movement can and wishes to offer to today’s men and women”. If every person allows himself or herself to be guided by the consciousness of being the child of the same Father, and as a consequence of being brothers and sisters among themselves, then there would be the chance to reach a true “dialogue among persons, and not between ideologies or systems of thought”, an exchange characterised by mercy, compassion and love. 
Maria Voce regards the media as the most suited means to promote this kind of dialogue, provided the contacts don’t remain “brief, fleeting, lacking sense, restricted exclusively to the virtual domain”. Instead it’s about “transforming contacts into relationships, i.e. building true networks of fraternity”. 
The speech was followed by a lively and profound dialogue with the audience: What does one do when the other person does not show any interest in building a fraternal relationship? Is it right to condemn social networks as superficial means within personal relationships? Maria Voce replied in a very practical way, giving examples from her own life and inviting all those present to always take the initiative. “For me Berlin is a city that displays the wounds of history. However, out here walls were broken down too. And you, citizens of Berlin, offer these wounds and invite others to share the fruits”. This echoes her first considerations on the German capital. “Maria Voce does not limit herself to theory alone” – affirms Nuncio Périsset, who had received the Focolare president that same morning. “She invites us to break down the walls, to build bridges, and to take the initiative. This is important even in my work as a diplomat. God redeems the world in us and through us. And I have witnessed and lived it this evening”. Andrea Fleming
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3 May 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
“Sandro told me one of his experiences. He, his wife, a 14 year-old son, a 12 year-old daughter and their two year-old son went to the market for some groceries. One day they were selling artichokes for 3 Euros and everyone in the family agreed that they should buy some!!!
After buying all that they needed, the family met a poor woman on their way home. She spoke to the Dad: “Would you give some artichokes? I don’t have anything to eat.”
In agreement with the family, his wife Joy gave the woman 5 artichokes.
The daughter of Sandro spoke up to her father: ‘If this woman asks for artichokes from lots of people. . . maybe it wouldn’t be so fair. . .’ Her father responded: “We try to do good to others. Then she’ll have to answer to her own conscience for the way she acts.” With that they returned home happy with their purchases.
The next day while Sandro was in church making a little visit to Our Lady and asking for her help because he had to buy eyeglasses for his son and didn’t have any money, his telephone rang. It was a total surprise: an old acquaintance to whom he had lent some money many years earlier. The friend wanted to return the money to him now!
The amount was exactly the amount need for the eyeglasses. The Gospel says: “Give and it will be given to you.” But the One who exchanges the gift is truly a gentleman, the Lord.” (A.DN – Italy)
“This Word of Life is really true! The other day I was on my way to work. One of the employees asked me for a small amount of money, which I willingly gave. These days we’re working (I’m a teacher) even though the schools are closed. When I went to receive my salary, I was surprised to see that the administration had paid us an amount that we hadn’t expected. It was 5 time more than the amount I had lent to that other employee.” (K. – USA)
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2 May 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
Nearly 500 people attended the event that was held at the Sheraton Hilton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. They came from North America, Santo Domingo, Australia and Europe. An additional thousand participants were linked up via internet.
Expo 2013 put on display the creative, industrious and courageous spirit of America, of both individuals and of communities who have put themselves on the line. It was a moment for knowing one other better and sharing in a common purpose. No speeches, reports or roundtable discussions were part of the plenary sessions; only a series of brief expriences as a way of introducing the eight workshops that took place on Saturday afternoon. Workshop topics included: music, work, art, faith, health, education, ecology, media and comunication.
“This is change that begins from the relations, from the relationships that are created among people that construct the social fabric,” declared Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of the city who stopped in to greet the assembly. “And this is the wish that I have for you from here on: that you will continue to build unity at all levels, even if it will be necessary to risk because this is what will most serve today’s society.”
This was the experience of Carol Spale who lives in Chicago. In a difficult family situation, she received free assistance from her neighbours, which provoked a chain reaction that today continues to involve her entire neighbourhood and city administration in an effort iin fovour of the needy in her city. This is also reciprocity.
Marisol Jimenez, who runs the Cafè con Leche School in Santo Domingo that not only provides education and daily meals for more than 500 children, also plays a fundamental role in re-establishing social harmony in the city’s poorest quarters.
The same is taking place in Canada and in the entire North America that came together in Chicago to see each other face to face, take stock of the situation and draw new courage to begin again in bringing ahead a variety of projects in many regions of the land.
Expo 2013 – Photo Album
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1 May 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
Replay streaming event (in English, Italian, Arabic, Spanish, French, Portughese)
On May 1 there will be a flashmob and a march for peace in Jerusalem. Thousands of youth from all over the world will participate in the concluding program through direct streaming. Direct link-ups with Loppiano (FI), Mumbai and Budapest are planned as part of this program. United World Week, the annual event organised by the youth of the Focolare Movement since 1996 will start from here. This is the tip of the iceberg of a commitment to promote unity and peace at all levels. So, “let us be ready” in line with the United World Project, launched precisely at Genfest 2012. This broad commitment wants to be an answer to Pope Francis’ appeal to youth: “Do not let yourselves be robbed of hope” and it is a step towards World Youth Day 2013 atRio de Janeiro. Video: Franciscan Media Center
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30 Apr 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
The collaboration and friendship that binds the Ecumenical Council of Churches with the Focolare Movement has roots that extend to the 1960’s, and another page of this history was written on April 25th, 2013. Here, at the headquarters of the ecumenical organization a conference was held followed by a panel discussion titled: “Peace and justice, the fruits of unity”. The purpose of the event was to highlight the benefits that the charism of Chiara Lubich has produced in terms of interreligious dialogue, dissemination of basic paradigms for the promotion of human rights, and the promotion of communion in the practice of politics.
Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit who is the Secretary General of the Ecumenical Council of Churches could not be present at the event, since he was taking an important trip to Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan. Instead, the General Secretary, M. Georges Lemopoulos was on hand to give a warm welcome to the guests and to underscore the importance of this event in the context of the preparation of the General Assembly of the Ecumenical Council of Churches that is to be held on October 30, 2013 – November 8, 2013 in Busan, South Korea, with the title: “God of life, lead us towards justice and peace”.
Doctor of Spiritual Theology, Michel Vandeleene, addressed the audience of 180 people, mostly representatives from local churches and members of international and ecumenical organizations. He read a message that was sent from the President of the Focolare Movement, Maria Voce: “I have great appreciation for the passionate commitment of so many – also here today – in favor of the full and visible unity of Christ’s Church, so that Christianity can unanimously make its indispensable contribution of life and thought toward the building of a more just and peaceful world. It brings joy to know that there are people of other faiths and humanitarian organizations who are united with us in this effort towards universal brotherhood, which is so important for toady’s humanity. “It is precisely brotherly love that has a transforming effect on our working together in relationships of reciprocity.” Michel Vandeleene then went on to describe the development and specificity of the charism of Chiara Lubich, stressing the “passion for peace, justice and unity” that earned her the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education and in 1998 that of the European Council on Human Rights.
During the panel discussion that followed, several speakers mentioned the inspiration they draw from the charism of Chiara in their efforts for peace and politics. Ada Marra, National Councilor of the Swiss Parliament shared his desire to maintain the dialogue with his colleagues, regardless of their political differences. He reaffirmed to his commitment to establish interpersonal relationships that are respectful of differences of opinion and ideology. Maria Francisca Ize-Charrin, former director of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, examined the connection between the lifestyle proposed by Chiara – unity – and the two principle concerns of the United Nations: the universal recognition of human rights and the protection of every person.
Professor Ioan Sauca, Director of the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, added that “the friendship with Chiara Lubich produced significant results; among other things, the Institute has undergone a number of changes, including a greater unity between its members, collaboration with teachers of other religions and openness to students of new religious movements. One guest said he was touched by the meeting and emphasized that the implementation of the charism of Chiara “must begin with interpersonal relationships that will then induce a profound change in society and lead to the development and peace. “
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29 Apr 2013 | Focolare Worldwide
Called “Condecoration” of the “Order of the Congress of Colombia”, it was instituted in 1987 by the Colombian parliament: it is an honour that the two houses can confer, in the name of the people, upon citizens or institutions that have served the country. It was in recognition of this that the “Condecoration”, solicited by the Senator of the Republic, José Darío Salazar Cruz, was conferred upon the Focolare Movement and delivered to the Italian magistrate, Dr Giovanni Caso, Honorary Deputy President of the Italian Appeals Tribunal.
“We welcome this recognition of the work of Chiara Lubich as a added encouragement to continue with a greater impetus and enthusiasm, on the path she has shown everywhere, and particularly in Colombia”. This was the message of thanks that the Focolare president, Maria Voce, sent to the honourable members of parliament and to all those present at the extraordinary session of the Congress of the Republic of Colombia held on the 25th April. The title of “Commendatore” was conferred upon the Focolare with a citation that “recognized the lofty contribution that the Movement had given during its 40 years of presence in Colombia to the benefit of living together and of fraternity”.
Among those present was the Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference, Mons. Daniel Falla Robles, the Anglican bishop Francisco Duque, and the Personero of Bogota [Head of the District Office of Human Rights], Dr. Ricardo Cañón. The citation particularly recalled how the Focolare, in its 40 years of presence in Colombia, gave rise to “models of living together in various social circles, in the fields of education, law, economy…”. Among the various concrete realizations, mentioned by the Senator in his speech, were that of Los Chircales, the Sol Naciente school, and the collaboration with Social Pastoral Care of Soacha.
Maria Voce laid emphasis on fraternity as the “necessary condition for every living together”, considering how its application “on a larger scale in political, legal, and social behaviour opens up remarkable possibilities. It favours dialogue at various levels and enables to keep together and valorise diverse cultures and thoughts, and divergent human experiences, which otherwise could lead to irremediable conflicts. Freedom and equality, foundations of democracy, acquire new meaning thanks to fraternity. Fraternity can sustain and give new vision to those organizations committed to overcoming the barriers between individuals and peoples, so as to accelerate the stages towards the unity of mankind and to ensure peace”.
So, the Focolare commitment continues in Colombia, which in these past days has also been realised through a series of meetings held by Dr. Caso, member of the International Central Commission of Communion and Law, an international network of professionals and academics in the field of justice, who strive to combine the paradigm of fraternity with justice. The calendar of events in the past also reached Central America, with an important meeting of professionals in the field of justice in Guatemala.
