Africa, “Now It’s Up To Us”
Now it’s up to us.” “It will be a great feast and an historic event as well.” “An important step in the formation of the new generations in Africa.” This is how some youths of the Focolare Movement describe the upcoming Pan-African Gen Congress which is scheduled to take place in a Focolare town in Kenya, known as Mariapolis Piero (27-31 December 2011.) At The Roots. “Pope Benedict XVI’s recent Apostolic Letter ‘Porta Fidei’ and the upcoming Synod of bishops on the New Evangelization,” the youths continue to explain, “were a strong call for us. We feel it vitally important to respond to the challenge already offered to us by John Paul II in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation ‘Ecclesia in Africa,’ that is, the need for inculturation and the priority he gave to this for a real rooting of the Gospel in Africa.” It is the first time that the Gen Movement promotes such an event on the African continent with youths arriving from 15 Sub-Saharan African countries, who are very involved in the Focolare as Gen. Some 200 youths between the ages of 19 and 30, will find themselves in a festive but also reflective climate in which they will enter more deeply into the heritage of Chiara Lubich, her spirituality of unity, the life of the Gospel. “Over here where we are, ask the Gen from Africa, “where the youths are more and more quickly being absorbed by the materialistic mentality, is it still possible to make powerful and radical choices?” The Objective.The over-all project, which includes the Pan-African Congress, will last for a year and include an on-site formation process and day meetings for proclaiming the Gospel life involving the greates number of youths. Then there will be a concluding seminar at the international headquarters of the Focolare, which will culminate at an audience with the Holy Father, a visit to the sites of the first Christian martyrs in Rome and an immersion into the heart of Catholicism. Finally there will be an on-site evaluation and local congresses for the enrichment of local the Christian communities with experiences of life and proposals for new projects. The Challenge. Gathering 200 youths from countries so far away from each other could seem like an impossible task. As James says: “Most of us are students and those who work have low pay jobs.” The Gen have been working since last year, gathering the monies necessary for travel expenses so that – through a great communion of goods – every geographic region can be represented at the Congress. 
Africae munus, which the Pope personally delivered to the peoples of Africa during his recent visit to Benin. There he invited the youths not to be discouraged and not to give up their ideals. “The future is in the hands of those who are able to find strong reasons to live and hope (. . .) it’s in your hands” (Benedict XVI, n.63 Apostolic Exhortation Africae munus). Focolare president Maria Voce also sent a message to the Gen in Africa: “If you always keep the presence of Jesus among you during the days of your congress, then you will see an explosion of new joy and new life among the Gen who will attend. Forward then, with courage and enthusiasm! Have love as the basis of all that you do, and then every small thing that you do will have profound meaning and will become another stone for the building and growth of the Gen Movement in Africa.” [nggallery id=80]
Radicalità, comunione e spiritualità.Radicalism, communion, and spirituality. This is what the young religious desire for their future consecrated life. This emerged from a survey carried out on the eve of the V Meeting on Consecrated Life held in Rome, on the 3rd December, on the initiative of the male and female 
The second part of the meeting was introduced by an exceptional witness, 
A modest last minute compromise was reached in Durban. The conference lasted a day longer than was foreseen and didn’t produce a new binding agreement, but postponed its drafting to 2015 and its enforcement to 2020. This confirms the general tendency of recent international negotiations on climate change: deadlock. We are witnessing on a global scale, a typical scene of sibling fighting. Everyone is waiting for the other sibling to take the first step to resolve their differences. The Kyoto protocol for reducing greenhouse gases that was extended until 2015, is insufficient because of its limited objectives and because highly-polluting countries do not adhere to it. Some of the big “historic” polluters would like the so-called emerging countries to be the ones to reduce emissions. 
Neverthelss I remain optimistic. I believe that humankind will find a solution. Some countries have already understood the strategic importance of renewable energies. The European Union fits into this context with its ‘20 20 20’ (reduction of greenhouse gas by 20%; reduction in energy consumption by 20% through the use of renewable energy.) Isn’t there a risk of these decisions being to the disadvantage of emerging countries? The risk is there. In fact, some rightly oppose the reduction of greenhouse gases while remaining to stand on the side of emerging countries where a large portion of the population is still without water and electricity. It would involve supporting renewable clean energy. It makes you wonder why the rich countries do not surrender their patents. Why do they export polluting industries? Among those who hold this position there is also the Catholic Church. In Durban there were representatives of a 190 countries who seek large accords among States. But on the micro level, can’t something also be done? Yes, of course. Personal involvement, consumer and voting choice and simpler lifestyle are all important actions that can be taken. Moreover, EcoOne is trying to also develop a debate on the level of the relationship between human beings and nature. . . Could you explain that a bit more? What are EcoOne’s proposals for a more sustainable life? EcoOne’s proposal stems from the thought of Chiara Lubich. What has Chiara taught us? Not so much the latest techniques for saving energy, but an outlook toward nature that is new. She made us gather the presence of God beneath things. She made us understand universal brotherhood, which means brotherhood with other peoples within our generation and among generations as a response to questions such as: ‘What kind of planet will we leave to our children? What kind of air will they breathe?’ By reflecting on a man-nature relationship in this renewed way, we find a possibility for overcoming an excessive anthropocentrism; that is, of considering man as absolute dominator and destroyer of nature in order to make money, of no longer thinking of nature as the center, up to the point that human beings become a “disturbance” in the cosmos. We believe that the answer lies rather in the gift of ourselves, in the human person as a gift along with our fellow men and women and with nature, of which we are not the masters but the custodians, the administrators, because God has entrusted it to us. Luca Fiorani, researcher at the 
Lonavla is famous for its pleasant climate on the Deccan Plateau, two hours from Mumbai. Sixty scholars have gathered there for the Fourth