Focolare Worldwide - Movimento dei Focolari

Giving hope in Ecuador and Japan

26 Apr 2016 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria

Isabel shares her state of mind following the earthquake that hit her country, Ecuador, on April 16. The physical structures that fell – bridges, buildings, houses – invite us to feel the earthquake in our own souls as well, and to ask ourselves whether we really are peace builders? I’ve realised that suffering helps to unite us. I’d like to challenge everyone during in these difficult days, to convert and become bearers of hope and optimism, that we help one another to keep faith alive.” There are 587 confirmed dead, and the wounded are more than 8 thousand, with 25 thousand displaced persons. The numbers continue to grow and it is estimated that reconstruction will cost the country billions of dollars. The Focolare Movement has begun a fundraiser for the Ecuador emergency, while they plan intervention on the ground.

Photo: United Nations

“I travelled by car from Fukuoka, Japan to Kumamoto in search of my mother and relatives,” Father Giovanni Kimura reports. He comes from one of the hardest hit regions of Japan. “It’s usually a short hour and a half drive, but it took half the day. The highway was inaccessible and trains were blocked.” His mother was at a refugee centre, and other relatives were at another welcome centre, both school gymnasiums where hundreds of people are sleeping. The most serious problem is the lack of drinking water. Several regions of the city are still without water, but the welcome centres are equipped with basic necessities. The poplulation fears that the Aso Volcano will errupt, which is located between Kumamoto Province and Oita Province. An ash cloud has formed over the volcano and is spreading to the cities.” There have been 41 deaths in Japan, more than 1000 displaced persons and hundreds of aftershocks that still continue. Geophysicists and volcanologists are questioning the connection between these two events, while civil leaders in both countries have mobilised to begin rebuilding and offer support to families and victims. On their Facebook page the Youth for a United World (Y4UW) in Ecuador, who up to a few days ago were preparing for United World Week (UWW) in their country, are echoing the support effort that is currently underway: collecting blood, recruiting volunteers, recording needs and setting up bank accounts where donations can be made. “Sufferings, uncertainties, anguish, fear, ruins and so many questions: Eternal Father, what do you want of us? How are we building the ‘path to peace’? Does our daily life express brotherhood?” This is is experience of the moment for the young people and all the members of the Focolare Movement: “Discovering God as the greatest Love and then living the Gospel sentence: ‘Whatever you did to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to Me’. At this moment, fraternity is more evident than ever, solidarity, love that overcomes all differences: rich, poor, members of the opposition, members of government, white, indigineous, mestizo and black. Even the people who have escaped without damage feel the pain of their neighbours as if it were their own. They write messages on the boxes of food that have been collected: “Be strong, we love you!” and on the boxes containing medicines, “Be strong,” “We’ll get through this.” The young people decided to go ahead with United World Week doubling their efforts to offer some relief from the tragedy their country is going through. Estefania writes: “We have to keep moving, giving solutions to many people who feel helpless in front of this disaster. Now we realise that God had been preparing us through the year not so much for a United World Week as for facing this moment and bearing witness Gospel love, making “light shine over the ashes”, the light of the ideal of brotherhood as Focolare president Maria Voce wrote. Maria Chiara De Lorenzo

Pope Francis: You transform the deserts into living forests

24 Apr 2016 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria

Photo: P. Gábor

“You transform the deserts into forests”, said Pope Francis putting aside his prepared speech for the occasion, arousing enthusiasm and emotion in the thousands of people who watched the Holy Father’s car driving into the “Earth Village” for a surprise visit on the afternoon of Sunday, April 24th. The event was organised by the Focolare Movement in the heart of Rome at the green centre of the capital: the Villa Borghese Racing Track. The Pope showed up unexpectedly and was warmly greeted by families, young people and people of all ages who have been taking part in the events being held at the “Village” focusing on themes of the Earth, Legality, Interreligious Dialogue and Solidarity. Donato Falmi and Antonia Testa who are responsible for the Focolare Movement in Rome, and Pierluigi Sassi, President of Earth Day Italy, welcomed the Holy Father on stage at the “Village” and described the spirit of the event. Falmi introduced the Pope into the experience of Mariapolis 2016, which is titled “Living together in the city”, with special emphasis on three main words that are often repeated by Francis and were chosen as the inspiration for the event: “mercy”, “tenderness” and “diversity as an enrichment.” Antonia Testa described the collaboration between the Focolare Movement and Earth Day Italy and explained how the Mariapolis wished to turn its gaze on the city of Rome, on its poverty – but especially on the “great good” that is quietly but incisively being carried out every day across the social fabric.

Photo: Thomas Klann

Pierluigi Sassi then explained to Pope Francis how the path to this “Village” began from the proclamation of Laudato Si’ and by “March for the Earth” which Earth Day Italy had organised and engaged 130 organisations in view of the COP21 climate agreement. Pope Francis listened to the intense testimonies of several Mariapolis participants: some of them heart-wrenching experiences of solidarity in the criminal justice system and with immigrants; projects by young people promoting disarmament; legality and the campaign against gambling. Pierluigi concluded by stressing the significance of the football match which will be played on Monday at the “Village” between the Liberi Nantes – the football team entirely comprised by asylum seekers and political refugees – and the university students from the LUISS. “Don’t be afraid of conflict that contains within it both risk and opportunity,” Francis said. “Knowledge is a risk for me and for the person I draw near to. But never, never turn away so that you won’t have to see. Draw near to others, take their hand, go to dry their many tears… this is how a smile can be born in the desert.” “I’ll give you an assignment to do at home,” the Pope concluded. “When you go down the street, you see that tenderness is missing. Each person is enclosed in him and herself. Friendship is lacking. Money is at the centre of today’s world, but ‘gratuity’ is the keyword for this desert to become a forest. How do you do that? Always from within an awareness of our own need to be forgiven… working together, respecting each other – this is how the miracle happens in the desert that becomes a forest. Thank you for all that you do.” Before the final goodbye a young boy gave Francis the “Earth Cube”, an educational toy used for teaching children the principles for safeguarding Creation.

Pope Francis’s words

Press releases

https://vimeo.com/164030691 See Flickr photostream by Thomas Klann

South Africa: The fruits of forgiveness

23 Apr 2016 | Focolare Worldwide

Argentina. Sustainable tourism in rural indigenous communities

22 Apr 2016 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria

Salta: one of the more beautiful provinces of Argentina, with natural riches and ancient cultures that resisted the Spanish Conquest over 500 years ago. With the arrival of the new millennium it has been upgraded as a destination for tourists and the undisputed centre of the Northwest Region of Argentina. “The Sustainable Tourism Programme was begun in 2010 upon encouragement from the Bishops Commission for Migration and Tourism,” Paula González explains. “The Northwest of Argentina is mainly inhabited by descendants of indigenous peoples. Some live in communities and others are farmers. It demonstrates their connection to the land, both for produce and for artisanal crafts.” The important migrant waves, from Europe, the Middle East and Latin America – especially Bolivia – have created a ‘coexistence of cultures’, with a strong indigenous component that makes this a very unique region with cultural challenges.” The programme was begun in response to the lack of jobs. Only 39% of the economically active population had jobs. “We proposed working in the rural and more remote areas that were most affected,” explains the coordinator. The geography of the region contains wide valleys and rocky highlands (up to above 3000 metres). “We realized that the problem was due mainly to isolation,” continues Paula González, “which prevents them from selling their products, and in some communities there was a lack of water and energy. Those most affected were women and young people.” At that time Argentina was setting up a national tourism development plan that excluded rural communities. Then, the Catholic Church pointed to the need for more equitable and inclusive proposals. The goal was to create new tourist destinations based on agricultural and handicraft production, which are the basis of their livelihood. “The first year, we identified 30 communities and 7 key areas for development in 5 Provinces. Currently, almost 6 years later we are working in 5 areas. There are around fifty entrepreneurs linked to the ‘Network of Tourism Entrepreneurs (NOA)’. If we were to highlight anything it would be the network of organisations that have joined forces to work together in a structured way – national, provincial and local. They include universities, NGOs and businesses. They have also been closely connected to the Economy of Communion and the Movement for Unity in Politics that are key allies. Over these years,” Paula concludes, “what gave strength and effectiveness to the development of the project was the work done on the links in the chain of values and relationships that were formed between all the people involved.” We have already come a long way. There are local projects, new leaders capable of carrying things forward, and we can already foresee very satisfactory results: for example, interaction and mutual cooperation amongst different communities that are stepping out of their anonymity and becoming generators of their own history. For more information: Website Video

In Brazil the Focolare’s stance for fraternity

20 Apr 2016 | Focolare Worldwide

20160520-02 With 367 ayes and 137 nays, the Brazilian deputies approved the opening of the impeachment procedure against President Dilma Rousseff, while other 200 million greatly divided Brazilians, anxiously awaited the outcome of the voting session. It is now the Senate’s turn to confirm or not the implementation the indictment of the President. Should it be favourable, the vote of 11 May will suspend the President from her mandate for 6 months, while awaiting for the final verdict. The Brazilian constitution provides, in this case and for this length of time, that the Vice-President will assume the office. The Brazilian bishops in an official declaration dated 13 April, aired their opinions “in the face of the profound ethical, political, economic and institutional crisis” which is besetting the country with “unprecedented scandals of corruption,” involving businessmen, politicians, public officers in scheme which, besides being immoral and criminal, will be paid dearly”– the bishops said – especially by the poor. On focusing attention on the impeachment, they affirmed that they were “closely following this procedure” in the hope that everything would be done “in compliance with judicial system of the democratic rule of law. They furthermore underlined that “the good of the Nation demands that all parties overcome their personal interest, that of parties and groups” so that “the polarisation of ideological positions in a highly emotive atmosphere, would lead to the loss of the objectives and bring division and violence that menace social peace.” They asked the “Brazilian people to preserve the values of democratic co-existence, respect of one another, tolerance and healthy pluralism, and promote a peaceful political debate.” They concluded by affirming their belief “in dialogue, in the wisdom of the Brazilian people and the discernment of the authorities in seeking the strategies that can guarantee the solution to the actual crisis and the preservation of peace in our country.” The Political Movement for the unity of Brazil (MPPU) – association for political confrontation which draws inspiration from the ideals of fraternity typical of the spirituality of the Focolare – affirmed through its President, Sergio Previdi “its conviction in the force of dialogue that is free from prejudices.” Previdi moreover invited the citizens to “call up inclusive dialogue” because “in exercising democracy together we can put into practice the necessary actions for the good of all.” “A lot can still be done – they said – if we put into practice the culture of fraternity, overcoming party politics positively in the daily political life of the country.” For the MMPU of Brazil the main concern in this delicate moment is that of not “scattering our forces and allowing ideological and party differences to divide us,” but of “acknowledging our differences so as to deepen dialogue.” And above all “making the effort to gather information from various sources, in order to get closer to the truth.” The numerous members of the Focolare Movement in Brazil, in line with the Brazilian Episcopal Conference, undertakes to offer what they consider “the main contribution we can give in this difficult moment: the declaration and testimony of fraternity lived – the core of the spirituality of unity that inspires us all. ”