The ‘Pre-Assembly Process’ is currently underway in preparation for the General Assembly of the Focolare Movement, which will begin on the 1st of March 2026 in Castel Gandolfo (Italy) with the participation of representatives chosen from different geographical areas, branches and movements; the members by right (those who are part of the current government, the General Council and Zone Delegates in the geographical areas), and those invited by the President.
We interviewed Prof. Vincenzo Di Pilato, professor of Fundamental Theology and a member of the Preparatory Commission for the 2026 General Assembly, about the preparation process and his personal experience.
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I am an Anglican priest from Uganda and I came to know the spirituality of the Focolare Movement fifteen years ago, when I was in the seminary for ministerial formation. This spirituality has shaped me in an integral way – myself, my family and my Church because it expresses in an exemplary manner, two fundamental aspects: Love and Unity. Nowhere in the Bible do we find Scripture that emphasizes division, separation, hatred, malice, tribalism, denominational divisions, or racial segregation. On the contrary, the Bible calls us to unity and love between people, even when there are differences. We are called, above all, to love our neighbour, because through loving our neighbour we love God. In this way I have learned to see Jesus in every person who is close to me (cf. Mt 25) and I experience great peace every time I share what little I have with those in need.
In one of his last prayers before the Ascension, in John 17:21, Jesus says: “that they may be one, just as I am one with you, Father”. This implies that unity should be our goal in life. Thanks to this awareness, I have had the opportunity to meet and dialogue with many people of different denominations: Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans and also with people of other religions, Buddhists and followers of traditional religions, at all levels and in all age groups. This has given me a broader view of how to live and approach life in an integral way. I have experienced the joy of recognizing them as brothers and sisters.
I have also seen Bishops of the Anglican Church of Uganda welcome this spirituality through our experience, expression of life and witness. Currently, five bishops are friends of the Movement, including the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda. Some of them also participated in the international ecumenical conferences of Bishops organized by the Focolare Movement.
Currently we have started a communion group at Uganda Christian University, with the intention of practicing the aspect of love and unity among young people and university students; at the same time, we also transmit the value of “Ubuntu”[1], within the Together for a New Africa initiative, in which I participate as a tutor of this second round. After all this, people often ask me questions that I struggle to answer: “Why are you always happy? Don’t you ever get angry? You are always available. Don’t you have other things to do? Why are you so generous?” My answer has always been: “Do good, the reward is in Heaven”.
After the four Gospels of the New Testament, the fifth Gospel that everyone should read is that of the “you”, in the other person. We must see ourselves as a living witness, so that in our works and actions the image of God may be reflected, doing to others what we would like to be done to us. Putting into practice what the Bible teaches: to love God with all our heart, with all our mind and with all our soul, and to love our neighbour as ourselves.
Reverend Canonico Bwanika Michael Eric
[1]Ubuntu is a word of Bantu origin from sub-Saharan Africa that expresses a philosophy of life focused on compassion, respect and human interdependence, summarized in the maxim “I am because we are”, emphasizing that the individual is realized through community, sharing and collective well-being.
“In the midst of the darkness we are living through today in Venezuela, we remember that we are not alone. Under the roar of the bombs in 1943, Chiara Lubich discovered that there is an Ideal that nothing and no one can destroy: God loves us immensely.”
This is how the “Message of hope and unity” begins. It was shared on the evening of 5th January by the Venezuelan Gen (the young people who adhere to the spirituality of the Focolare Movement), both those who live in Venezuela and those in other parts of the world. They met online to pray and to share how each one is living this critical time for the whole population, never forgetting the choice to love everyone. There was a strong sense of the need to face together what they described as a “sacred” time: “we are not alone because we are supported by the prayer of all those who, from Venezuela and from all over the world, are asking for Peace.”
The message continues:
“Today fear wants to paralyze us, but the response is not hatred, rather unity. Chiara taught us that wheneverything collapses, the only thing that remains is Love. If we become “one”, if we look after one another and place God as our rock, fear loses its power.
Let’s not be afraid. Let’s make this moment an opportunity to:
have full trust that God is our Father and does not abandon us, even when the outlook is difficult;
become “one”: may the suffering of others be our own. Let’s help one another, let’s share the little or the much that we have and break down the walls of indifference;
be builders of peace: let our weapon be solidarity.
If we remain united, Jesus is among us and wherever He is, light ultimately overcomes darkness.
“A New Life” is the story of Hasan Mohammad, an economic migrant who arrived in Sicily (Italy) from Bangladesh. Thanks to the Formation & Communion (Fo.Co.) Cooperative, he found a home, a job and a new family. The “widespread reception” system is not limited to the integration of migrants but aims at reciprocity, where the encounter between different people becomes growth for everyone. Discover how solidarity can transform lives and geographical areas.
In a time, which is still marked by divisions of every kind, may the joy of serving, sharing and reciprocity be renewed in all of us this Christmas, through real gestures, especially towards those who suffer. We want to commit ourselves to live a Christmas characterised by fraternity and closeness, by sowing hope for the future.
The Seed Funding Program (SFP) seeks to support and encourage meaningful and promising initiatives in different parts of the world for the establishment of local and/or national ecological plans within Focolare communities. Its aim is to transform personal and community lifestyles so as to foster sustainable relationships between people and the planet through ecological and sustainable projects.
With its first launch in 2021–2022, the programme has already funded 15 projects in countries in four continents. Hundreds of young people submitted proposals for the 2025–2026 round. Of these, ten projects were selected: five will be developed in Africa, three in South America, one in the Middle East and one in Asia. For more information on the projects click here.
The Focolare and the environment
Inspired by the example of Pope Francis and encouraged to continue by Pope Leo and other religious leaders for the protection of our common home, the Focolare Movement has also decided, through the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, to develop its own EcoPlan with the goal of amplifying, connecting and expanding environmental work within the Movement. In this context, and with the sponsorship of FaithInvest and Mundell & Associates, the micro-financing initiative of the Seed Funding Program was created, promoted by the New Humanity NGO and carried out in collaboration with United World Community and EcoOne, two networks linked to the Focolare, which are committed to promoting environmental awareness and action through dialogue, education, and personal engagement.
The founder of the Focolare Movement, Chiara Lubich, believed that by addressing local challenges we cultivate the moral responsibility to face global ones. In 1990, in a letter to Rev. Nikkyo Niwano, President of Rissho Kosei-kai (Tokyo), she wrote: “By now, it has been demonstrated by many serious scientific studies that there is no shortage of technical or economic resources to improve the environment. What is missing is that additional measure of soul, that new love for humanity, which makes us all feel responsible for one another in the common effort to manage the earth’s resources intelligently, justly and with moderation. Let us not forget that God the Creator entrusted the earth to all human beings—not to one nation alone, nor to one group of people.”
