5 Apr 2017 | Non categorizzato
A journey in the name of peace. That is how the Pope’s visit to Egypt is being described. The two-day visit will take place on April 28th and 29th. Patriarch Bartholemew has also accepted the invitation of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad al-Tayyib. The schedule includes a courtesy visit to President of the Republic Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi, to the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, and to the Coptic Pope Tawadros II. This will be followed by an address to the International Conference on Peace. On Saturday, April 29th, he will have lunch with Egyptian Catholic bishops, followed by a prayer service with clergy, religious and seminarians, and a farewell ceremony.
5 Apr 2017 | Non categorizzato
Jaime recounts: “Last year, I was given the opportunity to live for a whole year in one of the Focolare’s little towns, Mariapolis Lia, near Buenos Aires in Argentina. It was a very powerful and immersive experience, precisely because the law of that town is the Gospel, beginning with Jesus’s new commandment: ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’” Upon his return to El Salvador, however, Jaime found himself catapulted into a climate of danger and violence: even in broad daylight, the roads are never safe. It’s even dangerous to take the bus or play football at the city park. “The situation had become so risky and dangerous,” Jaime continues, that I thought of leaving the country and moving abroad. At first, everybody at home agreed, but when I thought about it some more, I sensed that God asked me to stay and be bring a little light into the environment I lived in, near to my Gen friends who would have been alone in that situation if I left. What finally convinced me was some news about the young people from the Focolare in the Middle East, many of whom stayed in their country in situations that were certainly far worse than mine. We talked about it at home and all decided to stay in El Salvador and carry on entrusting ourselves to God. When I told the Gen that I was staying, we got the idea of launching a campaign called: “Change your own m2 (square metre)” with the idea that if we were all involved in changing our own m2, the whole country could change.” 
Tuong, a young Vietnamese teacher of 13 children, confided: “they each remind me of Jesus in his abandonment on the cross. Why do I say it like that? Two of them were rejected by the public school after they repeated the same class three times. Another two are handicapped and so the regular school didn’t accept them, and the school for the handicapped was too far away. The others have difficulty learning and their parents are separated and poor. All of them are experiencing a total absence of love, interest, sympathy, decorum; abandoned by their families and society.” Tuong, what motivates you to go on teaching in such a class every day without any institutional assistance? It must not be easy…” “Actually it isn’t easy. One day I was trying to teach a student a certain letter in Vietnamese handwriting. I repeated it two or three times, but he wasn’t getting it and wasn’t able to pronounce it. I kept on trying, repeating it over and over again, but he couldn’t follow. I was about to become angry; I wanted to forget about it and go to another child. Just then his eyes filled with tears and I felt his plea for help. Then I thought: “If Jesus were the one here with this boy who is not understanding, He would never walk away and say: ‘I don’t care about you!’ So, I said: ‘Let’s try it again.’ One day I wasn’t feeling well. Then a girl said to the students: ‘Be good! Be silent! The teacher doesn’t feel well today!’ A little boy of 5 years came up with a cup of water for me, telling me to rest a bit. Wow! Their little gestures made me so happy and confirmed for me that the Gospel art of loving that I tried to live was becoming their lifestyle. Every day they do their best to learn, to live in love and to laugh. We’ve become a little family. Now they fill my days and my life has become colourful and filled with surprises.”
5 Apr 2017 | Non categorizzato
For the day dedicated to the care of our planet an Earth Village was opened yesterday at Villa Borghese in Rome by Earth Day Italy and the Focolare Movement. A series of events have been scheduled for April 21st through 25th including workshops, testimonies, presentations of projects and discussions. Yesterday, some young people met with several witnesses from the early days of the Focolare Movement. On April 24th there was a presentation of Jesús Morán’s new book, Fedeltà creativa. La sfida dell’attualizzazione di un carisma”.
4 Apr 2017 | Non categorizzato
Born with a rare illness that caused lacerations in her flesh and enormous suffering throughout her life, Daniela passed away in 1986 at the young age of twenty-four. She belonged to the Gen group in her hometown of Novara, Italy. Her diary reveals the secret that sustained her in the most difficult moments: the choice of Jesus crucified and abandoned, which transfigured every suffering into love. On March 23, 2017 Pope Francis recognized her heroic virtues and declared her “Venerable”. The Focolare Movement rejoices with her parents, brothers and all who had the privilege of knowing her.
3 Apr 2017 | Non categorizzato
Hundreds of thousands of teenagers leading the worldwide sports relay race. Boys and girls from different ethnic groups, cultures and religions race together to bear witness to their
commitment to peace and to promote a way to reach this peace : the
Golden Rule. The race is promoted by the
Teens for Unity of the
Focolare Movement. It takes place every year on
the first Sunday of May from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon (in the different time zones), during the “United World Week” which is part of the
United World Project. It’s an event that in previous years has involved over 100,000 teenagers in various cities of every corner of the globe.
The baton passes from one time zone to the next making it also an opportunity for exchanges between the places involved.
At different latitudes, sporting events, acts of solidarity and experiences of active citizenship get under way, especially in places where solitude, poverty and marginalization prevail. Personalities from the world of sport and culture, and civil and religious authorities take part in some cities. The website
http://www.run4unity.net helps in preparations for the event and in real time collects the contributions from the
social networks . The many messages, photos and videos received show the number and type of ideas in the pipeline in countries around the world.
Organize Run4Unity in your city! Download Run4Unity description:
PDF PPT
2 Apr 2017 | Non categorizzato
Chiara Lubich, when speaking to a group of young people gathered in Loppiano for their course of formation, revealed the secret of her long experience in dialogue: to listen to others in a profound and sincere way, patiently and without hurry, in order to get to know them and to appreciate them in their cultural diversity. This is the way which encourages others also to listen, and is therefore the basis for a fruitful dialogue. https://vimeo.com/155508846
