In the Year of Mercy, Consecrated Women who belong to the Focolare Movement will hold a week of Spiritual Exercises at their Casa Emmaus Centre in the Focolare town of Loppiano, Italy. “It will be an opportunity for the women to deepen their own charisms in the light of the spirituality of unity,” explains Sister Antonia Moioli, “and in this context to experience the relationship that exists amongst the charisms. Brochure
It was the summer of 2013 when an idea came up among some teenagers from Rome of doing something to curb the proliferation of gambling in the city. It was becoming more and more common to see both old and young people glued to the slot machines that are found in many Italian bars. Despite the economic crisis, in recent years the supply and consumption of gambling in Italy has increased dramatically. Italians spend 85 billion a year on the more than 50,000 latest generation slot machines, and the latest estimates are that more than 800,000 people suffer from gambling addiction. We see how the gambling business is devastating our cities, depleting the fabric of society and creating isolation and loneliness. At the helm of this exponential growth of gambling is an economic vision in which the only thing that matters is profit for the multinationals with the consent from a state that also sees it as an opportunity for profit. In front of such a bleak scene the teenagers from Rome wondered what they could do . . . and from there came the idea of rewarding the barkeepers who have chosen not to make gambling available at their establishments. They went to breakfast at their bars en masse as a Slotmob. Initially they proposed doing it in Rome and Milan, but the simple and practical idea fascinated many Italians from north to south of the peninsula. There have been 120 Slotmobs in the past two and a half years, with the participation of over 10,000 people and a network of more than 200 associations. The project has created relationships with very diverse groups, created meeting spaces, awareness and mended the social bond that gambling had disintegrated. “In Rome we concentrated our efforts on an area known as the Italian Las Vegas,” Maria Chiara explains. “In a short time a network was formed with 7 local associations that deal with different aspects of gambling. A sincere relationship was created, not without the usual difficulties of working with one another. That’s how the Let’s Not Gamble Ourselves Project began and now involves several city schools. Talking to teenagers about the power of our choices and of how we can change unjust situations beginning from ourselves, is not in fact very easy. But it actually is important to build a more just world and to involve young people in the change process.” Maria Chiara continues: “The Slotmob experience is making us meet many people, many stories that show us that gambling is an open wound on our society. During one Slotmob a man that had helped us to organise some games with the young people took the microphone and told his own experience as a regular gambler. He said to us: ‘My life is made of bright spots and shadows, and what makes me gamble is the solitude. But today seeing all of you here I no longer feel alone. So I commit to stop gambling. If you see me in front of a slot machine, you’re authorised to reprimand me and remind me of this promise I make today’.” “When we look back,” Maria Chiara concludes, “we see that we’ve had unimagined results. Two laws were blocked that would have reduced the power of mayors in limiting gambling; we got a partial ban on television advertising, and increased media attention on the problem of gambling. We’re aware that we have a long road ahead of us, we’d like advertising for gambling to be completely banned and we want to re-open the discussion on whether gambling should be in the hands of multinationals. For this reason on May 7 we will be on more than 40 public squares across Italy restating our yes to a different economy and rewarding bars that have said no to gambling.”
“Dear Youth for a United World, I know that you hoped to receive a message from me that would contribute towards the success of United World Week. What subject have I chosen to speak on? There couldn’t be a better one than your very own goal of achieving a united world. Is it reasonable to talk about a united world? Is it possible to imagine a united world? Can we hope that the attention we give and the energy we use will one day play a significant role in reaching such an objective? Or is it a utopia, something unattainable and fantastical, as some people might think? Many signs today point to the fact that the world is heading towards this goal. First of all, there is the conviction that unity is a sign of the times. This means that those who are particularly able and competent in discerning the times we live in confirm that the world is moving towards unity. Some of you may remember that I too have spoken about this very often, examining the religious aspect in particular. Today’s drive towards unity, however, does not only involve the religious field, but also the political world. Apart from the United Nations, where almost all the states of the world are represented, there is the Organization of African Unity in Africa, for example, that is, an association of African states. In Asia there are various associations of states like the Islamic Conference Organization which includes 53 Muslim countries; the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, and others. In America there is the Organization of American States (of North, Central and South America), and the Latin American Integration Association. In Europe we have the Organization for European Economic Cooperation which also includes the countries of Eastern Europe, and the European Union. In addition, many wise people from different cultures in the world have expressed their thoughts on this subject. I would have liked to quote them but I don’t have access to them here in Brazil, from where I am sending this message. I found some thoughts by the most recent Popes. Besides being authoritative, the Popes are also holy, and so what they say can be of interest to everyone in the world. Pius XII, John XXIII and Paul VI have very similar ideas. In Populorum Progressio, Paul VI says: “Who cannot see the need to reach, by degrees, the establishment of a worldwide authority that can act effectively on the juridical and political levels?” The present Pope expressed himself in these terms at our Genfest ’90: “Truly, this seems to be the perspective emerging from the multiple signs of our times: the perspective of a united world. This is the great expectation of people today, the hope, and at the same time, the great challenge for the future. It is evident we are moving towards unity at an ever increasing speed.” My dear young people, you are striving and working for a united world. What are you doing to reach this goal? You are involved in activities which, although meaningful, might appear very small in comparison with your proposed objective. When you are older, perhaps some of you will be more directly involved in the various organizations which contribute to building a united world. Although all these activities and efforts will be very helpful, I don’t think that any of them will play a determining role in reaching this goal. Instead, the deciding factor in the journey towards unity we are involved in, is that of giving a soul to the world. And this soul is love. You must start a revolution of love around you, in all the countries you are living in. Today it is not enough to organise charity or welfare programs, although through such activities we can give to others out of love. Today we must “be love”, that is, we must feel what the other person is feeling, live the other, the others, and aim at achieving unity in accordance with our spirituality which, like a fire, has already been enkindled in varying measures, thanks to you too, all over the globe. John Paul II also said at the Genfest ‘90: “Be aware – and I say it again – that the path towards a united world, which is the path of peace, is founded on building relationships of solidarity, and solidarity has its roots in charity” (in love). Thus we must build relationships of unity, which have their roots in love. You must live out this love first of all among yourselves, so as to reach the point of living it with many, many others, wherever you go: with the people you meet every day, and with those who determine the course of events, in various institutions, and in big and small organizations around the world… everywhere. Only then will they fulfill the purpose for which they were established; only then will we truly work for a united world. Take courage, then, youth for a united world. You are following the most fascinating and splendid ideal on earth. And you are not alone! You, who are proud to be called Christians, know that by acting in this way, Christ is among you. Each and every one of you, of every belief and creed, knows that unity is strength. Go ahead then, begin or continue with your characteristic enthusiasm and determination. I, all of us, are with you… for the final victory, whenever God wills. But who will gather if no one sows? This is your task now at this time in history. And all things considered, there are promising signs that the goal you are living for is not far-off.” Chiara Lubich
It’s a global relay race in the name of peace and unity between peoples along the world’s most dangerous borders. From the US-Mexico border to the one separating Hungary and Austria, where were raised protective that people attempt to cross in the hope of a better future, putting their life at risk. It’s called Run4unity , promoted on Sunday May 8 by hundreds of thousands of young boys and girls from the Focolari Movement in all corners of the globe. From 11:00 to 12:00 they will follow a track by foot or by bike, with rollers, by boat. A time-out will follow, along with a minute of silence or a prayer for peace. “Youths for unity” in Mexico have decided to run across Mexicali, 3.500 km from Mexico City, on the border with the United States. They will be running along the wall that divides the two peoples, in memory of all those who lost their lives in the attempt to cross the border, finding themselves in a desert land. The initiative, included in the school program, involves 10 schools with 1500 pupils. It is promoted by a team of physical education teachers coordinated by the local school inspector. Across the ocean, Hungarian youths responded to their Mexicali “friends” with a relay race held Sunday May 1st in Sopron, on the Austria-Slovakian border. Last year the city hit world news as a destination of migrants desperately trying to enter Austria by train from Budapest. The relay took place with the participation of young Afghan refugees from a nearby refugee camp. Over 100 thousand adolescents have participated in the initiative held in previous years. From the islands of Wallis and Futuna in the Pacific Ocean to Cairo, the baton passes from time zone to time zone to kick off sporting events, solidarity actions and active citizenship experiences in places marked by loneliness, poverty, marginalization. In the city of Bari, (Italy) the initiative will take place in the Fornelli juvenile penitentiary with a four-way football tournament, while in another Italian town the young people decided to visit the reception centre for asylum-seekers. Wherever they will be running, “their flag” will bear the “Golden rule”: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you and Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you.” It’s an ethical principle that is found in almost all cultures and religions – they said -. From Judaism to Islam, as well as in the most ancient African traditions. If the world stopped on Sunday, and were handed over to these young people to govern, perhaps many fears would be dispelled, tensions would ebb, many tears would be wiped off and a rainbow of peace would cross the world. Obviously, one hour is not enough to accomplish this “dream.” And from Sunday the world will start spinning as it always did. But they won’t, these young people will remain. They have learned to see the world with different eyes. They are already capable of following it going to those places where humanity is facing major historical challenges. Indeed, they are the future and represent hope. They are asking us and working towards a world where humankind will be as brothers and sisters. Perhaps it is worthwhile listening to them. Source: SIR
“Where was I?” was the refrain of the song inspired by the migration tragedy, and sung by the Gen Verde on the stage of the May 1 event of Loppiano (Florence). The question resounded strongly among the 1,200 participants of the feast day, but it also pertained to commitment to suffering humanity, for example in Aleppo, with the escalation of bombs and deaths which have beset the city for the last 10 days, and likewise for the populations devastated by the earthquake in Ecuador, who asked to live and return to their normal lives. It is a commitment also of the multitude of associations and initiatives operating on the front of integration in Italy. “The aim of this day – explained the Youth for a United World – is to highlight the flow of initiatives undertaken throughout Italy, in the name of reception, lawfulness, politics lived as a service, and care for the environment, which in one word means: fraternity.” “Ever since the bombings started again, a chain of solidarity has begun among the people – Tarek of Aleppo, Syria, recounted. This reveals the quality of my people, who do not give up, but whose dignity is wounded. We say, stop the war, and ask with faith for the gift of peace.» Lubna instead explains: «In Jordan there are three million refugees, half of which are Syrians. They arrive with despair in their eyes, and the absence of hope. We try to share the life of fear they have faced, by giving them love and a sense of family.» Wa’el Suleiman, Director of Caritas in Jordan, addressed the people with a heartfelt appeal in a video shoot: «Work with us to stop the war, come to the Middle East and help us rebuild our countries, so that the people do not have to escape, and emigrate. We want to live in our lands.” Nahomy and Maria are both Ecuadorians, They recounted the extraordinary strength of their people: “The pain of those who had lost all their belongings, became the suffering of all. The inmates of a prison started to build wooden coffins, people of different political ideologies teamed up together, the cooks became heroes by preparing a warm meal for everyone, and the poor shared the little they had.” A festive atmosphere and lots of music accompanied the stories of the youth who have decided to actively take part in the building of a different world. “«I am weary of clashes, and diatribes in politics and also in daily life – a boy wrote on the great “wall” on which each could leave behind that part of himself that hinders the flow of fraternity – the only things I take interest in and for which I want to live are those things that unite and not those that divide us.” 
Cristina Guarda, 25, a councilor of the Venice Region, talked about the reasons that drove her to ‘go out there’: “I have always been convinced that politics is what we build when we place ourselves at the service of others. I felt that it was time to get involved.” A phrase of Chiara Lubich introduced the round table that ended the morning. “If you want to transform a city, start by uniting with those who share your ideals. Together, look for the poor, the abandoned, orphans, prisoners, those who are marginalized, and give, always give: a comforting word, a smile, your time, your goods….”. Then came an overview of a variety of ideas-projects of the Youth for a United World in Italy: in Turin, in a small dormitory; in Florence, with a group of prisoners in the Gozzini Jail; in Syracuse, with the Summer Campus that will take place next summer, and which foresees support and recreational activities with problematic children and adolescents; in Naples and Caserta, the project, “Fraternity Workshops,” which has involved hundreds of kids from the peripheries at risk. The afternoon program proceeded with the Expo of the United World Project on disarmaments, the environment, economy of communion, art, culture with the Sophia University Institute, Slotmob, against gambling, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, etc. The day ended with the “FlowRun”: a run in several stages which culminates in an explosion of joy, music and colours, as if to demonstrate that enthusiasm and joy are essential for anyone who wants to attract others in the adventure of a world that is “for” and not “against” something. Source: Focolare-Loppiano nformation Service Photos on Flickr:
«We have to move on and be a source of light to those who are suffering. Many feel frustrated because they cannot do anything; let us give them the opportunity to help». These words were said by a young girl from Ecuador, a country hit by an earthquake on April 16 and presently living in a humanitarian state of emergency. They indicate the new rota of activities to be held during United World Week 2016. Ecuador is at the centre of this event. United World Week was started by the young members of the Focolare Movement just after the Genfest 1995. It involves the whole Movement. The preparation for the 2016 edition, which focuses its attention on Ecuador and interculturalism, so inherent in countries of the Andean region, has been going on for some time. The aim of this initiative is to give voice to the culture of fraternity which is present in the world and stimulates each person to give of his best. «On May 7, we are organizing a Peace Festival in Quito to express interculturalism. Its title is: ‘Solidarity leads to peace’. Join us and give hope; this is what is needed at the moment and we all can give it». With this appeal, the young people of Ecuador propose a global response to all those who want to offer their support, either through collecting funds or through posting a video message of fraternity and hope on Facebook (fb.com/JMUEcuador). The Peace Festival is just one of the many initiatives launched since the earthquake happened, when many immediately offered the use of their own social networks to spread official emergency information. Run4unity is another event that takes place during United World Week. Teenagers in many parts of the world organize this run from11.00 to 12.00, in different time-zones and with different sport activities. It is concluded by a time-out, a minute of silence or a prayer for peace. Among the landmarks of this event one finds: Mexicali, a Mexican town on the border with USA; here, Run4unity is held along the wall that divides the two countries; Bari, Italy with an activity at the Fornelli Juvenile Penal Institute, and Sopron, a Hungarian town on the border with Austria, where Run4unity forms part of an official sports programme in which young refugees in a refugee camp in Austria also participate (http://www.run4unity.net/2016/en/). United World Week includes also the Living Peace project promoted by El Roward American College in Cairo, Egypt and the Focolare NGO New Humanity. This project which involves a network of secondary schools, with over 50,000 students in 103 countries, aims at instilling a greater commitment to live for peace in different learning environments (http://living-peace.blogspot.it/p/english.html). Loppiano, Italy and Abrigada, Portugal hold their traditional programme for youth on May1. “We are many people living on the same planet, we are brethren. Let us live and work so that this fraternity reigns in politics, in economy, in the social and cultural fields; so that we live in a better world as one family because we are all human beings”. This is the idea that animated the preparation for the Loppiano programme, while Abrigada focused on the idea of peace to demonstrate the highest aspirations of this reality. United World Week embraces the world and local initiatives aim at this goal. Examples of this are the concert for peace at Medan, Indonesia; the visit to a home for the elderly in New Zealand, presently debating the legislation of euthanasia; the Amani Festival in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the ecumenical workshop wanted by youth and priests of the Catholic, Russian-Orthodox, Armenian, Luteran and Evangelical Churches “to go beyond prejudices”. Very significant is the video message sent from youth in Aleppo, Syria to others in Argentina (fb.com/focolaresconosur). Many of the events may be followed on http://www.unitedworldproject.org/en/ and on fb.com/uwpofficial. Messages, photos and videos may be shared by using hashtag #4peace, thus giving voice to all big and small initiatives that “build bridges of fraternity” every day. Press Release Fotogallery (May Day at Loppiano) https://vimeo.com/164901348 https://vimeo.com/164386629
