50th Anniversary of the Synod of Bishops
The Synod of Bishops is a permanent institution that was created by Paul VI on September 15, 1965, to keep alive the spirit of collegiality of the Second Vatican Council. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the institution, and the Catholic Church remembers it during the ordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops, on “the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world (October 5-25, 2015). On the morning of October 17, in the presence of Pope Francis, interventions will be given by Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, and Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, President of the Bishops Conference of Austria. This will be followed by messages of bishops from the five continents, and the concluding address by the Holy Father. There is a large delegation from the Focolare amongst the invited guests, including Focolare president Maria Voce who described the Synod of Bishops as “one of the best fruits of the Second Vatican Council for a new sense of collegiality and deeper communion for the further building up of the Universal Church.” Synod comes from the Greek word “syn-hodos” which means “meeting” or “together”. The original meaning of the word, which is to “walk together”, expresses the essence of the Synod: a place for the bishops to encounter one another with the Pope, to share their thoughts and experiences in the common search for pastoral solutions that can be offered to the Church around the world.
Chiara Lubich: Daring to dream of a new era
“If one day all people, not as individuals but as nations, learn to put themselves aside, to put aside the idea they have about their own country, … and if they were to do this as the expression of the mutual love between States that God wants, just as he wants mutual love among individuals, that day will mark the beginning of a new era. For on that day, Jesus will be alive and present among peoples. … Now is the time for every people to go beyond its own borders, to look farther. Now is the time to love other countries as our own, to acquire a new purity of vision. To be Christians it is not enough to be detached from ourselves. The times we live in ask something more of the followers of Christ: the awareness of Christianity’s social dimension. … … We hope that the Lord may have mercy on this divided and confused world, on peoples closed within their own shells, contemplating their own beauty – so special to them – although it is limited and unsatisfying. With clenched teeth they hang on to their own treasures, those very treasures that could help other peoples, where many are dying of hunger. May the Lord cause the barriers to fall, and charity to flow unhindered between one land and another, in an endless stream of spiritual and material goods. Let us hope that the Lord brings about a new order in the world. Only he can make humanity one family and cultivate the distinctive characteristics of each people, so that the splendour of each, placed at the service of others, may shine with the one light of life. By making each earthly country beautiful, this light will make each one a foretaste of the eternal Country”. Chiara Lubich
Excerpt from “Mary, bond of unity among nations”, Summer 1959 – Published in “Essential Writings”, New City Press, New York, 2007. pp. 231-2
Together for Mexico
JUNTOS POR MEXICO (Together for Mexico) is a venue for meetings and mutual respect in order to facilitate joint actions for the spiritual and social good of the country. The event will have a festive but also reflective nature, with formation and education dedicated to the whole family. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend, and will reflect on the theme of the family and the role of the lay person in society according to different perspectives: anthropological, spiritual, social, and political. One of the most anticipated and important topics is the vision of young people. On the list of international speakers are Dr. Giovanni Impagliazzo (Italy), Coordinator for Latin America of the Community of Sant’Egidio; Mr. Ricardo Sada L.C., the local director of Regnum Christi; Dr. Maria Consuelo Queremel, the Vice Minister General of the Secular Franciscan Order. Speaking for the Focolare Movement are the co-president, Dr. Jesús Morán (Spain) and spouses Anna and Alberto Friso (Italy), members of the Pontifical Council for the Family. Also present will be Margaret Karram (Israel) and Marc St-Hilaire (Canada), who are responsible for the dialogue with other ecclesial movements. The event will be transmitted in streaming at www.juntospormexico.org.mx
Germany: initiatives for the refugees
Germany has repeatedly made it in the headlines due to its controversial policies regarding refugees, that stirred up a reaction of the people in welcoming the many migrants who have arrived. Also the Focolare Movement in Germany has been working for many years now for the integration of immigrants into the social context, and intensifying its welcoming initiatives in this period. Starting from the most basic needs – such as the collection of food, clothing, furniture and other basic items, German lessons and looking for medical or legal aid – to that of a man in Aschaffenburg, define “a counter attack.” In some cities there were also some violent episodes against the refugees and those who were helping them, but there was the firm decision to respond by giving a counter-testimonial, a message which came through forcefully. The Focolare of Dresda organized in this perspective, a soiree on the theme, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” One of the organizers said “we see how many live in anxiety or even fear: the soiree was very useful, and encouraged many people to undertake actions together.” In addition to this, there was also a social media campaign, #openyourborders and #signupforpeace, launched at international levels by the Youth for United World, together with the aim of giving a further boost to the initiatives of the United World Project. But there are also concrete examples of daily life, like that of a couple from Munich, Bayern. The evening before their departure for a weekend excursion outside the city, they received a phone call asking for their willingness to host for the weekend, a young Syrian mother with three small children, while waiting to continue her journey to Karlsruhe. Though they hoped that the four would leave soon so they could at least spend a part of the weekend in the mountains, the couple – despite their internal conflict – accepted; but “the moment we took the hand of our little five-year-old princess, the ice was immediately broken,” they wrote. The weekend with the unexpected guests passed with the games played with the children, sharing their breakfast where “we renounced hotdogs out of respect for our Muslim guests who highly appreciated the yoghurt and flatbread we bought for them,” and a Syrian supper prepared together. And when we had to say goodbye on Sunday morning, “we all had tears in our eyes, and were happy and mutually grateful” – wrote the couple. What a gift the Divine director of this unexpected programme had in store for us!” Read this on www.fokolar-bewegung.de Herberge gefunden! Flüchtlinge: Stärkeres Engagement gefragt