Sierra Leone: assisting the Ebola victims
http://vimeo.com/114682168 The serious Ebola outbreak spread particularly in Guinea Conakry, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with immense losses among the local population, as was communicated by the press. AMU, the NGO related to the Focolare Movement, is intensely involved in fighting the virus in various ways. We have asked Stefano Comazzi, one of the leaders, to tell us about this. «In reality the situation seems to be much more dramatic than what is generally relayed, since the epidemic breakout is still beyond control. This goes to impact greatly on the lives of millions of people, due to travel restrictions and reduced business with the consequent scarcity of food, and impediments in schooling and work… not to mention the mourning in families hit by the virus, and who often lack the means to support the weaker members.» Outbreak figures «As of today–Stefano affirms – the figures are imprecise since many cases are not recorded, and also because the epidemic outbreak in the rural zones has reached the big cities, where the dense population and the miserable living conditions strongly enhance the diffusion of the virus.» Dramatic situations. As is known, «the healthcare operators are among the first to pay in person since in trying to limit the infection, they were in turn infected, often with deadly outcomes, thus weakening the health organisations that already had limited resources, and today are no long able to face this calamity. Furthermore, the lack of means and suitable medical equipment and material had forced many health centres to close since instead of being barriers to the spreading, ironically they became a means of spreading the outbreak» Sierra Leone. A similar situation occurred also in the Catholic “Holy Spirit” diocesan hospital of Makeni in Sierra Leone, the locality where Fr. Carlo Di Sopra, a Xaverian priest and pioneer of the spirituality of unity in Africa is stationed and where there is a dynamic Focolare community. Fr. Carlo, with the other religious of his congregation and the entire diocese of Makeni, is all committed to starting up again the activities of the hospital. «At the moment – he said – our structure manages to offer only limited first-aid services. We are, however, doing our best to carry out the urgent renovation works that will make the structure suitable to new challenges, especially regarding the purchase and installation in the new facilities, of a specialised medical laboratory for infectious diseases. With the hope that this Ebola emergency comes to an end, this laboratory will, however, continue to serve the local population in the prevention and care of other locally diffused infectious diseases (AIDS, hepatitis C, malaria, etc.)». Project. This action is part of a more extensive project coordinated by Caritas and with the support of other associations in an integrated project of active assistance, not only in Sierra Leone but also in Guinea Conakry and Liberia. The youth in the front line. «There are other immediate and concrete activities which the Focolare Movement supports, for the sick and their families – Stefano Comazzi concluded – in particular for those in quarantine and who will receive support with the contributions collected for this emergency.» Those who wish to give their contribution may do so through the following account at Banca Popolare Etica – Rome Branch: code IBAN: IT16 G050 1803 2000 0000 0120 434 code SWIFT/BIC: CCRTIT2184D registered in the name of Associazione Azione per un Mondo Unito Onlus Reason: Emergency Ebola
Sierra Leone: assisting the Ebola victims
The serious Ebola outbreak spread particularly in Guinea Conakry, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with immense losses among the local population, as was communicated by the press. AMU, the NGO related to the Focolare Movement, is intensely involved in fighting the virus in various ways. We have asked Stefano Comazzi, one of the leaders, to tell us about this.
«In reality the situation seems to be much more dramatic than what is generally relayed, since the epidemic breakout is still beyond control. This goes to impact greatly on the lives of millions of people, due to travel restrictions and reduced business with the consequent scarcity of food, and impediments in schooling and work… not to mention the mourning in families hit by the virus, and who often lack the means to support the weaker members.»
Outbreak figures «As of today–Stefano affirms – the figures are imprecise since many cases are not recorded, and also because the epidemic outbreak in the rural zones has reached the big cities, where the dense population and the miserable living conditions strongly enhance the diffusion of the virus.»
Dramatic situations. As is known, «the healthcare operators are among the first to pay in person since in trying to limit the infection, they were in turn infected, often with deadly outcomes, thus weakening the health organisations that already had limited resources, and today are no long able to face this calamity. Furthermore, the lack of means and suitable medical equipment and material had forced many health centres to close since instead of being barriers to the spreading, ironically they became a means of spreading the outbreak»
Sierra Leone. A similar situation occurred also in the Catholic “Holy Spirit” diocesan hospital of Makeni in Sierra Leone, the locality where Fr. Carlo Di Sopra, a Xaverian priest and pioneer of the spirituality of unity in Africa is stationed and where there is a dynamic Focolare community.
Fr. Carlo, with the other religious of his congregation and the entire diocese of Makeni, is all committed to starting up again the activities of the hospital. «At the moment – he said – our structure manages to offer only limited first-aid services. We are, however, doing our best to carry out the urgent renovation works that will make the structure suitable to new challenges, especially regarding the purchase and installation in the new facilities, of a specialised medical laboratory for infectious diseases. With the hope that this Ebola emergency comes to an end, this laboratory will, however, continue to serve the local population in the prevention and care of other locally diffused infectious diseases (AIDS, hepatitis C, malaria, etc.)».
Project. This action is part of a more extensive project coordinated by Caritas and with the support of other associations in an integrated project of active assistance, not only in Sierra Leone but also in Guinea Conakry and Liberia.
The youth in the front line. «There are other immediate and concrete activities which the Focolare Movement supports, for the sick and their families – Stefano Comazzi concluded – in particular for those in quarantine and who will receive support with the contributions collected for this emergency.»
Those who wish to give their contribution may do so through the following account at Banca Popolare Etica – Rome Branch:
code IBAN: IT16 G050 1803 2000 0000 0120 434
code SWIFT/BIC: CCRTIT2184D
registered in the name of Associazione Azione per un Mondo Unito Onlus
Reason: Emergency Ebola
Buddhists and Christians, pathways for our times
A Europe that is a little tired and pessimistic? Maybe. These were the terms used by Pope Francis when he spoke during his recent visit to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The challenges that Europe, together with the whole world, faces are many.
The convention of dialogue between Buddhists and Christians, which was held on December 10 at the Pontifical Urbanian University, sought a common message of hope so that the world does not revolve around economic interests, but have in its heart an anthropological orientation that affirms the sacredness of every human being.
The event was organized by the Ufficio Nazionale per l’Ecumenismo e il Dialogo interreligioso della Conferenza Episcopale Italiana (UNEDI) [National Office for Ecumenism and interreligious Dialogue of the Italian Episcopal Conference], the Pontifical Council for interreligious dialogue, the Italian Buddhist Union, together with various Christian and Buddhist organizations.
The crisis viewed from various perspectives: the anthropological-theological, so as to lay the foundations, and the economical financial to offer some input. Vincenzo Giorgino of the University of Turin, and Luigino Bruni of the Lumsa University of Rome, in fact, two voices, Buddhist and Christian, studied in depth the crisis and the uncertainty of contemporary man. From here emerged starting points for study and reflection on capitalism that can be replaced with new paradigms such as that of the economy of communion.
Then a medley of experiences about the battle against the crisis. The Community of St. Egidio shared on how they go ahead along their way made up of prayer, the poor and peace; the Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta shared on how they help single mothers in Italy; the Focolare Movement related their experience of helping the migrants in Lampedusa and the journey of fraternity that has begun with the Muslims in Sicily. On the part of the Buddhists, the Rissho Kosei-kai of Japan shared how they raise funds through the Skip a meal campaign for situations of poverty, emergency, education, environment, refugees, wherever there is a need. The Tzu-chi Foundation of Taiwan, which was started by a small group of female Buddhist monks and housewives, now has 10 million volunteers and donors and has been able to send aid to 85 Countries.
The following day, the delegation of the Tzu-chi Fondation, led by their spokesperson Rey-Shen Her, was welcomed at the international headquarters of the Focolare Movement for a meeting to get to know each other better. Some Buddhists friends from Rome and members of the Focolare involved in various sectors were present. Tzu-chi, which in chinese means “compassion and assistance”, is the biggest Buddhist organization for charitable works in the world. It was founded in 1966 by Cheng Yen, a female Buddhist monk, the winner of the Niwano Peace Prize of 2007.
Through the respective presentations of spirituality and activities, even if in a very brief and concise manner, followed by an open dialogue, one is able to grasp some characteristics that are in common: they were both founded by women, the culture of giving is lived, there is the sense of being a family, reciprocal love and altruism, for example.
Answering to some questions, Prof. Her affirmed that «the activities of compassion towards those in need purify us». «These are words – affirmed Christina Lee, of the Center for interreligious dialogue of the Focolare – that remind us of the words of Chiara Lubich, “we go to God through our neighbours”. Elements that unite us in the common journey towards universal brotherhood and for the good of humanity».
«Aware that our encounter with the other is either filled with humanity and compassion or it has failed in its mission: that of bringing God to the people of today, in a discrete and maybe sometimes hidden way, but nonetheless true and significant », concluded Fr. Cristiano Bettega, director of the UNEDI.
Enzo Fondi Recounts
“In high school, when I read Man The Unkown by Alexis Carrel, I found great inspiration for my future. His intuition concerning the psychosomatic relationship, that is, the interaction between body and soul in health and in illness simply fascinated me. But the war was on and there was the landing at Anzio (Italy), just a few kilometres away from where my family lived, which catapulted me into the traumatic experience of saturation bombings, and the destruction of our home. Rome then became the safe haven where my family and I went to live with the few possessions we were able to salvage. There I began my life again, and enrolled in medical school. In addition to my studies, which were moving on with good results, I attended the Catholic activities that were held in the world of the university. I became more and more convinced that the most genuinely obvious Christian values of charity, justice and the faith that were expressed in good works, needed to be more deeply rooted in the consciences of Christians, in order to avoid that deadly dichotomy between the relationship with God and the relationship with other people, which renders the Christian presence in the world invisible and irrelevant. Therefore, without realising it, I was searching for something, in an interior atmosphere of expectation, of vague discontent that was towards something that was new. This was the state of my soul when, in the 5th year of medical school, in February 1949, I was invited to a meeting. 
There I met Chiara Lubich. After having been introduced by an order priest, she told us her spiritual experience and that of the first group that formed around her. And I don’t know how to explain it, but by some sort of alchemy that story I heard from Chiara also became my story. It didn’t deal in ideas and necessary explanations. It was a simple exposition of the facts; these were extraordinary, yet “normal” people. It was a matter of accepting their story or not. But if one accepted it, there was no other way of knowing more, than to follow that young woman who – you could just see it – was the living personification of that experience, of that message she brought. So at the end of the meeting I wanted to spend a few more minutes with Chiara and accompanied her for a bit of the way. From that day I never lost contact with the focolarine who had been living in Rome for a few months. […] But my story wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t tell you the secret weapon that made me win the battles against myself and overcome that radical inability to love which afflicts all of us. It was the discovery of Jesus’s greatest suffering in the small and great sufferings of humanity. Chiara spoke of it often, because it’s such an indispensable help, especially for those who are just learning to take their first steps in building unity. We all know that dark umbra that lies behind our human nature, with its load of introspection and selfishness. But all that was assumed once and for all by Jesus It has taken on His voice and countenance, which tells us that “the night no longer has any darkness” and every wound can be healed, because He loved it and healed it. Many times, through the years I’ve experienced the burden of pain and suffering. Yet, each time I believed in Love and threw myself into His arms, beyond the suffering I found an ever deeper peace, an ever purer joy.”
“The Expected One” by Igino Giordani
The wonder of Redemption began with the birth of the Redeemer, the King of Creation who couldn’t find a room to come into this world, nor a stone on which to rest his head.
He was true man and his appearance among the people for whom he came took place in the appearance of an infant lying in a manger.
The Romans awaited a saviour who would appear as a boy, who would begin a new cycle of the centuries – the Greeks and the Persians as well.
The Jews expected him in the light of prophecies that pinned all hopes on him for a rebirth of the past and a total overturning of the present.
The overturning was already underway in that low-class birth, which placed the Son of God on the level of the victims, the homeless, the moneyless, victims of floods and wars: those on the bottom level of the widespread human misery. Later he would die on the scaffold of disgrace and shame.
Such a stunning presentation of the Divinity: haloes of angels above and shepherds’ knots below. But even more astounding was their song at that singular birth which resounded and filled that night with bright and shining glory: Glory to God in the highest; and peace to all on earth!
The glory of the God resounds in those lyrics: peace to all on earth! God’s peace is his glory, and the people’s peace is their glory.
The link lies already there in that relationship of divine and human values contained in God’s Incarnation, where the divine nature and the human nature are united in one person, the link and mediator of the infinite in the finite, of the eternal in the transient, of the glory in the peace.
Henceforth, the glory of God will never be separated from the peace among his people. If there is one, there will be the other; if one is lacking, so will the other be.
Great and packed with consequences was that first proclamation of the Good News, that announced the social and personal effect of love, the law of the new era, adopted by that low-class Child. The effect of that law is peace. If there is peace, it means that the divine light of charity is flowing in the spirit of each person and in the relationships among all; it means that people will like brothers and sisters perceiving the presence of the Father.
The greatest glory that people can give to God in the highest is, witih good will to secure peace below, the peace of rational beings on the lowest of the planets, this flower bed in which we become so ferocious.
Through peace our life on earth can be divine. If, instead of wasting time on hating, we gain life by loving, we will welcome into our hearts the God who is Love. God has taught mystics that he dwells nowhere except in peace.
Therefore, with the presence of Christ, a stable can be the highest heavens, a barn can be a church, every house can be a church, every office, even every Parliament.
Igino Giordani, (Turin: Parole di vita, SEI: 1954), pp. 21-23.