The 2014 Assembly concludes

29 Sep 2014 | Non categorizzato

On 28 September, at 12.30 a direct Internet link-up marked the conclusion of the work of the General Assembly of the Focolare. Everyone sets out with a commitment to live as “world men and women,” a phrase first used by Chiara Lubich and recalled by Pope Francis during the audience on 26 September: “Men and women with the soul, the heart and the mind of Jesus and because of this able to recognize and interpret the needs, concerns and hopes that dwell in the heart of every man and woman.” The exchange during the audience with the Christians of various Churches and people of no religious convictions present had been warm and open. His message to the Focolare found great resonance in the 494 representatives of 137 countries: and indeed in clear consonance with the conclusions to which the 2014 General Assembly had arrived after three weeks of intense work – beginning with more than 3000 proposals coming from around the world – and summarized in the guidelines that will direct the work of the Movement over the next six years. The focus of Francis’ speech was concentrated on three words: contemplate (“immersed in the crowd, shoulder to shoulder,” quoting a thought of Chiara Lubich), go out and educate, accompanied by a strong call to generosity, creativity and the art of dialogue, “that cannot be learned cheaply.” And there are also three words contained in the title of the guidelines issued by the Assembly: go out, together, properly prepared. These guidelines, which also have the specific aim of the Focolare in its title “That all may be one”, will be applied by the Focolare community spread throughout the world, according to the practical needs and the specific requirements of each geographical region. See also: Contemplate, go out, educate: Francis’ 3 words to the Focolare Interview with Maria Voce and Jesús Morán Focolare Assembly: a visible journey of unity Documentation of the Assembly  

Old age: a hidden beauty

28 Sep 2014 | Non categorizzato

Photo: Antonio Oddi

Contemplate, go out and educate: Pope Francis’ words to the Focolare

26 Sep 2014 | Non categorizzato

Full text of the Pope’s address

Joy, emotions, surprise and also curiosity, were among the many, diverse sentiments and expectations of the 500 participants of the Focolari General Assembly with Pope Francis. The group, in fact, is composed of people coming from 137 countries: Catholics, Christians of other churches, and some also without any religious belief. Maria Voce took the floor to present the Assembly gathered in the Clementina Hall in the Vatican, and addressed the Pope with these words:  «Those present here today, are of various ages, cultures, vocations, are lay and consecrated people, virgins and married, and people who have lived an exciting experience of communion in which, due to continually renewed mutual love, have undertaken a journey of community awareness, in an attitude of listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, so as to identify the guidelines to be followed in order to respond to the sufferings and hopes of humanity today with our specific charisma of unity.» The fact that she cited the Evangelii Gaudium was significant: «It is almost like a school-workshop where we practiced sharing and thinking and working with Jesus in our midst, to rediscover our being a people born from the Gospel and, therefore, called to live and bear witness to our charisma and bring it to everyone. Your apostolic encouragement has been, undoubtedly, one of the spotlights that enlightened our work sessions.»  She added another important note that testified to the “ecumenical” aspect of the Focolari Assembly: «We felt the urge to seek with faith, new roads that could allow our Christian brothers and sisters and members of the Movement who belong to various Churches, to participate ever more fully in the life and organization of the Movement.» And Pope Francis exhorted all to live the charisma of unity without compromise, up to the end. (Vatican Radio) Half a century on from the Second Vatican Council, he said, they are called, with the whole Church, to follow a new path of evangelisation, witnessing God’s love to all and in particular to the poor and most marginalised. Greeting especially the Focolari president, Maria Voce, who has been elected to a second term of office, the Pope said the movement was born from a tiny seed in the Church and has grown into a tree whose branches spread through all kinds of Christian families and through all different religions as well. Pope Francis said the movement, which is also known as the Work of Mary, flowed from a particular gift of the Holy Spirit which is the charism of unity. The Focolari founder,Chiara Lubich, he said, was an extraordinary witness to that gift which she spread to so many different parts of the world. The Pope also offered three words upon which all members of the movement can base their efforts as they seek to contribute to the work of challenging task of evangelisation today. Firstly, he said, contemplation is an indispensable condition for effective action. Secondly, he said, they must go out in a spirit of dialogue, giving freely of themselves just as Jesus gave his life for us on the Cross. Finally, the Pope stressed the importance of forming young people, so that they too can serve the needs, concerns and hopes of men and women in the world today.

From Vatican Radio website

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Family, an endless resource

25 Sep 2014 | Non categorizzato

Speaking before Bishop Maradiaga, President of Caritas internationalis, Bishop Paglia of the Pontifical Council for Families, and the 150 participants of the seminar (Rome, 18 September 2014) from various parts of the world, this family from Maddaloni (Caserta – Italy), a town defined as “at risk” – struck by the painful experience of the loss of their three-month old son – was asked to give their testimonial on how one can rebuild hope and solidarity in families today. Their third son, Giuseppe, in fact, died following the complications of a banal flu at the age of only three months. «When I got the news I thought I was dreaming, and then came a piercing pain and the certainty that we had to live this situation in unity, first of all between Gino and me. In those moments I felt the strong presence of God who, though permitting this suffering, was taking me in his arms. A family with which we were sharing a spiritual journey of faith suggested we spend a period of time in Loppiano, a citadel of the Focolari close to Florence.» For Gino it was different. When Giuseppe died, I felt defrauded not only as a father but also as a doctor whose profession is to heal sick people, whereas I was unable to do anything for my son! There was darkness and pain. But I let Elisa guide me and I accompanied her willingly.» Immersed in the life of the citadel, «we felt an inner strength growing in us, and which transformed our pain into Love.» Then two other children were born: «If we didn’t have the strong certainty that all that had happened, even the loss of Giuseppe, was part of the divine plan of God who loves us, we wouldn’t have had the strength to beget other children.» With a group of relatives and friends they decided to create a Foundation named after Giuseppe, the aim of which is to develop the culture of family custody «to respond to the appeal of Chiara Lubich, who invited families to empty out the orphanages and give a family to every child.» It «was not created in remembrance of our son but from the wish to continue living that love we could no longer give him. We wanted the “culture of giving” to be the Foundation’s drive engine.» Custody consists in the temporary custody of a child in one’s own family, for as long as the problems of the child’s original family have not been resolved. In the mid-1990s when the project was launched, it was an avant-garde concept in Italy. It started with the education of the family custodians, (presently about a hundred) giving them the psychological and material support, until the formation of a family-home for children who were abandoned. It was among the first structures of the Campania Region. Since then we operate in cooperation with the local administrations and religious institutions, asking each member of the Foundation for the spirit of custody and service. «We still remember the first time we were entrusted with a child – the Ferraro couple confided – a nine-month-old baby, Adjaratu. The words of the social service director at that time still resound in our hearts, “You can’t imagine what a dangerous road you are opening!” To tell the truth, we did not encounter any real danger. But there were difficulties and efforts, and every time these were overcome in the attempt to live evangelical love in a radical way, which had pushed us to operate and  become more visible in these 20 years, with incredible events to confirm our efforts.

An interview with Maria Voce and Jesús Morán

24 Sep 2014 | Non categorizzato

“My wish for the new president would be that she might always listen to the Holy Spirit and, as a consequence, build everything “in unity”- Maria Voce had said a few days before her re-election, not knowing that these words would soon become the opening words of her second term. Taking advantage of a break in the General Assembly of the Focolare that is still in progress (it ends on 28 September), the different editions of New City magazine interviewed the newly re-elected president of the Focolare and Jesús Morán, the Co-President. The questions relate to the life of the Movement and the great challenges that await it. We quote below some excerpts; click here for the link to the full interview in Italian. How should we respond to what Pope Francis is saying to the Church and society today? Maria Voce: “We should take the charism of unity as our starting point: we also must think of the poor and the marginalized, but starting from our specific aim. I was thrilled when Pope Francis said in Redipuglia (Italy) that “war is madness.” It is a disease, so it needs to be treated. What kind of care can we, focolarini, offer? The only one we have is our charism, which asks us to build relationships of peace, of mutual understanding even among people who ignore each other, who hate each other, to contribute to the journey towards unity. ” Jesús Morán: “We are not renown for our frantic search for power, it is not our style. Rather we try to start processes. Pope Francis compares the Church not so much to a sphere as to a polyhedron, thus affirming that the most important trends have emerged often in the peripheries. All of this seems to me to be perfectly in tune with a work that has a very strong principle of unity. Chiara (Lubich) herself often started things in the periphery, as exemplified by the Economy of Communion which was born in Brazil, or ecumenism that gained new perspectives with Chiara’s meetings with Athenagoras in Istanbul, while Fontem [Cameroon] showed the inculturation “of the Focolare” … We can live this principle too, that is to go to the peripheries and be open to what emerges there which can then be universalised. ” How to respond to the great challenges posed by the situation in the Middle East, in which the focolarini are on the front line? Maria Voce: “I have the impression that the movement is doing much more than it appears. I received a letter a few days ago from the focolarine in Damascus who asked me for permission to go to visit the community of Aleppo, where there are already some focolarini. I said yes, even if the risks are undeniable: the charism of unity can and must be present in these places in order to build relationships, to bring a little peace. Obviously political solutions at the international level are needed, as well as the humanitarian aid which arrives and is more or less evenly distributed; the Movement tries to eradicate hatred from the hearts of men and women, an operation without which true and lasting political solutions will never be found.” “If there’s something that the charism can do is to spread the culture of encounter, mutual trust, love, helping those in need regardless of their religious affiliation or social status, or the border that divides them. We must also ask what the charism of unity has to say in the face of these conflicts, what effect can it possibly have … I remember that Chiara, citing a true episode that happened in Colombia, said that you can stop the hands of a terrorist simply by doing an act of love. We must do all of this, committing ourselves more and better, all together.” Jesús Morán: “It is basically a question of developing the dialogues that we are involved in. Over the past days in the Assembly in my study group there was a Muslim: to have a brother of another religion with whom to share everything is not a trivial matter, a brother who feels he represents the Muslim Focolare Movement. It’s a miracle! This presence of the Focolare Movement in the Islamic lands must therefore be developed, as well as fostering our inter-religious dialogue. Just a small thing? Maybe, but I think it is something fundamental. An opportunity to have direct contact with people of the movement in these places of suffering: it is important to give voice to the true reality, to what people are living through the words of the protagonists. This often means conveying a different view of the facts and problems than generally spread by the media. ” The Church and society are confronted with the question of the family. In this field the Focolare have a long experience to offer … Maria Voce: “The question of the family in the Church cannot be reduced to an exclusively sacramental matter. The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, but they are signs and there can be others as well. Someone wrote to me after hearing the introduction to a talk I gave on the Eucharist. She is separated and lives with a divorced man with children and feels strongly to be Christian and Catholic, but feels the discomfort of her position that, in a sense, puts her outside of the Catholic Church. But she writes: “I ​​have never felt out of it and continue to attend church. When I go to ask for the blessing of the priest who distributes the sacrament, Jesus also enters in me in that moment. I try to live, to do my part. I’m on a journey.” “God asks us, in fact, to help everyone to follow their own path to holiness, that is, to approach God with the means available (…). Chiara explained to us the “sources of God” in her time and did not put the emphasis only on his presence in the Eucharist, but also on other presences of God in the world, also in the Word and our brother. I think the movement can be an embrace for these families; but since it is part of the Church, embracing these people makes them feel less outsiders because they are embraced by a portion of the Church. Later other experiences, other ways may be found; let’s see what the Synod will say. I think it would be a mistake to expect that extraordinary solutions will suddenly emerge; what will come out are some credible and workable experiences, not so much universal solutions.” Jesús Morán: “The problem of the family before being a sacramental problem is an anthropological one. At stake is the very plan of God for man, on the relationship between man and woman, on the relational nature of human beings as such, therefore on the dynamics of gift, of relationships (which could be defined as “Trinitarian”). Certainly the stakes are high and the Pope has also said: we are not having a Synod to solve the problem of the divorced, that’s not what worries us because in the end you could find the solutions which were already tried out in past centuries. The problem is much more serious: what is happening to man today, how does he develop, how does he learn to relate to others and where does he learn this? This is the real problem of the family. We are comforted to know that also many secular voices, not necessarily Catholic, put the emphasis on this problem of relationships and the future of the family and of mankind. “