25 Jan 2004 | Non categorizzato
European unity is in the making; Eastern and Southern European nations are being included. And now, for the first time in history, Movements, communities and groups of various Christian denominations, have embarked on a unified journey towards fellowship and collaboration. Together they want to contribute to the continent’s spiritual unity, to building a kind of Europe which lives up to its universal vocation of peace and unity among peoples.
Movements, Communities and groups would like to render visible existing realities such as: – a network of brotherhood which has already been extended throughout the continent and is breaking down false nationalism and historical barriers; – spiritual renewal which is growing out of putting the Gospel into practice and is manifesting itself in different sectors of social life; – the contribution of the nations towards building a Europe that belongs to its citizens.
The venue of this grand assembly will be Stuttgart (Germany), at the Hanns Martin Schleyer Sports Palace, and will be linked up by satellite with meetings to be held at the same time in over 100 cities of Europe. The program includes presentations by founders and leaders of different Movements, Communities and groups, among which are: Chiara Lubich, Andrea Riccardi; Evangelical – Lutheran Pastors Friedrich Aschoff, Ulrich Parzany, Orthodox Fr. Heikki Huttunen. The audience can also look forward to hearing Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, and Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, as well as Johannes Friedrich, Bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Baviera. Many experiences of life will be shared by members of various Movements, Communities and groups as to how they respond to the basic questions of today: namely, questions about peace, about a new lifestyle which puts Europeans in dialogue with one another, how to integrate different cultures and peoples; family values, solidarity with Europe’s and the world’s disadvantaged. The youth, too, will have a word to say about their commitment and their “vision” of Europe. The program will also include artistic pieces to express Europe’s cultural riches. Among the participating artists are: Judy Bailey, Albert Frey, Beatbetrieb, Gen Rosso, Gen Verde, as well as the Ballet Company of Liliana Cosi and Marinel Stefanescu. Bishops of different Churches, a large number of political representatives of different European countries, and personalities of the cultural sphere are also expected to attend.
25 Jan 2004 | Non categorizzato
During a meeting in Rome in May 2002 of founders and leaders of different Catholic and Evangelical Movements and Communities, the idea came up to promote a large-scale assembly in Germany, as a contribution to giving Europe a soul. Present at this meeting were representatives of the: St. Egidio Community, Convention of Evangelical Leaders, Cursillos de Cristiandad, Focolare Movement, Schoenstatt Movement, the Italian section of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement, the Evangelical Charismatic Renewal Movement, and the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association)
The assembly entitled ‘Together for Europe’ is the result of an itinerary which had its beginnings among the Evangelical-Lutherans in 1969, and has been taken up by over 120 Movements, Communities and groups in Germany. Also Catholic groups have begun to meet together since the Vigil of Pentecost 1998 with Pope John Paul II, and the effort now involves over 240 Catholic Movements and Communities all over the world.
Since October 31, 1999 – date of the historic signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification by the Catholic Church and the World Lutheran Federation – on the occasion of a meeting of leaders of Catholic and Evangelical-Lutheran Movements, Communities and groups at the Ecumenical Center of Ottmaring, near Augsburg, a new experience of fellowship and collaboration has been flourishing and is spreading among Orthodox, Anglicans and other Christians as well. About the Christian Movements, communities and groups that will participate in Stuttgart: � They have originated in different European countries before and after World War II, and most of them have spread all over Europe and in other parts of the world; � They differ in nature, expansion, areas of commitment; they are predominantly lay, and involve people of all ages and categories; � They are widely open to dialogue at various levels; � What they have in common is the aspiration to return to an authentic life of the Gospel and the awareness that they are not a product of a human project but of a gift of the Spirit as a response to the challenges of today. 
The Stuttgart event takes place within the framework of a week that is very important for Europe � May 1: extension of the European Union with the inclusion of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta and Cyprus. � May 8: anniversary of the end of World War II (May 8, 1945) � May 9: celebration for Europe, on the occasion of the anniversary of Robert Schuman’s historic declaration of 1950, which proposed the formation of a community at the service of peace, herald of the European Union.
24 Jan 2004 | Non categorizzato
Schoolmates offers two alternatives KNOWING an internet site for schools so that young people from different countries will be able to meet and form a worldwide net to share cultures, languages and traditions. HELPING a solidarity fund will be used for scholarships for young people from disadvantaged countries who otherwise could not attend school.
19 Jan 2004 | Non categorizzato
Some time ago, some young men and women from Poland moved into an apartment close to my house. They all lived in one room, and when they weren’t out looking for a job, they were drinking. One of them, a shy young girl, sought help from the nuns who also lived in our neighborhood. In her broken Italian, she confided that she no longer wanted to stay with her friends because she was afraid of what might happen to them all in the future. The Sisters gave her room and board while they worked at obtaining the proper documents for her stay in Italy. After many months, the official who had been asked to work on her papers had not succeeded in obtaining a permit for her. The Sisters asked me to help them find a solution. Even if I knew nothing of the existing laws, I thought this was the chance for me to give a hand to a foreigner. I went to the employment office to find out about the procedures: the request had to be posted there for 15 days, after which it had to be posted at their office in Rome for another 15 days. Because it was holiday season, the office was often closed or the employee concerned was not present. In brief, I had to take 2 afternoons off work to go to the embassy, the police headquarters, the messenger service to send to Poland the required documents for her visa, and then to the bureau of income tax to get her taxpayer’s code number… What a tough job! One day the girl asked me, “But why are you helping me?” I replied that as a Christian, I want to do things out of love and that I was not expecting anything in return. I truly felt that by assuming the problems of the person next to me, a stranger though he or she might be, I was actually helping to lay down the foundations of a spirit of brotherhood among all. After a month, the girl was employed and her situation legalized. In these times when there’s a lot of talk about immigration, I can’t help but think of the endless difficulties faced by foreigners due to bureaucratic red tape, and how they might easily be led to discouragement. I understood how love, instead, is a key which opens every door. L. – Italy The regime which my country, Albania, has lived under for 50 years left deep scars in the life of all Albanians, leading them to economic, and above all, spiritual ruin. In spite of such dark trials, the deep-rooted values of my people have remained alive and my family transmitted them to me, together with their faith in God. The fall of the Communist wall in 1989 provoked a socio-political upheaval here, too. We young people were confused and disoriented. We did not know in whom to believe nor in what truth to hold on to. We were scarred by passivity, pessimism and hopelessness. Deep within me, I believed that the past should not have enslaved our dreams. Actually, I felt that the hope for a new life was my soul’s strongest desire. It was right during this period that I met some young people. Through them I discovered a new aspect of Christianity: believing in God’s love for each one of us and living accordingly. In God I found the answer to all my aspirations and I began to live the “art of loving” which the Gospel teaches. However, in spite of my yearning for peace and unity, I still had a large knot inside. The mere thought of the people who led my country to ruin aroused within me a fierce sense of rebellion. How can I forgive them? But the love of God which has penetrated the depths of my soul, helped me learn to respect and even understand them. Little by little I stopped seeing them as my “enemy”, as I decided to love other people without expecting any return and without differentiating. I believe that it was my first step in acquiring a peace-building mindset I can spread to those I meet. R. – Albania
31 Dec 2003 | Non categorizzato, Word of
There are approximately thirty armed conflicts being waged on our planet today. Some everyone can see, others have been forgotten, but this does not mean they are any less cruel. Violence, hatred, bitter disputes are present even in those countries that live “in peace.”
All people feel a deep longing for peace, for harmony, for unity. And yet, in spite of all the efforts and good will, after millennia of history, we find ourselves incapable of achieving a stable and lasting peace.
Jesus came to bring us peace, a peace that is “not” – he says – like that which the world gives (see Jn 14:27), for it is not merely the absence of war, of fighting, of division, and of tragedy. “His” peace is this too, but it is also much more: it is fullness of life and joy. It is the salvation of the whole person, it is freedom, it is brotherhood born from the love among all peoples. He himself is our peace (see Eph 2:14), and this is why he can say:
«My peace I give to you»
What did Jesus do in order to give us “his” peace? He paid for it in person. Precisely while he was promising us peace, he was being betrayed by one of his friends, and then he was put into enemy hands and condemned to a cruel and humiliating death. He put himself between the opposing parties, he burdened himself with the hatred and the separations, and he brought down the walls that separated the nations (see Eph 2: 14-18). By dying on the cross – after having experienced the abandonment of the Father out of love for us – he reunited humankind to God and people to one another, thus bringing universal brotherhood on earth.
Building peace requires the same of us: it calls for a fervent love, a love that enables us to love even those who do not love us back, a love that knows how to forgive, how to see beyond the category of enemy, how to love the other person’s country as one’s own. This requires a transformation in people from being faint-hearted and self-centered, into being unassuming heroes who, day after day, not only serve their brothers and sisters but are ready to give even their lives for them. Furthermore, building peace requires having a new heart with which to love everyone and new eyes with which to see each and every person as candidates for universal brotherhood.
We could ask ourselves: “Even those quarreling neighbors in my condominium? Even those colleagues at work who stand in the way of my career? Even those members of an opposing political party or of a rival soccer team? Even those people of a different religion or nationality?
Yes, each person is my brother or sister. Peace is born right there, from the relationship I establish with each one of my neighbors. “Evil begins in the human heart,” wrote the Italian statesman and historian Igino Giordani, and “to remove the danger of war, we need to remove the spirit of aggression, exploitation and egoism from which war arises: we need to re-construct a conscience.”
«My peace I give to you»
How can Jesus give us peace today? Through our reciprocal love, through our unity, he can be present in our midst (see Mt 18:20). This will enable us to experience his light, his strength, his own Spirit, the fruits of which are love, joy, and peace (see Gal 5:22). Peace and unity run parallel.
During this month in which we pray especially for the full and visible communion among Churches, we are even more aware of the connection between unity and peace. In past years we have seen how much the Churches and individual Christians have worked together for peace.
How can we be witnesses of the profound peace brought by Jesus if we Christians do not have the fullness of love among ourselves, if we are not one heart and one soul as was the first community in Jerusalem (see Acts 4:32)?
The world will change if we change. We definitely have to work as much as we can to resolve the conflicts and to develop laws that urge individuals and nations to live together in peace. Above all, by emphasizing what unites us, we will do our part to create a mentality of peace, and in this way we will work together for the good of humanity.
If we bear witness to and help to spread authentic values such as tolerance, respect, patience, forgiveness, and understanding, other attitudes that are in conflict with peace will automatically disappear.
This was our experience during World War II when we young women decided to live only to love. We were young and afraid, but as soon as we made the effort to live for one another, to help others, beginning with those most in need, and to serve them at the risk of our own lives, everything changed. We experienced a new inner strength and we saw the people around us begin to change: a small Christian community rose up that became the seed of a “civilization of love.” Ultimately, love wins out because it is stronger than anything else.
Let’s try to live in this way during this month so as to be the leaven of a new culture of peace and justice, and we will see a new humanity come to life in us and around us.
Chiara Lubich
25 Dec 2003 | Non categorizzato
An experience of unity
“Bombs and missiles continue to sow suffering and hatred. Together with my co-Bishop brothers, I want to hear other voices, bombs and missiles – the spiritual ones, which are stronger and which sow love, concord, understanding and unity.” These are the words of Iraqi Bishop Shlemon Warduni, auxiliary patriarch of Baghdad. Gathered together were 34 Bishops from the Orthodox, Syro-Orthodox, Anglican, and Evangelical-Lutheran Churches as well as from various rites of the Catholic Church. They came from different countries of Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. Their annual meeting, held at the international center of the Focolare Movement in Rocca di Papa (Rome), ended on December 1.
The Meeting was transferred from Istanbul to Rome due to the tragic attacks
Originally, the Meeting was scheduled to take place in Istanbul, and important meetings had been scheduled with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Armenian Apostolic Patriarch Mesrob II, and other religious leaders. However, due to the terrorist attacks, the latest of which took place just three days before the scheduled opening, the Meeting was moved to Rome. “We have been preparing to go to Istanbul for some time now,” says the Evangelical-Lutheran Bishop emeritus of Stockholm, Henrik Svenunggson, “and the Orthodox Churches there had prepared a warm welcome for us. Then all of a sudden everything changed. But we’ve already decided that the venue of the next meeting will certainly be Istanbul.” “Hatred destroys programs and closes roads, but love creates new programs and opens new roads,” remarked the Meeting’s main organizer, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk. “Born out of a great suffering, this meeting has borne abundant fruits,” he said.
Message of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Bartholomew I sent a heartfelt, much-anticipated message, in which he quoted the Pope, reiterating that “humanity needs bridges, not walls.” He went on to say, “We would have wanted to be among you and speak ‘face to face’ with you, for our joy to be full… Unfortunately this chance was denied us all of a sudden, and violently.” He underlined the particular context in which the Meeting was taking place, saying, “During these times which are characterized by lack of stability and security (…) it is a very promising and joyful fact that there are individuals, organizations or movements, such as our beloved Focolare Movement, which have come to the awareness that unity among them and of the world in Christ is the basic element of truth and life. But it is an even more promising fact that they have made the fulfilment of this unity the principal motive of their activity.”
Chiara Lubich’s theme, “The presence of Jesus in the midst and the ‘dialogue of life’” was the central point of the Meeting
Day by day, the Bishops lived the “dialogue of life” and experienced how this could strengthen the various aspects of ecumenism, in particular the “common prayer” during the liturgical celebrations of the different Churches, which disclosed the respective spiritual treasures of the various Christian traditions. There was also the dialogue of charity and of “mutual acceptance.”
The theme of the Meeting was for the bishops an encounter with “Jesus spiritually present in the community where two or more are united in his name, that is, in his love.” Chiara Lubich spoke in-depth about this reality, with her programmatic address, “The presence of Christ in our midst and the ‘dialogue of life’.”
Running through the 60 years of the Movement’s history, the Focolare foundress put into light that since the beginning, the people who had lived through this adventure tended to give rise to living cells of the Mystical Body everywhere. “In this way, blocks of Christians united in the name of Jesus were formed and are being formed in the Catholic Church and in the other Churches, as well as among the different Churches, as we await the possibility, when God wills it, of drawing from the ulterior bond of unity which is the Eucharist.” It is an experience of the “dialogue of life,” “the ‘’people’s’ dialogue,” “for we feel that we are building ‘just one Christian people’ which includes the laity, as well as the men and women religious, deacons, priests, pastors and bishops.”
Jesus in the midst of his own was indeed the great experience of this Meeting.
The promise of Jesus’ presence among his own, contained in Matthew 18,20 also appeared to be the way by which to see our times through the eyes of hope, the key to bringing the Gospel spirit to mankind today – to families and youth, into the fields of politics, mass media, economics, academic and cultural circles – as was proven by the significant number of experiences shared.
To cite one of the comments, Evangelical-Lutheran Bishop Helge Klassohn remarked, “Here I met the Focolare Movement for the first time. I consider this ecumenical environment very important. It is not only a confirmation of our service as bishops, but also a sign that indicates the way the Church should go.”
