Forty-five participants from nine European countries met from 30th January-1 February in the ecumenical “little town” of the Focolare in Ottmaring, near Munich, to reflect on how to rediscover a passion for Europe and a form of dialogue capable of uniting. Focolarini and members of the Fraternity of community life that has its origins in the evangelical world, live together in the little town founded by Chiara Lubich in 1968.
Jesús Morán, Co-President of Focolare, began by emphasizing that the purpose of this European Conference was to reflect on Europe in the light of the charism of unity, from which the Ottmaring Focolare Cultura has also emerged. It is a group of Focolare members from several European countries who explore dialogue between cultures. “However, we are not meeting – Moran stressed – to draw up an operational programme: concrete actions already exist, such as the experience of Together for Europe, educational activities for young people and politicians in Brussels and Dialop, the dialogue with left-wing politicians. Nor is there any need to draft a manifesto of intent. Rather, we are here to nurture a passion for Europe, convinced that the charism of unity is a gift for Europe, just as Europe is a gift for the charism”. At the heart of the proposed method was mutual listening: “Offering hospitality to the Spirit and to each other”, allowing dialogue to be born from relationships.
Many reflections addressed the rift between Western and Eastern Europe. Peter Forst quoted a young woman from Eastern Europe who said, “We no longer love each other”. This seemed to sum up the tension that runs through the continent today and raises a pressing question: does Western Europe really listen to the voice of the East? Does it read its authors? Does it understand its wounds?
Anja Lupfer insisted on the method of creative listening: not looking for immediate answers but suspending prejudices in order to encounter others. “We’re not seeking dialogue as an objective”, she underlined, “we are seeking the other”. It was an invitation to a non-competitive understanding, capable of descending “into the depths of the other”, overcoming the illusion of a neutral cultural space. Even within the Focolare, differences emerge that call for shared narratives and a more sincere exchange.
Klemens Leutgöb recalled the enthusiasm of the 1990s after the fall of the Berlin Wall and warned that the fracture has reappeared. To overcome it, divisive issues, ranging from gender issues to nuclear energy, must be faced rather than avoided. Diversity becomes a resource only when we engage in it together. Forst added an episode: during a trip to Eastern Europe in 2023, many people spoke only of the past, accusing the West of having eroded values such as family and faith. He commented, “The present can divide but our pact of unity must be stronger. The evaluation of events may differ, but in her experience known as Paradise ’49, Chiara Lubich speaks of truth that embraces contradictions in unity saying, “When we are united and He is present, we are no longer two but one. What I say is not said by me alone but by me, Jesus and you in me. And when you speak it is not you alone, but you, Jesus and me in you.””
Francisco Canzani asked a recurring question: “If you love me, why don’t you know my pain?” Often there is not enough time or courage to really listen. Dialogue comes from concrete life, not from programmes. He concluded with a Jewish story: two brothers secretly carried wheat to each other at night, taking it from their own barns. They didn’t understand why the level of their stores always remained the same. One night they met, understood and embraced. On that very place, Solomon’s Temple would be built: a perfect image of fraternity.
A concrete example of this spirit is the “European Project” Focolare in Brussels, described by Luca Fiorani, Letizia Bakacsi and Maria Rosa Logozzo: a former pizzeria was transformed into a house of dialogue between parliamentarians, refugees, officials and young people, lived quietly, away from social media and in the simplicity of encounter. The initiative is also made possible by the structured dialogue provided for by the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.
The multipolar dialogue group brought strong testimonies from the wounds of the East. Palko Tóth recalled the young Russian soldiers buried in Budapest: “They are our children too.” Many in Eastern Europe are disillusioned with the West. New dialogue initiatives will emerge to heal these wounds, such as the international meeting in Transylvania on relational identities.
Franz Kronreif and Luisa Sello presented Dialop, a path of dialogue between the European Left and the Catholic world, also inspired by “Paradise ’49”. The project, encouraged by Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, works on major ethical issues with the logic of “differentiated consent and qualified dissent”.
Many testimonies enriched the meeting: a Russian couple divided by opposing narratives about the war in Ukraine; a South Tyrolean couple accustomed to living with different languages and cultures; and a Slovak priest concerned about the loss of religious sense in Western Europe.
In his concluding remarks, Morán pointed to the mystery of Jesus Forsaken as a key to European identity. He also referred to the crucifix of San Damiano, “the God who comes from Europe”. Europe has universalized the Gospel but also carries historical shadows such as colonization, wars and nihilism; it is precisely there that the charism of unity was born. He said, “It is not a matter of superiority but of safeguarding what Europe can still offer the world: above all Jesus Forsaken”.
For this we need a “daily relational mystique”, made up of dialogue, living networks and cultural and political initiatives. Everything that already exists, Together for Europe, multipolar dialogue, the Focolare Cultura, the Brussels “European Project” Focolare and Dialop, is part of a single endeavour to be safeguarded and developed. “We must move forward, keep the network alive, each with our own commitment”.
Greetings to everyone on behalf of the Focolare Movement worldwide, as we join in prayer for this digital pilgrimage. Together with all of you, we want to raise our voices to God to ask for an end to human trafficking and to affirm the dignity of every human being:
O Lord, our God,
You love every one of your people. You have given us the gifts of the earth so that we may all live in peace as your children.
Today, a cry is rising up to you from those who have been violated, those who have been exploited in degrading ways, those who are victims of human trafficking.
Help us, Lord, to stand by these sisters and brothers of ours. Multiply the forces of good to encourage their hope in the possibility of a new life.
Make the hearts of the indifferent sensitive. Grant that every citizen, even those who hold the fate of peoples in their hands, may grow in awareness of the need to fight this serious social scourge.
Lord, we ask you that we may be able to spread the global appeal that is being launched today, so that Your will may be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
United, let us continue to pray and act for justice. Thank you to each and every one of you for being part of this chain of hope and of love that is stretching across the world.
Margaret Karram
Video in Italian: activate subtitles and select the desired language.
From 26th January to 1st February 2026, Rome hosted 100 young political leaders from 36 countries for the conclusion of the first year of the two-year political formation programme “One Humanity, One Planet: Synodal Leadership”—a challenge to develop a different style of governance, starting from the paradigm of fraternity.
Following an online pathway of work in 16 learning communities, they came together for a political hackathon—literally a creative and collaborative marathon—focused on what most deeply wounds the global social fabric today: corruption, inequality, widespread violence, unethical digital transition, the ecological emergency, and declining civic participation. The programme, promoted by the Political Movement for Unity and the NGO, New Humanity, together with the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, aims to restore an active role in decision-making processes, from the local to the global level, to young people. Giovanna Maroccolo – Italy (Italian)
Watch the video with interviews with young people from different countries. Turn on subtitles and then choose the language you want.
The Economy of Communion (EoC) will celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2026 and has already begun inviting its entire global network to a distinctive celebration, to be held from 25th-30th May in Latin America.With the theme “A path of regeneration – 35 years of Economy of Communion”, the event will bring together participants from many countries for a unique experience of encounter, celebration and commitment.
Unlike traditional formats, the event will be structured in two complementary phases, with the aim of offering a practical experience of the culture of communion, a hallmark of the EoC since its foundation in 1991.
First phase: encounter with local experiences (25th-27th May)
In the first phase of the event, about 20 Latin American local initiatives will welcome small groups of participants.
These groups will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in communities rich in identity and traditional knowledge that are experiencing the consequences of the current economic system. These initiatives seek to put the culture of the Economy of Communion into practice, with the aim of transforming the local socio-economic context through human development and entrepreneurship.
“Our proposal is that each person becomes part of the daily life of these local initiatives and by looking at the world through this encounter, they experience the potential for regeneration and transformation that arises through communion and reciprocity,” said Isaías Hernando, coordinator of the International Commission of the Economy of Communion.
Participants should arrive in their chosen communities on 24th May.
Seconda fase: celebrazione e impegno a Buenos Aires (29 e 30 maggio)
Second phase: celebration and commitment in Buenos Aires (29th-30th May)
The programme, which will be announced shortly, will have a workshop-style format, encouraging active participation and intensive exchange. Hernando added, “The objective of this day and a half will be not only to celebrate the first 35 years of the EoC, but also to commit ourselves to put in place the next steps to respond more effectively to the challenges of the current economic system and to move ever closer to fulfilling the vocation of the Economy of Communion.”
How to participate
The global Economy of Communion has launched a website with all the information about the event, where it is already possible to register: https://www.edc-online.org/it/argentina-2026
Participation is open to everyone currently in the global EoC network, members of projects, teachers, students, researchers, entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, members of organisations, movements and networks with similar aims, as well as anyone interested in the proposal.
“I encourage you to work together in studying forms of participation that allow all citizens … Upon this foundation, it becomes possible to build that universal fraternity which is already taking shape among you young people, a sign of a new era.”
With these words, Pope Leo did not simply encourage the one hundred young political leaders gathered in Rome: he “recognized” their mission. He saw in them what traditional politics too often struggles to see: that the future will be born from inclusive processes, not form confrontations; from living communities, not from rigid structures; from a brotherhood that is not a naive sentiment but a concrete political category.
The one hundred from 36 countries participated in an audience with the Pope on 31st January. They were in Rome for the final week of the first year of the multi-year political school “One Humanity, One Planet”. Seven days that confirmed for them that fraternity is not an ideal: it is already a method, a lifestyle and a daily practice. They came from an online pathway of work in 16 learning communities, they came together for a political hackathon – literally a creative and collaborative marathon – dedicated to what most deeply wounds the global social fabric today: corruption, inequalities, widespread violence, unethical digital transition, the ecological emergency and declining civic participation. The programme, promoted by the Politics for Unity Movement and the NGO New Humanity with the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, aims to give young people an active role in decision-making processes, from local to global.
The Holy Father offered a vision that was as demanding as it was liberating. He asked the young people to look at the world through the lens of listening and collaboration between different cultures and faiths; to seek peace not as an abstract concept, but as a daily choice in the places where they live, study and work; to build policies capable of involving all citizens, men and women, within the institutions. He recalled that peace is a gift, a covenant and a promise all at once and that no society can call itself just if it continues to exclude the weak, ignore the poor and remain indifferent to refugees and victims of violence.
Jesús Morán – Pasquale FerraraEmilce CudaJavier Baquero – Margaret Karram
When she met the young people, the President of the Focolare, Margaret Karram spoke about a new political culture, based on fraternity, in the wake of what Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare, had taught. She encouraged them to “live” a form of leadership that places the collective “We” at the centre, that generates trust and seeks convergence in diversity. Not a method for a few, but an approach that can be exported everywhere: in institutions, in parties, in social movements and in civil society.
The testimonies of the participants powerfully confirmed this. Cristian, from Argentina, said: “It is the most important experience of universal fraternity in my life… every person, with their language, their dances and their charism, created the symphony of global harmony”. For Joanna, from Poland, resident in Italy, the experience was “a stimulus to concrete commitment”, fuelled by workshops, good practices and meetings with Italian and Korean parliamentarians. Zé Gustavo, from Brazil, spoke of an “intense and challenging experience”, capable of rekindling an adult, clear-eyed hope, born not from naivety but from the scars of lived politics. And Uziel, from Mexico, summed everything up in a simple and true phrase: “This is true globality”.
Now the school enters its second phase, involving 600 young people from the five continents to continue sharing visions, methods and actions with real impact.
For a week, Rome was a living laboratory of what politics could become again: a generative place; a training ground for fraternity; and a space where differences cease to be walls but become the raw material of the future. It was a concrete and credible testimony that another politics is not only possible, but has already begun.
“Peace begins with Dignity. A Global Call to End Human Trafficking” is the theme of the 12th International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking, celebrated each year on 8 February, on the occasion of the Feast of Saint Josephine Bakhita. A Sudanese woman and religious sister, enslaved from the age of seven, Saint Bakhita has become over time a universal symbol of the Church’s commitment against human trafficking.
Established by Pope Francis in 2015, the World Day is coordinated by the international anti-trafficking network Talitha Kum, led by Religious Sisters, and is promoted by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) and the Union of Superiors General (USG), in collaboration with several Vatican dicasteries and many other organisations around the world, including the Focolare Movement.
According to the United Nations, an estimated 27 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking, predominantly women, children, migrants, and people forced to flee their homes. This is a complex and dramatic phenomenon that takes multiple forms—from sexual exploitation to forced labour, from domestic servitude to forced marriage—and which, while remaining largely hidden and underreported, is increasingly finding new forms of exploitation online.
Each year on 8 February, thousands of people around the world join the International Day of Prayer and Awareness through events, moments of prayer, and awareness-raising initiatives in communities, parishes, and associations.
On Friday, 6 February, the Online Pilgrimage against Human Trafficking will connect all continents in a global prayer journey, from Oceania to Asia, from the Middle East to Africa, from Europe to the Americas. A message from the Holy Father is expected at the central moment of the event. The pilgrimage will be live-streamed from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (CET) in five languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian) on www.prayagainsttrafficking.net. preghieracontrotratta.org
On Sunday, 8 February, the final event will take place in St Peter’s Square with the Angelus prayer with Pope Leo XIV, followed by a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Cardinal Vincent Nichols at St. Peter’s Basilica.
“Human trafficking remains a deep global wound, violating human dignity and disrupting the peace of our societies, especially in a world torn by conflict, war, and forced displacement. By placing the theme of peace and human dignity at the heart of this year’s World Day, we call all people of goodwill to move beyond awareness and unite in concrete action to end this crime. Our commitment is to walk closely with victims and survivors, to listen to their voices, and to advocate for systemic change that addresses the root causes of trafficking and builds a world rooted in peace, justice, and dignity for all.” saidSister Abby Avelino, Coordinator of the Day and of the International anti-trafficking network, Talitha Kum.
The organizers also invite everyone to take part in the mobilization through social media by sharing a post on 8 February using the official hashtag #PrayAgainstTrafficking.
