For more than thirteen years, we have been involved in real dialogue with a group of Turkish Muslim families living in our city, Ljubljana (Slovenia). It all started quite by chance. I worked as a dentist and one of the first Turkish families to arrive in Slovenia became my patients. From that first meeting, a deep bond grew, which over time extended to other families in the same community. After the failed coup in Turkey in 2016, many people were accused of belonging to a hostile movement and were forced to flee, finding refuge in our country. Since then, the number of families with which we started interacting grew rapidly, reaching around 50 people in just a few months. We soon realized that it was not a simple cultural exchange but that this bond developed into a relationship of real mutual help: we helped them to learn our language, to handle administrative paperwork, to enrol their children in school and with all the support required for the needs of daily life. In short, a friendship that has gradually become a deep dialogue, including about values and spirituality.
Over time, we had the opportunity to introduce them to the Focolare Movement and its ideal of a united world. This led to discovering of many common points between the Focolare charism and their spirituality.
One of the most significant aspects of this journey was taking part in each other’s religious celebrations. We attended iftar dinners during Ramadan, while Muslim families showed interest in the Christian celebrations. For four consecutive years, we celebrated Christmas together. The Muslim families were initially surprised by the spiritual depth of this occasion as, influenced by Western media, they had seen it mainly as a consumer event.
Video in original language – Turn on subtitles and pick the language you want
From this desire to further deepen this dialogue, the Pop the Bubbles project was born in collaboration with the Association for Intercultural Dialogue and Social Academy, where I work. The aim was to overcome prejudices and barriers between communities, encouraging meeting between Turkish and Slovenian families. The project involved a group of families for a whole year, during which we worked together to identify common values between the two cultures. At the end of this journey, six fundamental values emerged: family, active citizenship, intercultural dialogue, democracy, freedom and inclusion. To conclude the project, we organized two residential camps, one of three days and one of five, in which 73 people participated. In addition to cultural exchange meetings, the project also led to concrete solidarity initiatives, such as helping Ukrainian refugees. This has shown that working together towards a common goal can strengthen the bonds between different communities. In addition, in recent years, I started working in an NGO (Social Academy) that cares for young people and some Turkish families asked me to help look after their teenage children as well, passing on to them those common values we had discovered together. This step was very significant, because it demonstrated the trust that had been built between our communities.
At the same time, an innovative project was born: the creation of an application to promote dialogue between people with opposite opinions – hardtopics.eu. The app works by connecting two people who have responded in a divergent way to a questionnaire on polarizing issues. The system pairs them and invites them to a discussion in a prepared environment, with the aim of overcoming social polarization and promoting a culture of dialogue. This app will soon be used in high schools and universities in Ljubljana. The enthusiasm shown by young people during the testing phase confirmed the value of this initiative.
I believe it is essential to create networks of interreligious dialogue at European level. The journey we have undertaken shows that with patience and dedication it is possible to build authentic relationships based on trust, respect and the shared values.
Watching the live broadcast of the vigil in Tor Vergata on the outskirts of Rome, and seeing those images of an immense multitude, you can’t help but wonder: what did the million young people come here to find? Was it to be close to Pope Leo XIV? That doesn’t seem like sufficient motivation to me. To get to know Rome? Maybe, but they would surely not have chosen that kind of accommodation, food and transport. The answer was found in the deep and prolonged silence during the hour of adoration. These young men and women from all over the world were attracted by Jesus, perhaps without even knowing it, to a personal and communitarian encounter, where He undoubtedly spoke to the heart of each one who returns home changed, with a stronger faith, with an experience of the divine that they will never forget.
TV image
The Jubilee week dedicated to young people began on 28 July and ended on Sunday 3 August 2025. Many activities were organised to welcome those who came to Rome for these days – visits to historical sites, to the basilicas, cultural events, concerts and catechesis.
The Focolare Movement also offered four special itineraries in Rome following the Pilgrimage of the Seven Churches, conceived by St. Philip Neri: a historical itinerary that has accompanied pilgrims since the 16th century. It was a journey of faith and fraternal communion, consisting of prayer, songs and reflections on Christian life, with group activities, catechesis and testimonies, aided by a booklet of meditations to go into spiritual depth in the light of the charism of unity. The large group that took part in the programme consisted of young people who spoke English, Hungarian, Dutch, Italian, German, Romanian, Korean, Spanish and Arabic.
The entire ‘journey’ was based on four key ideas: pilgrimage (a journey), the holy door (an opening), hope (looking ahead) and reconciliation (making peace).
“Hope” is the word that echoed in Samaher’s testimony, a 28-year-old Syrian woman: “My childhood years were painful, dark and lonely. Home wasn’t a safe place for a child because of the conflicts, nor was society, because of bullying. I faced everything alone, unable to share it with anyone, even attempting suicide in secret due to severe depression and fear. The Gospel changed me. After the life within me had died and everything had become dark… the Gospel gave me back the light.”
The catechesis took place at the Focolare meeting point and was led by Tommaso Bertolasi (philosopher), Anna Maria Rossi (linguist) and Luigino Bruni (economist). “Isn’t a gaze that starts from love and arouses love the most concrete face of hope?” was the provocative question posed by Anna Maria Rossi to the young pilgrims.
José, an 18-year-old from Panama, confirmed this in the testimony he shared about the period of his illness: “My experience shows that when you put the art of loving into practice, which consists in seeing Jesus in everyone, loving everyone, loving your enemies, loving as yourself, loving one another… not only does your life change but other people’s lives change too. It was precisely this art of loving, which many people shared with me, that created a balance that was so strong it helped me not to collapse in difficult moments, supporting and strengthening me through every obstacle I encountered.”
Laís from Brazil also did not hide the challenges she faced because of her parents’ separation: “There were times when I didn’t understand why they lived apart, and I wanted them to be together again. However, when I became more aware of what had happened between them, I was able to ask sincere questions, and neither of them hid the truth. This helped me to accept the reality of our family. Today they have a friendly relationship with one another and this, for me, is an example of maturity, forgiveness and true love, which goes beyond difficulties and mistakes. Starting again is possible when we really put ourselves out there.”
Pope Leo made several unscheduled appearances and gave unscheduled greetings, such as when, at the welcome Mass, he wanted to be present at the conclusion by travelling in the “popemobile” through St. Peter’s Square and the Via della Conciliazione packed with young people, to greet them. Speaking spontaneously, he said: ‘We hope that all of you will always be signs of hope. (…) May we always walk together with our faith in Jesus Christ, and may our cry also be for peace in the world.”
Then, on Saturday 2 August, as nature offered a magnificent sunset, responding to questions from young people in Tor Vergata, he reiterated his appeal: “Dear young people, love one another! Love one another in Christ. Know how to see Jesus in others. Friendship can truly change the world. Friendship is a pathway to peace ”. He then added: ’To be free, we must start from a stable foundation, from the rock that supports our steps. This rock is a love that precedes us, surprises us and surpasses us infinitely: it is the love of God. (…) We find happiness when we learn to give ourselves, to give our lives for others.” And he pointed out the way to follow Jesus: ’Do you truly want to encounter the Risen Lord? Listen to his word, which is the Gospel of salvation! Seek justice, renewing your way of life, to build a more humane world! Serve the poor, witnessing to the good that we would always like to receive from our neighbour!”
During Sunday Mass, Pope Leo XIV told the young people that we are made “for an existence that is constantly regenerated in giving, in love. And it is in this way that we continually aspire to a “something more” that no created reality can give us; we feel such a great and burning thirst that no drink in this world can quench it.” He concluded his homily with a heartfelt invitation: “Dear young people, our hope is Jesus. (…) Aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less.”
In his farewell address, he described these days as “a cascade of grace for the Church and for the whole world.” He reiterated his cry for peace: “We are with the young people (…) from every land bloodied by war. (…) You are the sign that a different world is possible: a world of fraternity and friendship, where conflicts are addressed not with weapons but with dialogue.”
A companion by your side
This unique and unrepeatable experience of the 2025 Youth Jubilee has come to an end. On this incredible journey, we walked, sang and walked, danced, rejoiced and walked, prayed, laughed and walked… driven by a common goal and many travelling companions. Yes, because beyond the wonderful programme that enriched us culturally and spiritually, the image of thousands of young people like us walking will remain forever etched in our minds. Perhaps if we had asked some of them what their destination was, they would have replied something like: “We’re going to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore” or “We’re finally going to rest”, but I am equally convinced that if we had also asked them how they were doing it, they would have told us with eyes full of energy about the songs they sang, the young people they made friends with and the fullness of spirit that this walking together gave them. After all, for us, the Jubilee was just that: a journey like no other, in a city like no
other, where the dreams, hopes, joys and sorrows of a sea of people come together, where even if you walk alone, you still have a companion by your side, where the world is both tiny and immense, where everything cries out for Unity. We return home with a memory that will not easily fade, the memory of a United World that takes each other by the hand and walks, with heads held high and hearts filled with a greater spirit.
Gratitude and thanksgiving to God. These words encapsulate the multitude of messages that came from all over the world for Paolo Rovea. On 3rd July 2025, in a mountain accident, Paolo ended his earthly life. Married to Barbara, they have five children: Stefano, Federico, Francesco, Miriam and Marco.
He met the Ideal of the unity of the Focolare Movement in 1975. He said, “It radically changed my life”. That same year he took part in the Genfest in Rome, following which he wanted to live 100% with the gen, the young people of the Focolare and he dedicated himself wholeheartedly to this for 14 years, making the Gospel his way of life.
With Barbara, also a Gen, they began to plan to form a family. Engaged couples and young families increasingly began to see them as points of reference. One of them wrote: “With great sorrow for this loss, we are deeply grateful for the love, esteem and trust we received from Paolo. We are grateful for the many years of extraordinary ‘madness’ we all lived together. Together with Barbara, he had an impact on the history of New Families (the branch of Focolare that supports families) and on the history of many couples, including ours”.
Paolo distinguished himself more and more in his profession, with competence and sensitivity. He graduated in medicine from the University of Turin (Italy), specialising in oncology and oncological radiotherapy. At the same university he was a lecturer in a multi-year master’s degree. He worked as a hospital doctor eventually becoming head of the Oncology and Oncological Radiotherapy department in Turin, until his retirement in 2021. He also obtained a Master’s degree and attended advanced courses in Bioethics.
In 1989, he felt God calling him to the path of the focolare and he confided in Danilo Zanzucchi, one of the first married focolarini: “I am in a very important moment in my life: my work as a doctor should soon become permanent; 5 months ago I got married. (… ) I thank God for all the gifts he has given me: first of all for the Ideal of unity (…), for my family (…) for the gen life (…); for Barbara, my wife, with whom I am living beautiful months (…) I assure you that I set out with a renewed desire for holiness on this unique path that is the focolare”.
A life rooted in a constant growth of his relationship with God.
Many remember how Paolo rarely said no to a request or need; he stood beside anyone in need with concrete love. His talents and professionalism were always at the service of those around him: if there was a need to sing or play, he sang and played, if there was a text to write, he wrote it, if a medical consultation was needed, he was ready, if advice was required, he offered it with detachment, encouraging the fearful and urging on the hesitant. His ability to draw close to the life of everyone who crossed his path meant that over time many perceived him as a true brother, one of the family, a true friend.
“I thank God for all the gifts he has given me: first of all for the Ideal of unity (…), for my family (…) for the gen life (…); for Barbara, my wife, with whom I am living beautiful months (…) I assure you that I set out with a renewed desire for holiness on this unique path that is the focolare”.
Paolo and Barbara’s commitment to Focolare grew especially within New Families. One of the themes they were passionate about was education in affectivity and sexuality. It was thanks to them that in 2011, in synergy with the various educational agencies of the Focolare Movement, a pathway was born in this area, Up2Me, based on the anthropological vision typical of Focolare.
Maria and Gianni Salerno, from New Families said: “Although we knew Paolo and Barbara since we were young, we worked closely with them on a daily basis for the last 10 years at the International Secretariat of New Families. The passion, generosity, creativity and tireless commitment with which Paolo carried everything ahead, always attentive to relationships with each person, remain for us an immense testimony and have always been an incentive to go forward together, to always strive to be better at the service of families throughout the world. Often, when discussing with him how to face the challenges of families today, so as to be closer to everyone, he suggested innovative ideas, useful for keeping up with the times and with the needs of people. He and Barbara travelled a lot and left a trail of light everywhere in the world”.
Maria and Gianni continued, “Barbara and he suggested and coordinated many of the new initiatives of New Families. The Up2me programme, Family Format, a programme of dialogue and growth with other families at the Focolare’s international little town of Loppiano and not least of all, the Loppiano Family Experience, a three-week school for animators of New Families who come from all over the world, also in Loppiano. Despite the very painful separation, we know that we can count on his irreplaceable support, which now, from Heaven, will be even stronger…”
I was climbing the stairs to my apartment when I thought of the neighbour across from me who has major health problems. I never seemed to find time for her and this time too, I was tempted to put it off but the thought of doing it to Jesus gave me the push I needed. After visiting her and she was very happy just to have a chat, I was stopped by some other neighbours who, seeing me there, also wanted to hear my opinion on an old issue of the condominium was still unresolved. I wanted to cut them short, I still had to prepare lunch but I stopped to listen to everyone’s reasoning. At the same time, I tried to think of a solution that could bring harmony back to the building but none seemed viable to me. Maybe all I could really do was love them by listening to them. In the end, a solution emerged that was right for everyone. After saying goodbye, as if to thank me, one of them came back and gave me a medallion. But what mattered most to me was that I had built a new relationship with my neighbours.
(Fulvia – Italy)
Ten Years Later
That evening I found my wife busy doing the dishes. How could I tell her that the mitral valve that kept me alive was failing and that, after ten years, I would need surgery again? The first time there had been the anguish of the potential separation, the thought of our children whom I already pictured as orphans… then acceptance and finally peace, ready to “leave” at any moment. Then, the operation itself, which was painful but followed by a good recovery. But the greatest gift had been to feel that God was always close to us, precisely through the physical limitations that followed. Meanwhile, contrary to the doctors’ prognosis, the miracle of a somewhat stable health had lasted longer. But now, suddenly, palpitations and the feeling of exhaustion had brought me back to reality. However, I did not lose my calm. I kissed Adita and mentioned some tests that the doctor had prescribed for me. That was enough for her to understand. She looked at me with a smile. I smiled back. It was our “yes” to what God was asking of us. All we had to do was abandon ourselves to him once again.
(Hannibal – Argentina)
No longer alone
Ever since I was a teenager I’ve had a special concern for the poor, the sick and the lonely. Over the years, I’ve met many, including a woman with two children, rejected by everyone, because of mental health issues. When she passed away, the two children were even more alone, but they continued to consider me as a family member: I went to visit them from time to time and helped them as much as I could. Sometime later, one of them also passed away and joined their mother in heaven. F. remained alone, the brother whom, because of his violence, the neighbours considered as unapproachable. He never left the house and I couldn’t bring anyone with me on my visits because he wouldn’t accept anyone else. Seeing in him the true image of Jesus Crucified, I decided to go to visit him anyway. Before going, I phoned a friend and asked her to come to look for me if I didn’t call her back after 30 minutes. F.’s joy in seeing me come into his house without any fear was immense: having someone to talk to was the greatest gift he’d ever received. Since then, almost every evening, he sends me a message. I reply, trying to give him hope. Now F. is no longer alone.
(G. – Italy)
compiled by Maria Grazia Berretta
(taken from The Gospel of the Day, New City, year X– no.1 July-August 2025)
The international ensemble Gen Verde has launched a new album which includes previously unreleased songs, new musical pieces, re-arranged tracks and some of the songs that have been released in recent years.
“Everything Speaks about You – Prayer in Music” is the title of the new album by the band born from the Charism of Unity of the Focolare Movement.
“Everything speaks to us about God: the beauty of nature that surrounds us, the that air we breathe, the people passing by, the joys and the difficulties, the moments of great happiness but also those of darkness and pain which Jesus took upon himself on the cross. This album is the result of a deep experience for Gen Verde. Every note, every word and every silence intends to express their relationship with God, the heart of all that Gen Verde is and does”, these are the words that describe the album and summarise the motive and soul of the work.
Nancy Uelmen (United States), singer, pianist and composer of Gen Verde says: “As Chiara Lubich, the founder of Focolare, says: ‘Prayer: it is the breath of the soul, the oxygen of our whole spiritual life, the expression of our love for God, the fuel for everything we do’ (Chiara Lubich, Seeking the things above). So we would like to invite everyone to take an inner journey together, guided by each track on the album, hoping that it can be an instrument of prayer in music, as it is for us.”
How did the idea for this album come about?
“For us, more than an album, it is a very special experience – Nancy emphasizes – because we wanted to go to the heart of what Gen Verde is does. It’s what inspires our music: our relationship with God. We therefore wanted to create an album about prayer and music, through songs and some instrumental pieces, to express our heart and everything that we are and do. The idea is to go on an inner journey: each track expresses an aspect of the relationship that can be lived with God and with each other. As the title states, we can find God anywhere – in nature, in our neighbours, in our own hearts – so this album is like a journey that can help us discover this presence. It is the result of an experience which is central for us”.
Gen Verde is based in Loppiano, the little town of the Focolare near Florence (Italy) and is made up of twenty focolarine from 14 different countries. They are a mix of internationality, a constant training ground in loving the culture, traditions and diverse types of music that characterise team members. For over 50 years the band has travelled around the world to give witness that peace, fraternity, dialogue and unity are possible. Now, with this new project, the journey is within each one of us to rediscover ourselves, God and others.
The album was released on 6th June on all digital platforms (Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Amazon music, Deezer, Tidal). The physical album, which contains a booklet with the words of the songs and also meditations to help with prayer, isavailable on theMade in Loppiano website.
A man, a husband, a father; a tireless professional, a Christian: these are just some of the qualities that describe Giulio Ciarrocchi, a married focolarino who, after years of illness, recently passed away. He was a shining example of great trust in that plan that God had in mind for him and his family.
Giulio was born in Brooklyn (USA) to father Andrea and mother Romilda. His sister Maria Teresa was already part of the family. A year later, the family returned to Petritoli, a picturesque town in the Marche region of central Italy. Giulio later studied in Fermo, a nearby city. His father, passed on his love for singing, to Giulio, which led him to compose songs as a young man. He was involved in both the choir and other activities in the village, and had many friends. This was in 1968.69, the height of the student protests. Giulio recounted: “Inside me, everything was questioned. I openly contested everything and everyone, nothing satisfied me”. At the age of 22, he met Chiara Lubich’s spirituality of unity: “It was a very strong light that opened my eyes to evangelical love,” he said. I started with the seemingly simple things, like greeting people: the other was no longer a stranger: Jesus lived in them. Previously I only related to people who had the same interests as me. Now I realized that there were also the poor and the marginalized. For example, I remember a very poor elderly woman, avoided by everyone because she always said the same things and never washed herself. Now when I’d meet her, I’d give her a lift in the car and take her where she needed to go. When she became sick I went to see her in the hospital every day until she died. Then there was a boy with a disability, rejected by his family, who had been recently hospitalized after attempting suicide. I approached him in friendship. Little by little, I helped him to have confidence in life, to reconnect with family members and to find a job. I felt such a great joy and freedom that everything else seemed to fade away”.
In the years that followed, Giulio became deeply involved in the Gen Movement, the youth reality of the Focolare Movement, which led him to make the Gospel his way of life. He was drawn to the values in which he believed and to which he dedicated himself with other young people: justice, equality and friendship.
He graduated in Economics and worked in a Bank. At the age of 26 he met Pina. They married in 1976 and set up home in Ancona (Marche). After three years, they were invited to move to Grottaferrata (Rome) to help out in the International Secretariat of New Families. Giulio applied for a job in a bank in Rome and, as soon as he was successful, Pina and he and the little Francesca and Chiara (Sara was born later) moved to Grottaferrata. It was September 1979.
Giulio presenta il Familifest 1993Giulio con Chiara LubichGiulio e Pina con la famigliaUn incontro del centro internazionale Familgie Nuove con Chiara Lubichcon alcuni focolarini del focolare di GiulioGiulio con amici e focolariniCon alcune focolarine del focolare di PInaGiulio e Pina nel giorno del matrimonioGiulio con alcuni gen, giovani dei FocolariCon le figlie
While Pina, also a married focolarina, worked full-time at the Secretariat of New Families, Giulio, depending on his work, made himself available for various activities: offering assistance at international meetings; sharing, together with Pina, their life experiences and God’s work in them, not only with engaged couples and young couples, but also during Focolare Movement formation meetings for children and young people and conferences with representatives of various Churches. They often opened the doors of their home to welcome families from around the world who were visiting the Focolare’s international centre, an experience that was enriching for the whole family.
In 1993, the FN Secretariat unanimously asked Giulio, with his warm empathy and charming presence, to host Familyfest, the global event held at the Palaeur in Rome.
Pina and he were among the founding members of AMU (Action for a United World) and AFN (Action for New Families). They served on the National Office for Family Pastoral Care of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) for two years.
Suddenly, in May 1995, everything changed. Giulio suffered a stroke. He survived thanks to the timely care he received and his extraordinary determination, facing long hospital stays and exhausting physiotherapy. A few months later, he sent this message to friends:
“The day I entered this clinic, the Mass reading spoke of Abraham being invited by God to leave his land to go where He would lead him. I felt that call was for me. In all these years I had worked hard to find a sense of balance. This illness shattered that balance. I had to find a new one and I asked God where he wanted to lead me. Having to start all over again scared me. But Jesus gave me the answer and the strength to go on.”
His illness became a journey of rediscovering a relationship with the Father: “I am living a beautiful experience of relationship with God and with the community even if amid physical pain, which, however, I assure you, is truly secondary to the great gifts I have received”.
Giulio never recovered, indeed his condition gradually worsened. His life and that of his family was put to the test, but their unity, especially that as a couple, was so real and inscrutable, so joyful and fruitful that Chiara Lubich herself wanted to affirm it with the words of the Psalm: “In him our hearts rejoice” (33:21).
For seven years, Giulio struggled to continue working at the bank to reach the minimum retirement requirement, deeply grateful to his colleagues for their help and support. Then, finally, a break from work, but not from his commitment, together with Pina, to families around the world, working as long as he was able and then offering and praying until the end, certain that Pina was an expression of the unity between them.
In 2007 another challenge came. Giulio wrote: “I have received the biopsy result: it’s a carcinoma, and I’ll need radiotherapy. I repeat my ‘yes’ to Jesus. Some might say that God has targeted me, since I’ve already lived through 12 difficult post-stroke years. I, on the other hand, believe I am very much loved and I thank him for the privilege of participating in his mystery of love for the good of humanity.”
In May 2025, Giulio and Pina celebrated 30 years of illness. That’s right, celebrated. And not because everything was over now, but because as Giulio commented, “They have been years of grace”. Though his memory had begun to fade, his spiritual dimension remained vibrant. “I live in the present”, he said on 2nd February, 2025, “and I look upward. Jesus tells me, don’t worry, I’m here, right behind you”. And on 25th June, Pina’s birthday, in a moment of clarity, he said to her: “You’ve always managed so well, I hope you will continue to do so even more!” On Giulio’s final day, while waiting for the ambulance after praying three Hail Marys together, he said: “Mary most pure, help us.”
Giulio was a gift for all those who met him. Many messages of gratitude have been received from relatives, colleagues and friends from all over the world.
Giulio had many gifts and many people were enriched by his life, as his daughters shared after the funeral:
“What we would like to share is his ability to recognize beauty. Not surface-level or aesthetic beauty, but the kind you discover by going deeper, when you overcome fear and embrace life with your heart. That invisible, but powerful beauty, which runs through life’s fabric, which is light in pain and joy in illness. This is the beauty to which our Dad introduced us, by involving us in his many passions such as art, photography, music, theatre, travel and the sea… passions that today are also ours and that allow us to have an open and confident approach to the world just like he did until the end. Dear Dad, we’ve often thought that life wasn’t kind to you, but the kindness you didn’t receive, you gave to your life and to ours.
In these last few years, your physical world has shrunk, yet your inner world has expanded, teaching us gratitude for every single day of life”.
La redazione con la collaborazione di Anna e Alberto Friso
This link is to a video-interview produced by the Santa Chiara Audiovisual Centre featuring Giulio and his wife Pina: Falling in love again, day by day.
