Engagements at an ecclesial and civic level. Meetings with members of the Focolare Movement in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Ukraine. Prominence given by to this visit by the media in the Czech Republic. The expansion of the Focolare Movement in Eastern Europe during the 1960s . Program – The spread of the Focolare Movement First visit to the Czech Republic On 27 April, a press conference was held with Chiara Lubich. It was attended by journalists from leading national television networks and radio stations, from independent newspapers as well as from the Christian press. On 28 April, Chiara gave a talk on “The New Evangelisation” to the 2nd National Gathering of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities in Prague. On 30 April she spoke to around 2,000 members of the Focolare Movement who had come together for a three-day meeting in Prague from the Ukraine, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Lucia Fronza e Antoni Baggio, representatives of the international secretariat of the Movement for Unity in Politics, met with a group of about 60 adherents of the Focolare Movement who work in the field of politics. They presented the birth of this new initiative, its developments and current actions. On 3 May, Chiara was invited by the Episcopal Conference of the Czech Republic to speak on “The Charismatic Dimensions of the Church and the New Evangelisation”. Giuseppe Zanghì, editor of the Focolare’s cultural journal “New Humanity”, spoke on the theme “Jesus Crucified and Forsaken, Key to the Spirituality of Communion” drawing parallels between it and the Apostolic Letter of Pope John Paul II, “Novo Millennio Ineunte”. Fr Silvano Cola, delegate for the Dialogue among Movements and New Communities, spoke on the topic “Dialogue and Communion among the New Charisms”. Chiara Lubich concluded her visit in the Czech Republic with a visit to the newborn little town of the Focolare Movement in Vinor, in the vicinity of the Prague.   From the 6th of May, visit to Slovakia 7-8 May – Meeting with the men and women focolarini of the Czech Republic and Slovakia 9 May – Chiara Lubich has been invited to give her personal experience, and the experience of the Focolare Movement, to the Episcopal Conference. 10 May – Chiara has been received by the President of the Parliament, Josef Migas, and by the Vice President, Pavol Hrusovsky. This has been followed by a meeting with a delegation of MPs and representatives of various political groups. Chiara will speak on “Fraternity in Politics”. On 12 May, at the Sports Stadium in Bratislava, more than 5,000 people will gather for a meeting which will include experiences from the beginnings of the Focolare Movement, local experiences and artistic contributions. There will be a presentation on the spirituality of the Movement with its impact on youth, on the family, on the economy, in politics and within the Church.   In the afternoon, Chiara Lubich will illustrate one of the cardinal points of the spirituality, “Unity and Jesus Crucified and Abandoned”, with the growth and development of various dialogues, including ecumenism and interreligious dialogue.