The need for spirituality is emerging forcefully in ecumenical environments. Rumanian Orthodox theologian Ioan Sauca, director of the Bossey Ecumenical Institute, made mention of this fact as he introduced Focolare foundress Chiara Lubich to her audience of professors and students, future theologians and ministers who are sent there by their Churches all over the world to pursue their respective specialties in what has come to be called “an ecumenical laboratory.” “Without an ecumenical spirituality,” continued Professor Sauca, “our ecumenism risks being reduced to a series of nice slogans. If we do not put love into practice, ecumenism will not grow.” When her turn came to speak, Chiara bore witness to the action of the Holy Spirit who, through the gift of the charism of unity, gave life to a new spirituality. The heart of this charism which, at the onset of the Movement brought about a “qualitative leap forward in our life,” is the vital presence of Jesus who comes with his gifts of joy, peace and abundance of light, promised to those “two or more gathered in his name” – that is, in his love- a demanding love the measure of which is to be ready even to give one’s life.

“The fact is,” continued Chiara, “that the Holy Spirit, during this time of transition, offers to every level of ecumenical dialogue, the chance to be more ‘one’ even now in Jesus, to experience being one Christian family because Christ is our bond.” It is an experience of that “dialogue of the people” that activates “a new life, thanks to the full, visible communion that we want to contribute to building.” Together in the hall of the Institute were bishops of different Churches, friends of the Focolare Movement, who were also holding their annual convention in Geneva, promoted by Cardinal Miloslav Vlk of Prague. Their presence was a visible witness to her words. The ecumenical experience of the Focolare Movement began in 1960 when some Lutheran pastors in Germany remained impressed by just such a testimony of evangelical life. And this witness of life offered last year at an ecumenical encounter in the German part of Switzerland paved the way for the events of these days in Geneva.