We went to Great Britain a few days before Brexit, when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. We met many people, including the community of the Focolare, to see what has happened and what their hopes for the future are. https://vimeo.com/389431416
Luigino Bruni, economist and scientific director of “The Economy of Francesco” said, “Postponing the event will allow us more time to prepare. Young people from all over the world are responding with a great sense of responsibility and even more commitment. The setback could be a blessing.” In agreement with the Holy Father, we are going to postpone “The Economy of Francesco” to 21 November but the work of the scientific committee and of the young people involved in the organization does not stop. On the contrary, it proceeds with great commitment and enthusiasm as we read in the press release of 1 March. The decision was taken “given the travel difficulties for the approximately two thousand young people from 115 countries who are expected to participate” and because of the corona virus. The appointment, however, has only been put back and Pope Francis will be in Assisi in November to meet the young people who, during the preceding days, will take part in workshops, discussions and dialogue regarding new approaches to various economic issues. The general focus of the meeting was outlined in the letter that on 1 May 2019 Pope Francis addressed to “young economists, entrepreneurs and business men and women all over the world”, inviting them to “re-animate” the economy – in the literal sense of giving it back a soul – to be among those who respond to the cry of the poor of the earth and do not look the other way. “This is why I would like to meet you in Assisi,” wrote the Holy Father, ”to work together to promote, through a common “pact”, a process of global change engaging not only with those who have the gift of faith but also with all people of good will, beyond the differences of creed and nationality, united by an ideal of fraternity and attentive above all to the poor and excluded.” In a post on Facebook, Prof. Luigino Bruni, scientific director of the event, thanked the Pope for the new date. “We will be more prepared,” he said. “Young people from all over the world are responding with a great sense of responsibility and even more commitment. The setback will be a blessing. We must be realistic dreamers, and therefore live through the anxieties and crises of our time. We must do everything possible not to ‘ lose anyone” of the 2000 young people who have already been selected, many of whom have already bought air tickets. I was impressed that none of the young people have complained about the postponement – they just want to continue the race. We have already held 230 “Towards Assisi” events and these extra eight months will allow us to hold another three hundred.”
Stefania Tanesini
After twelve years of presidency, Prof. Piero Coda, who has led the Sophia University Institute since its foundation, passes the baton to Prof. Giuseppe Argiolas, Professor of Management at the same Institute. This is the first change of guard for the Sophia University Institute (I.U.S.), which also coincides with the attribution by the Congregation for Catholic Education of the title of “Rector” to the former Dean of the Institute. Therefore, Prof. Giuseppe Argiolas is the new Rector of Sophia. He succeeds Prof. Piero Coda who , since its foundation, has guided the Institute with wisdom and a spirit of prophecy. The election by the Academic Council of the Institute, took place on January 9th. On February 20th , 2020, the Congregation for Catholic Education, wrote a letter, appointing Prof. Giuseppe Argiolas Rector of the Sophia University Institute for a four-year term. This morning, in the Aula Magna of the Sophia University Institute, the ceremony for the inauguration of the new Rector was held. Argiolas was born in Cagliari in 1969. He has been a permanent lecturer at the I. U. Sophia since 2016, when he left his post at the University of Cagliari to dedicate himself to developing the degree course in Management and to directing the Institute’s Doctoral School. His research activity is mainly focused on topics of Corporate Social Responsibility and Organizational and Mission-Driven Business Management (see Biography). “First of all, I want to express my deep admiration for Prof. Piero Coda and a big thank you for what he has done so far – commented Prof. Argiolas – for my part, I will try to do my best to carry out the task entrusted to me, interpreting this responsibility as a service of unity”. He went on to say: “The founding phase ends and that of consolidation and development begins with the generational transition. But the charismatic dimension must remain. Sophia will continue to carry out, with creative fidelity, the mission for which it was founded by Chiara Lubich, travelling together with many companions – as Pope Francis told us – with always new “joy, vision and decision the journey just begun”. Professor Piero Coda, who leaves after twelve years of presidency, adds: “I am happy with this new stage in Sophia’s journey which begins under the expert and inspired guidance of Giuseppe Argiolas, the fruit of constant and consolidated maturation at all levels. The appointment no longer as Dean but Rector by the Congregation for Catholic Education comes unexpectedly and is welcome as a seal and further impetus. The occasion is propitious to renew with enthusiasm and joy with the Rector and with the whole academic community that pact of unity that qualifies the spirit that animates us and which is relaunched today with vigour by Pope Francis’ Global Compact on Education”. Maria Voce, Vice Grand Chancellor of the Institute and President of the Focolare Movement, expressed her wish : “I am happy to renew my congratulations to Prof. Giuseppe Argiolas, the new Rector of the Sophia University Institute. His election undoubtedly marks a change of generation and of academic scope compared to the outgoing president. I am sure that Prof. Argiolas will bring you the gift of his personal characteristics, remaining faithful to the charismatic origin of the culture of unity and updating it to respond in the best possible way to the questions of the present time”. Source: Ufficio Stampa Istituto Universitario Sophia
In Aachen, Germany, the Focolare presented the Klaus Hemmerle Prize to Metropolitan Anastasios Yannoulatos of Tirana, Albania 
He is not a familiar face on newspaper front pages, this white-bearded, gentle 90 year old who received the Klaus Hemmerle Prize from the Focolare Movement on February 14 in Aachen, Germany. But Anastasios Yannoulatos, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Tirana, Albania, is a well-known and respected figure, both at the international religious and political levels, especially in Eastern Europe. In his acceptance speech, Yannoulatos said he hoped for a “peaceful coexistence in a multireligious world”, and expressed his fascination with Albert Einstein’s phrase about the power of love: “Each individual carries within them a small but powerful generator of love whose energy is waiting to be released… because love is the quintessence of life.” Yannoulatos recalled that it was this same love that encouraged Bishop Klaus Hemmerle (1929–1994) to commit tirelessly to world peace and reconciliation. One can see this same commitment in the actions and life of Metropolitan Anastasios. Bishop Helmut Dieser, current Bishop of Aachen and successor of Klaus Hemmerle, welcomed the 300 guests to the imperial cathedral of the city of Charlemagne, presenting the award in honour of this “pioneer of faith and ecumenism”. Metropolitan Augoustinos Lambardakis, president of the Orthodox Episcopal Conference in Germany spotlighted the esteem that Metropolitan Anastasios enjoys in the Orthodox world, where his words are heard despite tensions between the various autocephalous churches. Focolare president Maria Voce emphasised Metropolitan Anastasios’s tireless commitment to dialogue between Christians and Muslims in her message for the occasion, thanking him for his ability to inspire communion, brotherhood and sharing. Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, paid tribute to Metropolitan Anastasios. He retraced his path from Greece through Africa to Albania, where Yannoulatos showed how “interreligious dialogue and missionary commitment did not have to be in conflict”. The cardinal also emphasised how Yannoulatos has been carefully committed to rebuilding and reinvigorating the Orthodox Church in Albania since 1992, helping to reduce strong tensions in the Balkans. Every two years the Focolare Movement in Germany honours key individuals in the field of dialogue between churches, religions and ideological beliefs with the Klaus Hemmerle Prize. Previous winners include the former president of the World Lutheran Federation, Bishop Emeritus Christian Krause (2006); Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I (2008); Muslim doctor Noorjehan Abdul Majid of Mozambique (2016); and German Rabbi Henry Brandt of Augsburg, Germany (2018).
Andrea Fleming
The “Chiara Lubich City World” exhibition has been inaugurated in the Holy City, the first of the exhibitions outside Italy to be opened. It includes a section dedicated to Chiara Lubich’s visit to the Holy Land in 1956. “I didn’t think Jerusalem and its Holy Sites would affect my soul like that (…) every stone said a word, much more than a word, so that, in the end, my soul was all bathed and entirely filled with the presence of Jesus” . Chiara Lubich’s diary expressed her profound experience during the only journey she made to Jerusalem and the Holy Land, in 1956. Several black and white photographs and a video journal recall that journey, but the greatest testimony is the active presence of the community of the Focolare Movement in this city, which on February 29th, 2020, inaugurated the “Chiara Lubich City World” exhibition housed in the Curia of the Custody of the Holy Land. The exhibition is open until March 14th, 2020. The exhibition reproduces the one currently open to the public at The Tunnels Gallery at Piedicastello in Trent (Italy), curated by the Chiara Lubich Centre in collaboration with the Trentino Historical Museum Foundation. It is the first of the international sections of the Chiara Lubich City World exhibition, which will also be held in Mexico City, Sydney, Mumbai, San Paolo, Algiers and Nairobi in the year dedicated to the centenary of Chiara Lubich’s birth. Jerusalem’s primacy is symbolic as the city-cradle of the three great monotheistic religions, and home to many peoples. The community of the Focolare Movement has been here since 1977 with the mandate to contribute to the fulfilment of the unity for which, in this very land, Jesus prayed to the Father. The Jerusalem exhibition reflects the original while being someone reduced and adapted. It conveys significant moments in the life of the founder of the Focolare Movement, her thought and work, through documents, handwritten texts and photographic material. But this edition has its own specific characteristics, available only to those who visit it here: a section dedicated to the relationship between the founder of the Focolare Movement and Jerusalem, as Claudio Maina, jointly responsible for the Focolare Movement in the Holy Land, explained. “We wanted to bring this exhibition to Jerusalem to make Chiara’s life, spirituality and work better known, but also to bear witness to her relationship with this city. Actually, Chiara only came to Jerusalem once, just for a few days. But from that visit a story began that continues today. Indeed, here in the Holy Land, there are people who have welcomed Chiara’s spirituality and are living it”. Part of the exhibition is dedicated to Chiara’s great dream for this city so deeply marked by divisions and historical wounds: to create a centre of spirituality, study, dialogue and formation to unity. “It’s a dream, an intuition that gradually took shape – said Terese Soudah – in the project for the International Centre for Unity and Peace, a project that we have been working on for years and that, despite many difficulties, is progressing and we hope to be able to conclude soon”. Dignitaries attending the inauguration included the Nuncio and Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the representative of the Latin Patriarchate, Father Stéphane Milovitch, director of the Cultural Heritage Office of the Custody of the Holy Land, as well as Christian, Jewish and Muslim friends, who make up the Focolare family in the Holy Land. Due to the Coronavirus emergency, the Italian delegation was unable to attend, but sent video contributions. In this way, the President of the Autonomous Province of Trent, Maurizio Fugatti, wished every success to the exhibition; to bring to the world the message that Chiara Lubich gave to the Trentino Region and to Italy. The Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, expressed his hope that, through this exhibition, Chiara’s spirituality would remind this troubled land of the value of unity, the fruit of Jesus’ prayer, which is still so relevant today. In a video-message, Anna Maria Rossi and Giuliano Ruzzier, curators of the exhibition in Trent, along with Maurizio Gentilini, presented the exhibition itinerary: “We created a project that isn’t limited to the city of Trent, but, as happened in Chiara’s life, can reach the ends of the earth, encompassing all five continents”. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Nuncio, Archbishop Girelli, recalled the extreme relevance of Chiara’s message: “Here in Jerusalem, we could invert the words of the exhibition’s title and call it: “Chiara Lubich World City”, because this exhibition has come from the world to the city par excellence, the Holy City, the city of unity, of fraternity, of dialogue among religions and among peoples”.
By Stefania Tanesini
On 5 February 2020, Juan Carlos Duque, a Colombian focolarino died in an accident in the Fiore Centre in Lima, Peru where he lived in the focolare. A few days earlier, in preparation for the priesthood, he had been ordained a deacon during a joyful community celebration. We bring you a letter of farewell written by Gustavo Clariá, who lived with him in the focolare. Dearest Juan Carlos, Just as I had done so many other times, I asked you to help me. Even though I had the password, I couldn’t get into my e mail account to answer some messages. It was lunch time but, as always, you took on my problem and solved it in your usual speedy way. Lunch was no different from any other day: we talked about some serious matters but there was also a lot of joking and laughter. Your laugh was unmistakable; you were happy when we were altogether. At the end of the meal, you were the first to stand up and collect the dishes. And then you left in a hurry to go to “your” Fiore Centre. You wanted to adjust the large water tank which had been unused for some time. I, on the other hand, went to rest. After a few minutes, my mobile rang. It was Pacho: “Juan Carlos has had a serious accident … he made a false move on the roof and fell down … he died instantly …”. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Everything in me was refusing to believe what my ears were hearing. I only managed to say, “My God”, “My God”, “My God”, “My God” … I don’t know how many times I repeated it and I continued to do so, in silence, while Mario and I ran to the nearby Fiore Centre. When we arrived, we couldn’t believe what we saw. That moment, 3.15 pm on 5th February, changed our lives. Nothing was as it had been before before and we had to accept reality. You know, I went to the chapel three times. I was confused and asking for some explanation, “Why has this happened?”, “We have given our lives to follow you – and you – whose side are you on…?” Silence. The third time you answered me, “You still have so much to lose.” I came out almost feeling humiliated because I realized that I was far away from where you, Juan Carlos, had arrived. We thought that you were preparing for the priesthood… in reality you were preparing for the most important meeting in life. As the hours went by and we continued to ask “help my unbelief,” that tragic fall that we had seen with our own limited vision, was gradually transformed, with the eyes of faith, into a masterful “flight” upwards. Yes, friend and brother, it wasn’t a fall, it was a Flight. You had already told us at your ordination to the diaconate on 25th January. You reminded us of Philip Neri, that wonderful saint from Tuscany who, when he was appointed monsignor, threw his hat in the air, exclaiming, “Paradise, Paradise.” He was not interested in the title, only the encounter with God … And that is where you are now, together with those who have gone before you. Goodbye, dear Juan Carlos till God wants us to gather again, altogether, never to be parted. We will miss your joy, your laughter, your cooking – arepas and salted chicken – your readiness to help and your concern for each one of us. We will miss your ability to solve problems and to “make life exciting”, your transparency and radicalness as a simple focolarino, a friend of Jesus. You remain a beacon of light that accompanies and guides us always.
Gustavo E. Clariá
Circulating the gifts embodied in different religious families is good for the health of the Church, a process favoured by the spirituality of unity of Chiara Lubich. A Church which ‘Goes Forth’, a ‘field hospital’. Pope Francis has used many different ways to express how he’d like to see the Church today. A church capable of warming the hearts of the faithful, healing their wounds and going out towards ‘existential peripheries’. To be able to respond well to the demands of today’s fragmented and wounded world, the Church must surely draw on all the talents and strengths it contains. This is particularly true in the case of its charisms, those ‘forces for renewal’ born in the Church throughout its history in response to precise circumstances and events, which then took permanent shape in a host of religious families. But how should they turn to each other, find ways of being together, of acting in a united way, when the Holy Spirit created them all distinct?! A convention entitled “Charisms in communion: the prophecy of Chiara Lubich”, 8-9 February at the Mariapolis Centre, Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, Italy, aimed to demonstrate some of the tools which Chiara Lubich’s charism of unity can offer to achieve this end. The 400 participants included members of religious orders, consecrated men and women, and Catholic laity, together with some members of the Orthodox Churches. Representing 100 different religious families and 33 countries, they engaged in dialogue and benefitted from the different perspectives which emerge when placing in communion their own identities, and in so doing, recognizing a more beautiful, gift-laden, attractive Church. According to Focolare President, Maria Voce, in her address, the title of the meeting “stimulates us to listen and live as reciprocal gifts, because by offering the richness of each specific charism, we experience authentic sharing (…) to give to the world a credible face of the Church”. Cardinal João Braz De Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life affirmed, “when consecrated men and women come into contact with the Focolare Movement, they are helped and incentivized to value the originality of their own charism, to renew relationships of fraternity within their own Institutes, to appreciate and love other charisms as their own”. The two day meeting produced a dynamic environment for discovering how these treasures within the Church can become ever more beautiful and fruitful, in announcing the Gospel and in enhancing the credibility of the Church. The presence of around fifty lay members of various religious families made a significant contribution in this context. “The charisms are a source of joy and express the beauty of the Church,” explained Padre Fabio Ciardi, Oblate of Mary Immaculate and theologian of consecrated life. “They make you exclaim, ‘How beautiful this is!’” “When I was a novice, I heard Chiara encourage us to ‘love the other congregation as our own’,” recalled canon lawyer Sr Tiziana Merletti, of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor. “And I understood that unity really is a fundamental value.” “We no longer talk about adapting the indispensable contribution of charismatic realities to the mission of the Church, but rather of circulating the gifts of all for the benefit of all (…) to discern the most suitable ways of serving the proclamation of the Gospel” asserted Piero Coda, President of Sophia University Institute, Loppiano. “We have to arrive at a radical conversion,” he added, “to reach the point of loving the other, their charism, their religious family, more than our own charism and religious family. Only in this way can the Church truly be charismatic and missionary!”
Lorenzo Russo
In a letter dated 1 February, Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, convened the next General Assembly of the Focolare Movement which will begin on 31 August 2020. What is it? Who will take part in the Assembly? What must it do? What is happening in preparation? https://vimeo.com/389431349 The Act of Convocation in pdf format
Maria Voce was one of the speakers at the International Conference of pastoral care of the elderly, “The Richness of Many Years of Life” To cultivate dialogue between generations and establish a relationship of mutual love between youths and adults, we need to realize that the other person, in all his diversity, is a gift for me. And we also need to build fraternal relationships based on authentic listening, that puts aside stereotypes and prejudices and opens new pathways. This was the core of the message offered by Maria Voce, the Focolare president, when she was invited to be one of the speakers who addressed the first International Conference of pastoral care for the elderly. This conference, that took place at the Augustinianum in Rome from 29 to 31 January, was promoted by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. In the presence of an audience of about 550 experts and pastoral workers from 60 countries, Maria Voce proposed a reflection on dialogue between generations. She said that in today’s current situation, one can notice that there is “an atmosphere of new understanding between generations” that reigns on a global level. She quoted the example of peaceful demonstrations that recently mobilized both young and old who joined forces to express their ideas and ask for a renewed commitment towards “common good, human rights, solidarity and peace”. The young people have been the promoters of a message of rebirth, while the more mature, driven by the enthusiasm of the younger ones, have chosen to share its challenges and commitment. When speaking about the outcome of this allegiance between generations, Maria Voce quoted Chiara Lubich, the Focolare founder. Lubich related: “I would not hesitate to define as Trinitarian the relationship we had with young people from the very start. In our generation of adults we perceived all the weight, the value of incarnation and concreteness, while in the young generation we saw ideality, authenticity, revolutionary power and certainty of victory. The first generation seemed to us to be like the Father, while in the second generation there seemed to be the beauty and splendour of the Son, the Word of the Father. And between the two there was a relationship of mutual love, almost a current of the Holy Spirit that gives a great witness to the world”. The Focolare President traced out various pathways that lead to this allegiance between generations. First of all, she underlined the need for deep listening, which means having “minds and hearts free from prejudices and stereotypes”. Then she spoke about the necessity of abandoning fixed concepts that depict the adult as boring and stuck to the past, and underestimate and judge the young person negatively. Finally, she highlighted the great importance of being open to new schemes to be able to overcome difficulties together. Maria Voce concluded by re-proposing the image of the Church offered by a young man during the Synod dedicated to them: “The Church is like a canoe, in which the elderly help to keep its course by interpreting the position of the stars and the youth row hard while imagining what awaits them further ahead”.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
The Focolare Movement recommends adopting scrupulously the precautionary and safety measures stipulated by the health authorities of each country Following the detection of cases of Coronavirus infection (COVID-19) also in Italy, the International Centre of the Focolare Movement, having its headquarters in Italy and being the organizer and venue of events attended by people from many countries, invites the great Focolare family around the world to handle this health emergency with the required caution and with a great sense of responsibility in view both of personal health and the common good. In particular, the Focolare Movement recommends adopting scrupulously the precautionary and safety measures stipulated by the health authorities of each country and carefully following the relevant communications. With regard to events organized at the International Centre, the Centre itself is in close contact with the local health and civil authorities to follow developments and take the necessary measures. The International Centre recommends doing the same with regard to large events in other countries. However, what remains valid is the invitation made by Maria Voce (Emmaus) on 1st February, to have – precisely as a worldwide Focolare family – an unconditional love for everyone, a love “that makes no differences between people, and is fearless. Because even a person who can give you the infection is still your brother or sister and you must take care of him or her”.
