This country has all it takes to be a model for the world of shared life in society and among religions. Yet the longstanding political and economic crises undermine this careful balance. For 50 years the Focolare has been seeking to make its own contribution. https://vimeo.com/343239477
https://vimeo.com/459315159 Read the text of the video
At the end of the European Mariapolis, Maria Voce reiterated the value and relevance of the commitment to unity among peoples made 60 years ago. The Focolare President’s full text. “If one day all people, not as individuals but as peoples; if one day all peoples learned how to set themselves aside, to set aside the idea they have of their homeland and their kingdoms, and offer them like incense to the Lord … and if they were to do this for the sake of mutual love among states, which God asks for in the same way that he asks for mutual love among brothers and sisters, that day will be the beginning of a new era. On that day, just as there is the living presence of Jesus between two people who love each other in Christ, so too Jesus will be alive and present among peoples ….”* In these words, on the 30th of August 1959, Chiara Lubich, the founder of Focolare Movement, outlined her dream for unity among all peoples. It became clear that this was the task that God entrusted to the new Movement, for the sake of humanity. In the aftermath of a war laden with hatred and pain, thousands of men and women from 27 countries and representing all continents made a solemn pact. It was the 22ndof August, the day on which the Catholic Church celebrates the Virgin Mary as Queen; and the Mariapolis in the Primiero Valley was coming to an end. Sixty years later, on the 10th of August, at the end of the European Mariapolis at Tonadico, everyone there celebrated this anniversary and re-launched the value and relevance of the commitment to unity among peoples. Below is the full text by Maria Voce, Focolare President. “Sixty years ago, in this locality, parliamentarians from different countries united in prayer to consecrate to Mary their own people and all peoples on earth. Each of them bore in their hearts the hopes and aspirations of their countries, to which they had to respond with responsible and fitting political choices. They faced significant challenges, at a time when ideological conflict was dividing the world into opposing blocs that threatened world peace. After the war, cities needed to be rebuilt, communities re-established, economies developed, lawfulness guaranteed and services maintained. All these were urgent problems calling for political competence and care for society. Yet those politicians did not gather round a table, nor did they organise an international summit; instead they prayed for unity among peoples. It was an unusual choice, indeed, but it guaranteed the future. The world of politics calls for skill and responsibility, honesty and consistency, the ability to work with passion and courage. But the value that most enhances political action is farsightedness, the ability to see beyond, to see further, so as to plan the future frameworks of society and foster their growth. Yes, at times of crisis and rebuilding, interpreting change can be important; being able to envisage the future can make all the difference. And the further ahead one is able to see, the more influential and transforming is one’s action in the present. Those politicians who, sixty years ago, asked God for the gift of unity and decided to commit to its fulfilment, knew how to look very far ahead. From their involvement with Chiara Lubich’s charism they had learned an important lesson: the destiny of the universe is unity. This was not only clear to them in an intellectual manner, because unity was the lifestyle and the norm of the Mariapolis: they had actually experienced it in the smaller or greater actions and choices of daily life. Unity lived in the Movement as it developed shed a special light on relationships in society that all people were called to edify, in whatever circumstances they found themselves. Unity is seen, always and in any age, as a new and revolutionary way of conceiving life and the world. It is not simply an ideal like any other, because it arises from the prayer that Jesus himself addressed to the Father, when he raised his eyes to heaven and prayed that all may be one. It is from this prayer that human history draws meaning. It is not by chance that one of the first politicians who followed Chiara Lubich was Igino Giordani, a member of the Italian parliament. He welcomed the ideal of unity interpreting it with this most effective expression: “history is a fifth gospel”, because history shows the constant and progressive fulfilment of Jesus prayer and therefore of God’s plan for creation. Everything is marching towards unity. This means that social changes that can positively transform the present are ones that accompany citizens, associations and states towards a world that is more cohesive, where there is greater solidarity. All that contributes to cooperation, peace and greater closeness among communities and groups is in line with authentic progress and enables development. In other words, if you want to do your people some good, you need to busy yourself with the good of other peoples. That is why, strengthened by a prophetic and ever relevant message, Chiara Lubich never ceased to spread the message of unity, speaking to politicians and all those actively engaged in society with the exhortation to “love your neighbour’s party as your own”, to “love your neighbour’s country as your own”. The challenges we face today are no less urgent than those of 60 years ago. Quite the opposite. The need to work for unity among peoples is clearer today than ever. The global processes we are witnessing show the interdependence of states, nations and communities on our planet. It is ever clearer that all peoples on earth share one destiny and that the big issues of our day concern matters that are vital for all people: care for the environment, older and newer types of poverty, the invisible conflicts and the wars that make the news, migration on a global scale (which is more often than not the outcome of poverty, war and climate change), the redistribution of wealth, access to natural resources and the recognition of human rights. These issues cut across civil, cultural and political differences. Hence, they engage countries in an ongoing cycle of dialogue aiming to develop processes of political integration and convergence in decision making. Yes, the future of humankind appeals, in a loud voice, for unity. The Focolare Movement responds to this appeal by fostering dialogue among different political parties (for example through the Movement for Politics and Policies for Unity), by encouraging the communion of goods and the culture of giving (through the Economy of Sharing), by studying the doctrine of unity (for example at the Sophia University Institute); by promoting unity in places of professional and social engagement and by way of many specific projects and initiatives (through New Humanity). Today too, like 60 years ago, we can pray to God for unity among all peoples on earth. My deepest wish is that this prayer should be accompanied by a renewed commitment, taken on both personally and as communities, to live for a united world. We will spread the seeds of change that are needed to transform the present and write new pages in the history of the human family as it progresses towards unity.”
Maria Voce
(*) http://www.centrochiaralubich.org/it/documenti/scritti/4-scritto-it/183-maria-regina-del-mondo.html
In her 66 years, Christine, a Ugandan focolarina, said with her life that there are no insurmountable barriers in the world. She has been able to love each person and every place with great openness: first as an artist with the international group Gen Verde, then in Italy, at the service of the focolarine; and finally, back in Africa, first in Tanzania and then Kenya. 
At the beginning of the 1970s Chiara Lubich had an almost daily relationship with the Gen, the young people of the Focolare Movement. In a world in rapid evolution, shaken by revolutions of different ideologies and colours, the founder of the Focolare prepared the gen to conquer the world through evangelical love. A life-long project that, if embraced, required leaving everything behind and knowing how to look far into the future. In 1972 in Masaka, Uganda, Christine Naluyange made her choice. At the age of twenty she left for Fontem (Cameroon) to take part in one of the most visionary experiments in social coexistence of the time: living in a small town, built less than 10 years earlier where people lived together African and European, healthy and sick, gifted or not, so to say to themselves and to the world that fraternity as a way of life is possible, productive and even exportable. Telling about Christine, an African focolarina, a few days after her death on the 21st of July due to an aggressive disease, is not only a duty , but is necessary in times like these, when in the name of sovereign claims walls of all kinds are put up or, of the African continent, one only wants to see the faces of those who flee in search of a future. In her 66 years of life, Christine never considered the many differences encountered as insurmountable walls. On the contrary, she embraced them, she made her own the richness of every person, people and culture: first as an artist, for 23 years part of the international group Gen Verde, then in Italy at the Centre of the Movement, at the service of the women focolarine; then back in Africa, first in Tanzania and then in Kenya. Hers was a varied and full life, where she tried everything. She went on stage, served her brothers and sisters and carried out roles of responsibility; and all was done with great naturalness and normality. Her life was filled with relationships; she approached people with a mother’s heart, more and more ready to listen than to speak, to take care of each one’s needs. It was not for nothing that her motto of life was a phrase from the Gospel that Chiara Lubich had chosen for her: “Go and preach the Kingdom of God” (cf. Mk 16:15). Of the many testimonies that came as a sign of gratitude and praise to God, we report two that express well the human and spiritual richness of Christine. Maricel Prieto, a Spaniard who spent 18 years with Christine in Gen Verde, writes: ” One word, above all, comes to mind when I think of her: ‘royalty’. Christine was royal on stage, but she was also royal when she approached people, when she welcomed someone, when she loaded or unloaded the equipment from our trucks, when she worked in the garden, when she prepared lunch. And this was not just an attitude, but a constant ‘sinking’ into the present moment with a firm adherence to the will of God that made her always available, close”. “Having lived more than half of her life out of the African continent – says Liliane Mugombozi – Chris, as we called her, had acquired in a certain sense a universal ‘culture’, even if – for those who knew her well – she was a Ugandan woman, an authentic daughter of her land. Next to her you felt an enormous openness; she was a ‘world – woman’. Her great faith in and living for unity with a broad vision was impressive, she knew how to go beyond the injustices she had suffered. How can we explain all this? I believe that Chris had made a choice in life: she chose to love and in all her efforts to be consistent, according to the evangelical style of the spirituality of unity her model was Jesus crucified and Forsaken.
Stefania Tanesini
In the souk in Aleppo we hear form Jalal: war means destruction and loss, that is true, but crossing the threshold of the Focolare we find a home and a community, a refuge and place of comfort, hope and joy, where people support one another in getting up and starting over again. https://vimeo.com/343239935
The ongoing Mariapolis for Europe is encouraging sparks of the idea of universal fraternity – even in politics! “Love the other country as your own”. This is the challenging invitation launched during the Mariapolis for Europe currently underway in the Dolomites, by members of the Movement of Politics and Policy for Unity (MPPU), founded by Chiara Lubich. A radical proposal to allow the ‘Fraternity Factor’ into international relations between states and peoples. We discuss this idea with the Italian parliamentarian, the Honourable Letizia De Torre, who is the current president of the MPPU’s international centre. The MPPU as a school of thought aims to promote a “culture of fraternity” in the political field. What implications could this bring to relations between states, international institutions, political parties and even individual representatives? This question implies a serious appeal for a complete 360 degree change in politics! Actually, we can see that citizens everywhere are disillusioned and angry. They’re indignant. They feel betrayed. And they’re right! Politics, apart from a few rare exceptions, has been too slow to recognize the epoch-making changes taking place in the world. This has led to a profound crisis in international relations and organizations, in our political parties and democratic systems. Citizen movements are rising up everywhere, but who can they talk to? Who can answer their appeals? Protest alone cannot bring about change. To begin to grasp the impact the ideal of unity could have on international relations, let’s just imagine what would happen if states (beginning with the major geo-political powers) would act towards the other states “as they would like other states to treat them”! Apply this to any of the current areas of crisis. Then, just immagine if this attitude, applied to political behaviour, was reciprocated between states! And I don’t think this is such a utopia at all. It could actually be a pragmatic and advantageous approach. In the field of scientific research, including space exploration, enormous progress has been made to everyone’s benefit since governments decided to work together rather than in competition. So if our states could discover the value of cooperation, if our peoples could discover the possibility of loving one another, what amazing outcomes of peace, distribution of goods and know-how could emerge, what benefits for our shared home the earth! I do think that the world is moving in this direction – albeit very slowly. And the idea of unity could really be a potent accelerator. In the 1950s countries in Europe began to form common institutions: in 1951 the European Coal and Steel Community, in 1957 the European Economic Community. This impulse seems to have gone into reverse. Can it be revived? I don’t believe that the concept of unity in Europe has been lost. What I do think is that the European Union, like the rest of the world, has been shocked by the great transformations of this century. And because of the cultural crisis in the West, it has failed to summon up the energy required to generate a new political vision, a new understanding of its role on the international stage. The motto of the EU is “unity and diversity” and yet it has not been able to recognize within this the secret for facing the huge complexities of today’s world. However, we need to keep in mind that the European Union is not constituted of institutions in Brussels, but rather by its citizens, which means, us. So the steps ahead to take in the future depend to a large extent, on all of us. Internationally, alongside situations of tension, there are also examples of collaboration and reconciliation within and among countries. We see examples of this in Africa, in US-North Korea relations, as well as inside the ‘Old Continent’ of Europe. What do you make of this period of history we are in? The world has no choice but to hope for peace, concord and collaboration. Progress will always be slow, with many contradictions and reversals along the way, and with many weights dragging on our feet, starting with corruption. But it’s the direction we want to encourage with the paradigm we mentioned before: “Treat other peoples as you would like them to treat you!” For this to happen, it’s not enough to elect leaders who are willing and able to dedicate themselves to the good of their people and to establishing good relationships of unity among peoples. This would already be really great! But we also need the citizens to agree to it. Citizens must create the pressure towards global fraternity, they – we – must be able to see beyond a limited viewpiont towards the common good of the whole world.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
The Duma, the Russian Parliament, invited members of Parliaments and experts for a discussion on the development of parliamentary systems. Letizia De Torre, president of the MPPU, was also present. “It is important to walk together with all those who are seeking some kind of change in the world. All of us, individually and collectively, are called to unity and so every positive step should be celebrated”. This is former member of the Italian Parliament and President of the International Centre of the Movement for Unity in Politics (MPPU), Letizia De Torre’s initial impression. She was present at a Forum which took place from 30 June to 3 July entitled “The Development of Parliamentarism” on the development of parliamentary systems. It proposed an iniative called co-governance, i.e. the idea of institutions and civil society exercising co-responsibility in governing cities and international relations. This idea was the central theme of a conference held in Castelgandolfo (Rome, Italy) last January and was put forward on different levels and in different countries and will be developed further at a second high-level meeting in Brazil in 2021. How did CO-Governance arrive in Moscow? The Secretary General and the Advisor of the IAO (Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy), http://eiao.org/home_english_iao, – a network of Orthodox parliamentarians, including Russians, with whom we work together – took part in the CO-Governance event in Rome in 2019. They were really interested in the idea and made sure that the MPPU was invited to the Forum – http://duma.gov.ru/en/international/forum_english/. I must say that it was only when I arrived in Moscow that I really understood why. In fact, it may come as a surprise to learn that Russia’s institutional system is defined by expressions such as “controlled democracy”, “centralism”, “ambivalence between modernization and traditionalism”, while co-governance involves co-responsibility, widespread participation, innovative relations between politicians and citizens … In fact, and this is symptomatic of an epochal change we are currently experiencing, politicians are being asked to change. Citizens have lost confidence and the Internet has catapulted us into a world which takes us beyond the rigidity of the palaces of politics. Many parliamentarians are looking for new paths to follow and CO-Governance expresses the idea of a deep relationship between politicians and citizens, and of co-responsibility for governing at all levels, without fear of the times we are living in which are so complex. How was your proposal received? The idea of collaboration is developing in all societies and the Forum’s final declaration also reflects this sign of the times. But what has been welcomed with surprise is the underlying political logic: “Treat the other country and everyone ‘other than you’ as you would like to be treated yourself. This attitude revolutionizes politics and gives it the new role it needs today: that of facilitator and catalyst for collaboration between everyone. What does the MPPU take away from this official presence in Russia? First of all, I experienced a change on a personal level. The Russian people are wonderful and attentive; Moscow is beautiful, rich in history, efficient and remains in your heart. In this sense it is easy to feel that you are amongst brothers and sisters. But getting to know another country’s political system more deeply is a different story. I “landed” in a political culture which was completely different and I was afraid I wouldn’t understand it. At the first difficulties I found myself at a crossroads. I could either set myself apart or put into practice the “method” that had one day fascinated me. I consciously decided to love Russia as much as I love my own country. You don’t love your own country because it’s perfect. You just love it. You enjoy and suffer with and for it in good times and in hard times. That’s how I began to understand Russia today. I tried to look at the world from its point of view, even to the point of feeling regret for the negative judgments it receives which are often instrumental in the race for geopolitical supremacy. I appreciated how the Forum was intent on exercising “soft power”, with which I believe Russia is trying to gain the trust of other countries and draw closer to them with more dignity and respect. I found myself more open to accepting and welcoming, for example, the desire for unity between the two Koreas expressed by the North Korean MP; the commitment to seek “partnership” rather than dependence expressed by a Ghanaian MP; the hope expressed by the Syrian delegation and the question expressed by the Lebanese MP “But why do we kill each other?” who concluded with the strength of his Orthodox faith: “God does not want this!”.
Stefania Tanesini
‘Heart’ refers to that which is our inner most being, what is hidden, what is most alive; ‘treasure’ refers to what has most value, what gives us a sense of security today and for the future. The heart is where all our values lie, where our choices are rooted, the secret place where we work out the meaning of our life: what is our priority? On the underground Train While I was travelling on the underground train I went over a topic that I considered important for the upcoming exam. At the next station a student got on whom I knew. She is sitting for the same exam and she asks me about a topic that I don’t consider very important. Seeing how agitated she is, I ‘forget’ my plan and focus on what she suggests. Later, in the oral exam, the professor asks me about that very topic which I just studied with her! (M.L. – Germany) Life awakened by God I am Turkish, a Muslim. When I told my husband Sahib that I thought I was pregnant for the fourth time he began to list all the sacrifices we would have to make. I was completely confused and I asked the gynaecologist if I was still in time to have an abortion. He told me it was just a matter of putting my name down on the waiting list. However, within me I felt that no one in the world has the right to end a life that God has begun. The months that followed were very difficult but I had made up my mind to fight on. Many friends, Christian and Muslim, supported me. Reading the Koran, I could feel the warmth of God who gave me strength. Little by little, Sahib found peace. We have never been as happy as we are with this child. With him, God has come to live under our roof. (F.O. – Germany) Terminally ill While in hospital due to an inoperable tumour, I felt very close to God. It was like a great, inexplicable happiness filled the whole of my being. I tried to befriend the other patients and we felt like brothers, not just those in the room but also with the others. Each time someone was discharged it was painful to say goodbye. It seemed like illness made us deepen our relationships. Now that I am getting weaker, I feel that the brotherhood established in the hospital is accompanying me and supporting me in the final stage of the journey. (M.J. France) Solidarity We got a request from the hospital to do something for a 19-year-old Albanian girl who had just put to bed/given birth. She, her husband and a brother were living in a car. My husband went to the hospital administrator to ask if they could keep the mother and baby for another few days and he agreed. I asked my parents if they would be ready to let them use their old flat. With the help of the two Albanian boys and other friends, my husband painted the rooms. A friend offered some furniture. A plumber did some jobs for free. When she left the hospital, L went to a cosy house. The Council Social Services arranged for a free meal a day until she could find work. (A.A. – Italy)
Edited by Chiara Favotti
“What do you think?”, “What would you do if you were me?” People often ask for our help, or we realise they need it, and we are convinced that to help a friend, a brother, a person, we need to “do” something. In the book “Meditations”, a collection of Chiara Lubich’s very first spiritual writings, we find a few lines where she invites us to change our perspective and aim at the life of God in us. Thus, our love for all others would be His love and not ours. There are those who do things ‘for love’. There are those who do things trying to ‘be Love’. Someone who does things ‘for love’ may do them well, but thinking for example that they are doing a great service for their neighbour, who is sick for instance, they may annoy them with their chatter, their advice and their help. Such charity is burdensome and not to the point. Poor thing! They may gain merit, but the other person gains a burden. That is why we must ‘be Love’. Our destiny is like that of the stars: if they revolve, they are; if they do not, they are not. We are, in the sense that not our own life but the life of God lives in us, if we do not stop loving for one moment. Love places us in God and God is Love. But Love, which is God, is light and with the light we see whether our way of approaching and serving our neighbour is according to the heart of God, as our neighbour would wish to be, as they would dream of it being if they had beside them not us, but Jesus.
Chiara Lubich
Text adapted from Meditations, New City London, Dublin, 1989, p. 45
Does it still make sense to work for fraternity in politics? A pact for the brotherhood of peoples, originally drawn up 60 years ago, will be renewed on August 10 at the European Mariapolis. We spoke with Marco Titli from the Focolare’s Movement for Unity in Politics. Echoes from the war could still be heard back on August 22, 1959. Yet at the end of the Mariapolis that was being held in the Primiero Valley that year, representatives of the five continents came together and established a pact of unity. Praying in nine languages, they consecrated their own peoples to Mary, affirming that fraternity was truly possible. Sixty years later, descending to the current political climate, the idea of a pact of unity for the brotherhood of peoples seems utopian – both because it comes from a low point (as it did in 1959) and because it would need to come from governments themselves. Do we need to resign ourselves – or does it even make sense – to work for political fraternity? We discussed it with Marco Titli, 33, who works in parliament and is active in the Movement for Unity in Politics, a district councillor in Turin. What message does the European Mariapolis give to a Europe that is divided between integrating and special interests? “The role of the Mariapolis is not to enter into political debate. The message that we hope to give is that the unity of Europe is a value worth safeguarding, while respecting each country’s individual identity. If Europe breaks up, we end up back to defending borders. Instead, it is bridges and roads that widen our perspectives and bring well-being. The Focolare is part of a network of other efforts in the Church, such as actions against arms exports to Yemen, or combatting against problem gambling.” There is a crisis of trust towards political parties that has exacerbated, and citizens step back from active participation. How can we rebuild trust? “Alongside the political crisis I also see another in the media, which spotlights bad news. Many mayors risk their lives fighting against organised crime and risk their reputations accomplishing brave things for their cities. At the national level as well, there are politicians who fight for the common good. If you look beyond the political apathy, there are many great people in politics today.” Holding fast to your ideals can sometimes mean making someone else unhappy. How do you decide on which actions to take in politics? “In politics, you need to be ready to compromise. We live in complex situations. But not just any compromise – when faced with illegal activities or serious incidents you need to be able to say no. That means you need to take risks. Many public servants have fallen because they said no and were not even understood by their own constituencies. Yet if you shun compromise and go into politics to defend your ideas, you bring division. It is a hard road, and there can be opposition, but a politician is called to listen to special interests and then compose a mosaic with them.” Can you tell us about collaborative efforts between parties in your city? “We were building a bridge near the Porta Susa station in Turin, which joins two parts of the city that were once divided. Together with others in my district and those on the other side of the bridge, I proposed that we name the structure after the European Union, a symbol of unity between different peoples. The project was unanimously approved, and a number of political groups attended the naming ceremony. It was a moment of hope, and my wish is that signs like this can build citizens’ trust towards politics.”
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Immagine:© Ufficio stampa Mariapoli Europea
