Dec 30, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The Giorgio La Pira International Student Centre in Florence promotes a culture of dialogue, welcome and respect to help us rediscover we are all members of one human family. “Attending the La Pira Centre made us realise that the school was fundamental to building a future of peace and serenity, and inspired us to create something that would enable lots of children to receive a good education”. Armand José and Armand Xavier Mabiala are two young brothers from Angola. The first graduated in economics in Florence, the second is studying civil engineering. Both attended the Giorgio La Pira International Student Centre in the Tuscan capital where they took courses in Italian and participated in cultural activities, and made friends with young people from different backgrounds, cultures and religions. It is a place that has become such a point of reference for them that they want to take the values it expresses back to their own country. Founded in 1978 at the request of Cardinal Giovanni Benelli, Archbishop of Florence, to support students from other countries, and entrusted to the Focolare Movement, the Centre is dedicated to Giorgio La Pira – who was one of the founding fathers of the Italian Republic and mayor of the city between 1951 and 1965. Its purpose is to be “a place of fraternal welcome, encounter and dialogue” – according to its website www.centrointernazionalelapira.org – a “door opening on a Europe that is willing to give as well as receive, to learn from everyone”. Its horizon is “the dream of the Gospel, the ideal of universal brotherhood, the dream of Peace whose goal is a united world”. Having received a sum of money from their father the two brothers, instead of spending it on themselves, decided to invest in something they considered more important for their country, on education, as an instrument for peace, development and well-being. They have built a school in Luanda, Angola’s capital which is also named after Giorgio La Pira and takes its inspiration from the ideal of universal fraternity. This is just one of the many stories told at the La Pira Centre and speak of welcome, solidarity and friendship between people of different origins, convictions, faith and culture, even during this time of pandemic. Mohamed Abou El Ela is a Florentine student, a member of the board of Young Italian Muslims and secretary of the Islamic Community of Florence and Tuscany. Together with other young Muslims and with the support of the Islamic community, Caritas, the Food Bank and the La Pira Centre – which he attended with his friends – he has formed a group of thirty people who bring relief to hundreds of students and families in difficulty, and volunteer for the Red Cross, Misericordia and the Caritas canteen. “In difficult times we must not act separately but in a more united way,” he explains. “This is the lesson we have learnt from the crisis imposed on us by Covid19. A story of sharing and cooperation that overcomes ideological barriers, emphasising how we are all members of one human family. This is the spirit underpinning every activity and every project at the La Pira Centre.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Dec 28, 2020 | Non categorizzato
What is the main idea behind the TV Movie “Chiara Lubich, love conquers all”? What does the story of the beginnings of the Focolare Movement have to say in today’s world? Presented to the press today, it will be broadcast during prime television time on 3 January on RAI Uno. An extremely topical film, which has something to say to all of us, by offering the universal fraternity brought by Chiara Lubich as an antidote to the evil in today’s world. This, in a nutshell, was the message that emerged today during the press conference for the presentation of the TV Movie “Chiara Lubich, l’amore vince tutto” (“Chiara Lubich, love conquers all”) to be broadcast on Rai Uno (Italy’s number one national channel) on 3 January, during prime viewing time. The press conference was attended by the director of Rai Uno – Stefano Colletta, the head of Rai Fiction – Maria Pia Ammirati, Eliseo Multimedia producer – Luca Barbareschi, the leading actress – Cristiana Capotondi and the actress Aurora Ruffino. Maurizio Fugatti, the president of the Province of Trent where the film was shot, also spoke. “It is a film that in this period of great suffering which is so hard for us just like this Covid period, becomes a powerful metaphor of hope and courage. A group of young people who decide to believe in a dream. When? During the war”. This was the gamble Luca Barbareschi decided to take in producing the story of Chiara Lubich. “I hope this film is seen in a light where the figure of Chiara (…) becomes a symbol of simplicity and passion, of courage, of the desire to bring people back together. The symbol of the hearth (focolare), being around the fire, around a light”. 
Italian screenwriter, Giacomo Campiotti, agreed, whilst admitting that this had been the most difficult script he had ever written, an exciting undertaking nevertheless. “I tried to make my contribution by telling a story for everyone,” he explained. “Chiara Lubich is by no means a story just for the Christian world. Her idea was to speak to everyone”. Recalling that Chiara’s motto was the Gospel phrase “That all may be one” (cf. Jn 17:21), he added: “Chiara did not want to found anything but each of us has incredible power. When a person begins to realise what they believe in, they create a magnetism around them that changes the world. This is what great characters have done. And these characters can be of great help, a great inspiration to everyone.” 
“I take home a really beautiful experience of great spirituality, few things have been as all-encompassing,” confides Cristiana Capotondi. For the leading actress, Chiara Lubich is someone who has always remained young, “because she had the strength to challenge conventions and stereotypes, open doors, talk to the Jewish world, talk to the Islamic world, talk to the Orthodox Church. It is as if she had no memory, no superstructures. I personally find this very youthful. When we grow up we become structured, we start having fears. She was a woman who had no fears. At this current moment in history, I believe her message has extraordinary political strength. Aurora Ruffino who plays an important role as one of Lubich’s first companions said she was struck by how Chiara and her companions also lived with the uncertainty of tomorrow: “A situation similar to what we are living today. In spite of this, she was absolutely certain that things would go well, that God would somehow find a way to make things go well for her. That really struck me. (…) When you do good it always comes back to you. And she lived absolutely certain of this”. Stefano Coletta is in no doubt as to why RAI Uno chose to open 2021 with this project: “The film condenses the story of Chiara Lubich in a very straightforward manner and without rhetoric. The story of a woman who had truly encountered God and had encountered him in action, rather than in mysticism and contemplative activity. She was a very practical woman who lived during a very complicated time like the war with an almost political conviction that every encounter deserved attention, curiosity and intelligence. It is no coincidence that she was a sign of ecumenical dialogue right to the end; she encountered extremely diverse spiritualities without prejudice”. For Maria Pia Ammirati, the story told in the film has a hagiographic character, but not in the usual sense of the word. “Like all real hagiographies, the saints are first and foremost normal men and women. That’s why 2021 is getting off to a really good start. This story is a viaticum and a positive start in a situation that we know is dark and allienating. Chiara’s design was that of rapprochement, starting from small societies, solidarity, the common good and love, as it says in the film’s title”.
Stefania Tanesini
Dec 28, 2020 | Non categorizzato
From the Conference Call “Unity” – Rocca di Papa, September 26th, 1996. https://vimeo.com/490435602
Dec 26, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Fr. Lucio Dalla Fontana came to the Focolare Centre to work for a period of time, but, instead, he lived the last months of his life , sharing an experience of deep communion with the community he was living with. Fr Lucio Dalla Fontana was really happy when in October 2019 he arrived at the Focolare Diocesan Priests’ Centre at Grottaferrata (Rome-Italy). His bishop, Mgr Corrado Pizziolo, granted him the opportunity to dedicate three years’ work to the Focolare Movement. He came from San Polo di Piave, located in the vast Veneto plain in northern Italy, with a population of about 5,000 inhabitants. For ten years he shared his life with the community of this locality, where he was appreciated for his culture, his ability to build relationships and his very effective homilies. Previously, he spent some years in Germany, with the communities of Frankfurt and Bad Homburg, where he did mission work with Italian immigrants. Fr Lucio met the Focolare Movement at the age of 16, and since then his life was inspired by the ideal of unity. He was ordained priest on May 3, 1986. When he arrived at Grottaferrata he fitted in so well in the life of our priests’ focolare, one of the small communities where diocesan priests and permanent deacons live an experience of brotherhood in the light of Chiara Lubich’s charism. Then the pandemic started, and there came also unexpected news: signs of a serious illness showed that Fr Lucio migħt have “to change his abode” to the other life within a few months. Visits, treatments, hospitalisation meant that plans for the focolare and the community also had to change. Difficulties were not lacking. How could we help him in the best way possible? How could we get news of him when we were not allowed to visit him in hospital? This experience helped us to grow in the art of listening and in respecting diversity, even cultural diversity, which led to different ways of dealing with the problems that arose. This was really a gift and gradually we realized that it was Jesus in our midst who was guiding us. There were times when we were really scared, but we reminded ourselves of the ‘washing of the feet’, a model for our way of life given to us by Chiara Lubich. With the help of friends, we quickly managed to prepare two rooms with all that Lucio needed when he came back from hospital. Everything became an opportunity. He needed to be supported to do his first steps? Lucio created an opportunity for us; he became our gym. Did we need to go to hospital or the pharmacy? These were an opportunity for good walks, healthy exercise for the body, and also for the mind and spirit. Was it necessary to prepare food that fitted into his diet? This made us improve from a gastronomic point of view. At times we had to go from his room to the chapel: this helped us experience the proximity and care of our brother to which the Eucharistic celebration directed us. At a time when the pandemic was suggesting social distancing, we could have easily shut ourselves away from others, yet the experience our focolare lived with Fr. Lucio taught us to be more open to others, to live ‘outwardly’ . As the days went by, the situation became worse. At times it was not easy to find the right solutions, but we tried our best, giving him the care and the full attention he needed. And Fr Lucio repaid us in abundance, because till the very last days of his life he offered us a smile that tasted of heaven.
Don Natale Monza
Dec 24, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Dec 23, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The President of the Focolare entrusts the independent investigation into the case of abuse perpetrated by a former consecrated member in France to the firm GCPS Consulting
On 23rd December Maria Voce and Jesús Morán, respectively President and Co-president of the Focolare, entrusted the investigation into the sexual abuse committed by JMM, a French, former consecrated member of the Movement, to the firm GCPS Consulting, based in the United Kingdom. In addition to the immense suffering, especially for the victims, and the unconditional collaboration of the Focolare in order to shed full light on this case, expressed by the President in the press release of 22 October last, the decision was also announced to entrust the investigation and ascertainment of responsibilities to an independent body. GCPS Consulting is a consulting firm that specializes in helping organisations ensure the safety of children, vulnerable or ‘at risk’ groups and improve their systems for preventing and reporting abuse. It deals with the identification of risks and issues related to safeguarding, and has extensive experience and expertise in policy development, training, review, evaluation, as well as investigations. The task of GCPS Consulting will therefore be to listen to the victims and gather further testimonies, as well as carry out investigations into any omissions, cover-ups or silences by the leaders of the Focolare Movement. In addition, it will gather other reports that may come to light. The investigation is expected to start in January 2021. The independent commission, after the time needed to establish terms and procedures, will begin gathering the stories of the victims in March 2021. By December 2021 a public report will be presented which will detail the findings and recommendations of the inquiry commission. ——————————————— Stefania Tanesini Focolare Movement Press Officer +39 338 5658244 stefania.tanesini@focolare.org ——————————————— Contacts at GCPS Consulting for this case: inquiry@gcps.consulting info@gcps.consulting (Media)
Dec 23, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The next General Assembly of the Focolare Movement will be completely online. A worldwide survey has identified four themes to be explored. The General Assembly of the Focolare Movement, postponed from the beginning of September 2020 to the end of January 2021, will be held completely online. Such was the decision announced by Maria Voce, president of the Movement, at the beginning of December following a survey among all those responsible for the Movement around the world and a subsequent assessment by the General Council of the Focolare. The decision to hold the Assembly online was also helped by the preparations underway after the initial postponement. A survey amongst all the members of the movement identified a number of key themes to focus on in this Assembly. These are: Charism, Incarnation, Environment and Future, Together with the New Generations. Issues Relating to Integral Ecology and Journeying Together with the New Generations. Participants have already been provided with material on these subjects, and experts in these areas have offered their reflections in a number of webinars. The path Due to the aggravated situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was obvious that many of the 362 participants in this six-year event would not be able to travel. This left two options: to either postpone the Assembly further, or hold it partially or completely online. Besides the legal and technical issues to be resolved, other serious questions had to be addressed: how would it be possible to create, in an online assembly, the kind of communion among the participants which would help them to get to know one another and share views about candidates and issues? And how could everyone be guaranteed the same level of technical access and participation in the dialogues? It was also clear that, because of the different time zones, the programme had to take place within a specific timeframe which was equally acceptable to participants from Vancouver in Western Canada as those from Oceania. In short, how could the challenges that the global situation was also imposing on the Focolare Movement be overcome within such a short space of time? Discussions at different levels revealed an overriding willingness to face these challenges with responsibility and creativity rather than postpone this important event any longer. And to make the choice easier, it was just at that time the Vatican gave extraordinary permission to hold the Assembly online, provided that the confidentiality, secrecy and freedom of expression of the vote during the elections were guaranteed. Consequently, Maria Voce decided to organise an online Assembly for everyone – even those who would have been able to meet physically. The technical challenge and online voting Technicians and computer scientists are currently working on ways to create multiple possibilities for formal and informal online meetings. An internationally recognised voting system has successfully passed its first tests. A worldwide communion of goods is trying to ensure that all participants have the tools they need for a stable Internet connection. And for the participants who (from a European perspective) live “on the other side” of the world, solutions are being sought to ease the burden of time zones. The pre-assembly journey also offers the opportunity to look at the legal issues related to how the meeting is conducted and get to know the candidates nominated for the different roles.
Joachim Schwind
Dec 21, 2020 | Non categorizzato
https://vimeo.com/493057517 Happy Christmas, Happy Christmas to you all. For sure this Christmas, in a pandemic year! Christmas in the midst of a pandemic. We see terrible things, poverty to the point of starvation and increasing hunger in many places; we see wars that are partly hidden, partly ongoing; we see climate disasters, changes that are putting our common home at risk. And so all this makes us say: Jesus came into this world; Jesus came; he became man and took charge of this world, and he came through love to show us his love. And so, on the one hand it makes us feel humble before the greatness of this love, and grateful to him who has shown us this love. And on the other hand, it urges us to do something like him, it urges us to look around, to reach out to everyone, starting with the most marginalised, the poorest, humblest, most abandoned, migrants, those who are alone, the sick, children, all those in need. And he also urges us to love them with all that we can: by sharing our affection, our thoughts, our communion of goods and even taking risks at times, risking our lives as he did, And so this will truly be a Happy Christmas, that is, a good Christmas, a Christmas of goodness, a Christmas that because it’s goodness also becomes a Christmas of peace, hope and joy. Happy Christmas to you all.
Maria Emmaus Voce
Dec 19, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The commitment of Youth for a United World in the Philippines to promoting initiatives to help students through the #daretocare project. “Online learning” has now become a feature of this pandemic. Governments all over the world are putting measures in place to reduce the risk of infection from Covid-19 whilst trying to maintain continuity with children’s education. Children no longer go to school physically but “meet” teachers and other students in “virtual classrooms”: the internet has become the new setting for their education. This new model has highlighted a number of difficulties for developed countries. Losing a direct relationship has a negative impact on the quality of teaching and deprives children of a “place” for growth and development which is human relationship. What is also significant is the discomfort that arises from a kind of enforced “cloistering” and the need to reorganize one’s daily life between smartworking, babysitting, medical appointments and various other commitments. 
In developing countries and in rural areas which lack IT infrastructures, these social problems are further compounded by structural ones. Many regions have no internet connection and conditions for families who were already in financial difficulty have worsened because of the pandemic. These families can’t afford to buy educational materials, PCs or internet subscriptions for their children. All this has meant that the risk of an “educational catastrophe” that Pope Francis spoke of on 15 October in his Message for the event dedicated to the “Global Pact for Education” is very real. These difficulties are being felt by people in many parts of the Philippines. There, some of the Youth for a United World are teachers who have developed initiatives to help their students, putting into practice the #daretocare initiative which is about daring to take care of others, being active citizens who take an interest in everything that is happening around the world to try to build a united piece of the world. Frances Roble teaches primary school children. Some of her pupils come from the poorest families who do not have the educational materials they need to follow classes. To make sure their studies could continue, Frances appealed to the whole Focolare community to give them everything they need: “We pick ourselves up again together,” she explains, “by helping others in need to pick themselves up again. Ronald Allan Relador teaches in a public school. Unlike in previous years, his students had to register online at the beginning of this year to attend classes. Most, however, had neither a PC nor an internet connection. Ronald also worked hard to raise enough money to buy computers and register some of the students himself. However, the money raised was insufficient to cover all their needs. Then a well-known music band in the country decided to help by making a major donation. “I felt fulfilled and blessed to have done this,” he says, “God’s generosity is immense!” Jaquilyn Marie P. Jumuad also teaches in a primary school. She said that moving to online self-study has not been easy and has highlighted the difficulties many parents experienced of taking the place of teachers because they lacked a basic education themselves. “The help Youth for a United World offered,” she says, “has enabled us to give our students the level of education they needed.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Dec 15, 2020 | Non categorizzato
On 19 and 20 December the international performing arts group Gen Rosso will hold three Christmas concerts entitled “Life, Love, Care” at three different times to benefit different parts of the world. The pandemic we are experiencing is disrupting the way we live, as well as how we relate to others and the world. Its impact calls us to deeply reflect on global issues, such as the challenge of implementing a project of human coexistence together that brings a better future for us all. In recent years, the international performing arts group Gen Rosso has taken its celebration of life around the world through its “Life” concert. Now is a time for rebirth, and Christmas is the symbol par excellence: Jesus, the Son of God, is born. And it is also the opportunity for a new rebirth to begin to build a better future, one that will only be possible if each of us gets involved by taking care of who and what is around us through gestures of love. They might be small, but they can be daily and concrete. Gen Rosso is personally committed to this challenge, reaching everyone’s homes to help them feel less isolated and bringing a message of fraternity. Through their Christmas concerts, Gen Rosso hopes to celebrate life in all its facets (Life); spread love and beauty, and remind us of the importance of small daily gestures (Love); help everyone feel close to each other, and spread the message of taking care of those around us (Care). Much like what the Gen 4 (the children of the Focolare) will do all over the world with their activity called “They evicted Jesus”, Gen Rosso will contribute part of the ticket proceeds – a spontaneous, freely given donation – to the Fiore Educational Center in Mixco, Guatemala. The school for children and young people has been seriously challenged and compromised by the Covid-19 pandemic, and offers qualification programmes in the field of education with an emphasis on human development. The concert dates are: – Saturday 19 December at 1pm and 9pm (Italian time) – Sunday 20 December at 11:59pm (Italian time) For more information, visit genrosso.com.
orenzo Russo
Dec 14, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The President and Co-President of the Focolare returned to the subject of sexual abuse by consecrated members of the Movement and asked for forgiveness from all the victims. “We must do all we can to ensure that traumas of this kind do not happen again in the future”. Last Sunday, December 13th , at 12 noon there were several thousand people connected from all over the world for the Link Up, the customary appointment in video-conference that for over thirty years has brought together the members of the Focolare Movement. Jesús Morán and Maria Voce, respectively Co-President and President of the Focolare Movement, took the opportunity to look back at the serious and painful issue of sexual abuse of minors, in which consecrated persons of the Movement are also involved. Already in March 2019 Maria Voce had written a letter to all the members worldwide to inform them of this serious scourge. Below is their address during the Link Up: Jesús: Yes, unfortunately – as you rightly say – we have to admit that this scourge of abuse, not only child abuse but also abuse of authority, and other kinds of abuse, has also occurred among us. In this sense, we would like to take this opportunity of a worldwide link to ask for forgiveness wholeheartedly, sincerely, of all the people who have been victims of any form of abuse. This is the first thing we would like to say one year after that letter. Then, as we know that this is never enough, we would like to reaffirm our commitment to the work we are doing, and that we want to improve more and more, in terms of prevention and training, so that these things don’t happen anymore, because they are so contradictory to what Chiara gave us, that they really shouldn’t happen anymore. And then we reiterate the accompaniment of the victims, which is the most important thing and we hope to be able to do it even better, even more effectively. Emmaus: Certainly, of course. It is a suffering that we live together, that we take on together, all together, and only together can we overcome it, because it is a great suffering for everyone. I remember we wrote in that letter that every single case for us means a profound purification of the Movement, and we consider it as such. We accept it – and we said so – with humility and deep compassion for those who have suffered indescribable traumas perhaps because of our lack of attention, and we commit ourselves to directing or refocusing our conduct as individuals and as a Movement towards an ever more conscious and mature commitment to the safeguarding and well-being of minors in particular. But we added at the time – we stressed this in that letter – that we must also be careful to look beyond our Movement, because of course we want to contribute to the fraternity of all, and therefore we must take on board the cry of pain of all those who suffer abuse, especially children but not only, children and young people of the world. And this attention must lead us to see all these people as the Spouse we have chosen, as Jesus forsaken. So we should feel drawn to go and console this pain and to do everything possible to ensure that traumas of this kind do not happen again in future. This applies to the abuse of children and minors, as well as to all the other types of abuse, even of older people, disabled, of those who suffer abuse of any kind, of their rights, their personhood, and their dignity. We should feel drawn to go and love and relieve these wounds, to respond as far as possible with our attention and love for the victims, for all those who suffer, and to ensure that these traumas never happen again.
Edited by Stefania Tanesini
https://vimeo.com/491123510
Dec 14, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Suffering, any kind of suffering, is a reality that people naturally reject and try to avoid at all costs. Yet it is part of human life. Integrating it into our existence is a pathway we must follow towards a life that is fulfilled. Chiara Lubich accepted suffering as a sign or like a “bell” calling her to an encounter with God. I have found you in so many places, Lord! I have felt you throbbing in the perfect stillness of a little Alpine church, in the shadow of the tabernacle of an empty cathedral, in the breathing as one soul of a crowd who loves you and who fills the arches of your church with songs and love. I have found you in joy. I have spoken to you beyond the starry firmament, when in the evening, in silence, I was returning home from work. I seek you and often I find you. But where I always find you is in suffering. A suffering, any sort of suffering, is like the sound of a bell that summons God’s bride to prayer. When the shadow of the cross appears the soul recollects itself in the tabernacle of its heart and forgetting the tinkling of the bell it “sees” you and speaks to you. It is you who come to visit me. It is I who answer you: “Here I am, Lord, I desire you, I have desired you.” And in this meeting my soul does not feel its suffering, but is as if inebriated with your love: suffused with you, imbued with you: I in you and you in me, that we may be one. And then I reopen my eyes to life, to the life less real, divinely drilled to wage your war.
Chiara Lubich
Chiara Lubich, “I have found you”, in Chiara Lubich: Essential Writings, New City Press, Hyde Park, New York 2007, pp 91-92.
Dec 12, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Stories of mutual aid from Central America. A communion of goods that generates hope Because of the pandemic for Covid-19 the countries of Central and South America are going through a moment of great economic fragility: many jobs have stopped, as well as school, social relations, personal affections. In spite of everything, the communion of the goods of the various Focolare communities has never stopped – as Pope Francis asks towards those in difficulty, to generate a culture of fraternity day after day. 
Carolina from Guatemala bears witness to this: “many people are losing their jobs. Among them is one of my cousins. In order to continue generating income he needed a laptop computer. So, without thinking about it, I decided to give him the one I use. He was very grateful to me and I was happy for helping him”. Zarita, a Gen3 (boys from the hearths) from Oaxaca, Mexico, in a zoom meeting learned that the “extraordinary communion Covid-19” had begun. The proposal was to make a piggy bank using recyclable material. Her aunt says: “When Zarita helps me with something she says: ‘give me a coin for my piggy bank’. She also lost two teeth and sent the prize she received for her courage”. In Mexico City, in one of the most marginalized areas, the Águilas Integral Social Centre has been carrying out its mission of promoting human rights and a culture of peace for over 30 years. Some of the Focolare community carries out assistance activities. With the lockdown, the Centre has had to close. Through the extraordinary communion of goods, however, it has continued to respond to the basic needs of the population of the neighbourhood, helping in particular 120 families and ensuring an orderly reopening of the facility in accordance with the hygienic and sanitary measures required by the authorities. In Guatemala, on the other hand, the Fiore Educational Centre, linked to the Focolare Movement, has for years welcomed students of different origins, language and culture, especially from the poorest and most vulnerable groups. The economic crisis generated by COVID 19 has hit the already weak economy of the country very hard. Many families have been left without work and have had to cut education costs in order to have what they need to live. This has forced the Educational Centre Fiore to close, thus putting at risk the education of many children from the most disadvantaged groups. However, thanks to the extraordinary communion of goods, both local and global, it has been possible to intervene to start a requalification project that will allow the reopening of the school. The Gen4 (children from the hearths) from all over the world will also donate to the Flower Centre the offerings collected from the action “They have evicted Jesus“. Moving to Honduras, Javier writes: “Cristina, my neighbour works in a public school but it is now closed. Her husband instead works as a private security agent in a shopping centre, closed for Covid. They can’t pay their rent and bills and have a 13-year-old son. I put myself in their shoes and it is really distressing”. Javier has involved them in small jobs in the neighbourhood and is constantly taking an interest in their situation, without ever failing to provide them with food. And Luis, from Costa Rica says: “some farmers from San Vito, 100 km from Buenos Aires, have donated their harvest to their community affected by the pandemic. Learning this experience, motivated by the great act of love of these people, I immediately organized the pineapple donation at the private company where I work. In response, some of these farmers gave us some of their vegetable, rice and corn seeds, thus being able to continue this experience, which has become a chain. Twelve officials of this company, in their spare time, sowed these seeds so that the harvested products would also be delivered to this area. Given the availability of pineapple that was available, when the European market (which buys them) was closed, we also dedicated ourselves to bartering”.
Lorenzo Russo
If you want to make your contribution to help those suffering from the effects of the global Covid crisis, go to this link
Dec 11, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The new Gen Verde single to support concrete and collective projects to protect Creation Turn Around, Gen Verde’s new single, grew out of a desire to reflect and stimulate concrete action to safeguard the earth, being inspired by contemplating the earth’s beauty. It is a song that is both a prayer and a cry in chorus, a reflection and action, one that instills hope and the desire for change. From young Greta Thunberg’s speech at the UN to Pope Francis’ words in “Laudato Si'”, from the astronaut James Buchli to Chiara Lubich… these were the main inspirations for the new song written by Nancy Uelmen which speaks openly about climate problems and calls for a change of direction giving a voice to what young people are demanding: “It really impresses me to see these young people trying to do something because their future is at risk. As Gen Verde we wondered what we could do and, since we love expressing ourselves through music, we had the idea of writing a song to show the earth’s beauty and put at the centre of our attention Creation as a gift we have received to be protected and taken care of.” . The words are even more powerful when sung by young people from different parts of the world as a choir: from the United States of America to India, from Ireland to Nigeria, New Caledonia and many other countries. “It was a really strong experience,” says Colomba, “when, in spite of the pandemic and not being able to meet physically in a recording studio, we asked lots of young people to give us a hand by recording their contribution to this song. When we put the different voices together we were deeply moved because this song is already carrying the regenerative strength of a group that really wants to reverse this negative trend and who have experienced this, even if at a distance”. And while keeping a compelling style of music for a young audience, this song has also a genuine prayer: “We turn to the “Creator Spirit” (which reminds us a bit of the Schola Gregoriana’s “Veni Creator Spiritus”)” – continues Nancy – “because we feel we need God’s help to have the light to understand how to heal our common home and, more importantly, to change our hearts… not just my heart or someone else’s but the hearts of the whole community”. And of course the lyrics are infused with a hope that is typical of Gen Verde’s songs and a firm belief in the strength of commitment of many to the common good. The song is written in a mainly electronic pop style. It maintains elements of continuity with Gen Verde’s latest albums but at certain points, the music style deviates slightly to encourage personal and collective reflection, inviting people to make a commitment to save the earth. It is a strong commitment which is why the new Turn Around video clip was performed live for the first time at the international meeting entitled The Economy of Francesco. Link YouTube Turn Around.
Tiziana Nicastro
Dec 10, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Three exemplary figures, witnesses that dialogue among religions is possible, all died on 1 December. Men for fraternity. Passionate about the adventure of dialogue among believers of different religions. United by a desire to live in unity, whilst mindful of faith, culture and sensitivity. Imam Nedal Abu Tabaq, muftī of the Muslim League in Poland, the Theravada Buddhist monk Phra Ajahn Eiam, and Henri Teissier, Catholic bishop of Oran, in the north of Algeria, and archbishop of Algiers all died on the same day – December 1st. For their friends on the road of inter-religious dialogue, there remains the the task of taking up their inheritance and renewing their commitment to universal fraternity. Roberto Catalano who is co-responsible for inter-religious dialogue for the Focolare Movement recalls that the Mufti Nedal Abu Tabaq encouraged the start of a path of dialogue among Muslims, Christians and Jews in Poland. Working with believers of the three religions, he promoted numerous events including concerts, symposia and gatherings on the occasion of religious festivals. The latter were always opportunities to share beliefs, values and traditions and a time to create mutual understanding. He worked with the local authorities in the production of a “Calendar of the Three Religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam”. In 2013 he established the “Day of Christianity among Muslims in Poland” on 29th May and the following year the “Day of Judaism among Muslims in Poland” on the 16th of the month. In 2014 the Mufti participated in an Interreligious Conference dedicated to Chiara Lubich, on the fifth anniversary of her death. He died a victim of the coronavirus pandemic. Phra Ajahn Eiam, a Thai Theravada Buddhist monk, is remembered for his encouraging smile, which always lit up his discreet, silent, meditative presence. He was committed to Buddhist-Christian dialogue. Suffering from a tumour, his condition deteriorated with the onset of Covid-19 infection. Bishop Henri Teissier, was born in Lyon and ordained a priest in Algiers in 1955. He was archbishop of the Algerian capital for twenty years. He was a man of dialogue, committed to understanding, respect and esteem among believers in Islam and Christianity. “A lover of Algeria, its people, its language and its culture,” the press agency of the Italian Episcopal Conference reminds us. “He led the Church in Algeria during the tumult of the 1990s, when nineteen nuns and priests and Bishop Pierre Claverie were all assassinated between 1994 and 1996.” Even during the difficult years of the civil war Archbishop Teissier “served the Church and fostered its very vocation of friendship and fraternity with the Algerian people.”. Following his retirement, he devoted his time to writing and participated in conferences all over the world. He died after suffering a stroke. Three exemplary figures, witnesses that dialogue is possible.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Dec 9, 2020 | Non categorizzato
As in previous years the Gen4, children in the Focolare Movement, are once again getting involved in this project to remind everyone of the true meaning of Christmas. 
With the pandemic currently forcing us to avoid personal contact, the Gen4 – boys and girls aged 4-8 in the Focolare Movement – were really wondering how they could prepare for Christmas. “How are we going to do the “they have evicted Jesus” project this year? Will we be able to get together to make the plaster figures of Baby Jesus? Will we be able to go out into the streets to give Jesus to people?” Founded in 1997 this gen4 project goes far beyond the literal meaning of the words: it is about not allowing ourselves to be conditioned by consumerism, but putting real values at the heart of Christmas. The idea came from a reflection by Chiara Lubich who was in Switzerland in the period before Christmas. Walking through the illuminated streets of a big city, Chiara was struck by the lights, the graceful decorations, by so much wealth but above all by the absence of any reference to the meaning of the first Christmas. She wrote: “this rich world has “taken” Christmas and all its trappings but has evicted Jesus! (…) The world focuses on Christmas for the best earnings of the year but it does not think about Jesus”. Since 1997 thousands of Gen4 all over the world have responded to Chiara’s invitation to put Jesus back at the centre of Christmas. In previous years, before we had Covid, the Gen4 offered plaster figures of Baby Jesus or all kinds of nativity scenes they had made themselves in the streets and squares, in the markets, at local institutions and in schools together with a copy of Chiara Lubich’s writing entitled “they have evicted Jesus”. Inherent in this project is the dimension of “gift”, of being aware of others: every year the gen4 think of initiatives to support children their own age in other parts of the world who, like Baby Jesus, lack basic necessities. The people who receive the “Little Baby” often make a spontaneous donation to the particular cause. Last Christmas using the money raised Gen4 centres around the world were able to help the “Centro Social Unidad” (Unity Social Centre) in Bogotá, Colombia, a centre which welcomes children who have emigrated from Venezuela and the Institut de Réducation Audio Phonétique (IRAP) which is the Institute for Deaf Children in the Lebanon. This year everything will be a bit different because the pandemic has taken away some of our freedom. Nevertheless, ideas and creativity for putting Jesus back at the heart of Christmas have not been lacking. How did they manage to make and offer the little plaster figures? In the family, in small groups, in their neighbourhoods and in parishes whilst still respecting all the restrictions and rules in places for this pandemic. This year they also decided to help the “Collegio Fiore” (Flower College) in Guatemala. The project’s financial situation has got worse because of the pandemic which has meant having to temporarily suspend all school activities. They really need the support of the “Jesus is missing” activity so that children can return to school as soon as possible under improved conditions. For more information visit the sito dei e delle Gen4.
Lorenzo Russo
Dec 8, 2020 | Non categorizzato
God does not let himself be outdone in generosity and He surprises us with His providence. This is confirmed by the experience of Urs, from Switzerland: a gesture made out of love can have many positive effects. I was invited to celebrate Christmas Eve with my two brothers and their wives. I wanted to give each of them a present, but there was no money. So, I placed my wish into God’s hands. 
A few days ago, our friend Peter, a pastor in the Reformed Church, invited us to his parish community to make candles out of beeswax. It is a tradition in many places here, but I had never been involved. I went with the others to make my candle and, to my surprise, I saw that it was beautiful. I remembered that my younger brother’s wife is a candle enthusiast. The first gift was ready! 
Every now and then I go and help out in a small company run by my friends, especially when they have to prepare a shipment and are under pressure. The last time I helped, a couple of weeks ago, during a break, I looked in the warehouse among the items they sell and I found a nice box full of notebooks: one a phone book, another a diary, etc … They were very beautiful. I asked the price, but it was beyond what I could afford. So, I continued preparing the shipment. It was an intense day of work. In the end I was tired, but happy to have lent a hand. When I was leaving, the person in charge gave me a bag thanking me for the help I had given during the year. I opened the bag and I was almost in tears: it was the box with those notepads. The gift for my older brother was ready! A few days ago, a friend gave me an envelope with money: He said: “It’s for you – for your personal needs”. Since it was the day of the Christmas market in our village, I went to have a look, but the prices seemed exaggerated. Before I left, I discovered the stand of a farmer who produced organic vinegar enriched with ginger, just what my older brother’s wife likes. It was packaged in a nice little bottle and the money I received was just enough to buy it. Another little gift was ready! When I got home, a friend tells me that he has received a leather briefcase, which he doesn’t need because he already has one and asks me if I could use it. So, I thought about my younger brother, it could be useful as he deals in consultations and estimates. Then I heard from him that, a few days before, his own had broken, so mine arrived just at the right moment! In the end the presents were ready. A personal note was added to the gift, thanking each person for what they meant to me. It was nice, they were very happy! I thought I would go to the Christmas party empty-handed, but Someone thought to find me a gift for each one.
collected by Gustavo E. Clariá
Dec 7, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Chiara Lubich’s consecration to God on December 7, 1943, when she was 23 years old, laid the foundations of the Focolare Movement. Sixty years later she recalled that moment in a telephone linkup, inviting all members of the Movement to give their lives to God once more. … Looking back today, we can understand what the 7th of December 1943, the year of the Movement’s birth decades ago, can tell us. It tells us that a charism of the Holy Spirit, a new light came down on earth during those days, a light that, in the mind of God, was destined to quench the burning thirst of this world with the water of Wisdom, to warm it with divine love and thus give life to a new people nourished by the Gospel. And God decided to call me, a girl like many others, and hence my consecration to him, my “yes” to God, soon followed by the “yes” said by many other young women and men. That day speaks of light, then, and of people giving their lives to God as instruments in his hands for the achievement of his goals. Light and giving our lives to God: two realities that were extremely useful at that time when there was general confusion, mutual hatred and war. It was a time of darkness, when God’s love, his peace, joy and guidance seemed to be absent from the world, and it seemed that no one was interested in him. Light and giving our lives to God, two words which heaven wants to repeat to us again today, when many wars continue to be waged on our planet and terrorism has appeared as something even more frightening. Light means the Word, the Gospel, which is still too little known and, above all, not lived enough. Giving our lives to God is more necessary and right than ever today, considering that men and women who join causes the pursued by terrorism are ready to give their lives. What then should we Christians do, as followers of a God who was crucified and forsaken in order to bring about a new world, for our salvation and for that Life which will never end? … We should go out again into the world as living Gospels, so as to immerse it in its Light. We can do this by continuing to live God’s will in the present moment … without forgetting the Word of Life, which is taken from Scripture and offered to us month by month. … And, almost as if we were reborn, let’s give ourselves completely to God once more, in the path he has chosen for each one of us. In this way, the present and future that God gives us will also be pleasing to him.
Chiara Lubich
(From a telephone conference call, Rocca di Papa, 25th April 1991)
Dec 5, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The help of the Focolare communities in Latin American countries: actual gestures to be “all brothers (and sisters)”, as Pope Francis invoked in his last encyclical. 
In Peru and in the other Latin American countries we see the continuous arrival of migrants, especially from Venezuela, but also Cuba, Central America, Haiti, and Arab countries. The Focolare communities are committed every day to helping these people. Silvano Roggero, a focolarino in Peru tells us: “Our adventure in Peru begins a few days before Christmas 2017. We invited some Venezuelans we met for lunch at home. At first there were five of them, later on we moved to the “Juan Carlos Duque” Centre because more than 120 people came! I remember Geno’s meeting with Karlin and her three young children. Crouching on the pavement, she was selling sweets. Geno heard a loud voice inside: “It’s Jesus!”. Going back he buys some sweets and invites her to lunch. That Sunday she came with the 3 children and also brought her sister with her two children!” In Colombia near Bogotá, Alba, who arrived as a migrant from Venezuela in 2014, has become a point of reference for the “Caminantes” (migrants) who pass by daily at the local Centre. One day, she hadn’t had lunch yet when a pregnant woman with her partner visited the centre needing medical attention. At the local dispensary there was a very attentive and kind nurse who could help them. Despite the cold, the hunger, the worry of leaving her volunteer colleagues alone at the Centre and also her children at home without lunch, Alba accompanied them to the dispensary and waited with them. At the end of the visit she accompanied the two young parents back to the Centre, and guess what happened? The Caminantes, knowing what Alba had done for the couple, put together some money to buy two cartons of eggs for her, her children and colleagues! Truly a hundredfold! From whom? From those who need it most! At the end of 2018, the Focolare community in Mexico City joined in the “humanitarian reception” of groups of migrants. A civil association inspired by the charism of the Focolare Movement gave its technical contribution and coordination to the authorities. A location was established to facilitate the collection and distribution of food, clothes, personal hygiene products and dozens of blankets. You can imagine the gratitude of the migrants. Brazil has also welcomed many migrants. The local community reports: “The multiplication of donations surprises us. We make a request for a heater, suddenly we get much more. Someone asks us for a sink and the next day a person we don’t know offers to help and donates five. One day a friend goes to buy something to give us. He explains to the shopkeeper the reasons for the purchase and is surprised by the discount and the free delivery offered . On another occasion a person we don’t know tells us: “I will organise an event and with the proceeds I will order some food for you to send to those who need it”.
Lorenzo Russo
Dec 4, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Destroyed by the flood of 2019, the Fazenda has been rebuilt through the contribution of the Focolare Movement’s Emergency Coordination Team, Famiglie Nuove Association and Azione Mondo Unito. 
“It was really hard after the tragedy,” said Ildo Foppo, a Focolare Volunteer, who is responsible for the mission of the Fazenda da Esperança in Dombe, Mozambique, referring to the dramatic flood which struck the country in March 2019. “But at the same time we were sure everything that happened could give new life to these places and to this community,” he added, reflecting on the most precious fruits borne of this shared commitment to reconstruction. “The ties with the local Church have strengthened, as well as with the emergency aid organizations and the whole local community. We’ve met so many people and have received many promises of help.” The devastation and necessity to rebuild actually became an opportunity to create jobs for many people. “We formed several cooperatives, each composed of ten families. In this way many were enabled to earn their own living, and start to rebuild their own future”. Now, nearly two years after the flood, the collaboration between the Fazenda and the Focolare Movement’s Emergency Coordination Team, Famiglie Nuove Association and Azione Mondo Unito, has covered repairs to the nursery, the hospital, four hostels, the secondary school and the Church. Accommodation and service blocks have been completely rebuilt. A warehouse was made available for making the cement blocks required for the construction of family houses. During the first phase of the emergency, food supplies were distributed to those who had lost their homes. 550 temporary shelters with latrines were also quickly built for the homeless families. Later a support programme was developed to promote sustainable income-generation for the population. In particular, 150 families received direct help with house repairs as well as the aquisition of seeds, fertilizer and tractor fuel to facilitate their return to agricultural production. In addition, a carpentry workshop was established which offers training and work to more than 60 young people staying at the Fazenda. And a mill was constsructed to serve around 330 families. These plans were completed despite all the recent pressures brought by Covid-19 to the country. For updates on this project and the region, click: Amu or Afn.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
If you want to make your contribution to help those suffering from the effects of the global Covid crisis, go to this link
Dec 2, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Now in its eighth edition, even Covid could not stop the march that is part of the “Harmony Among Peoples” festival. We talk with Antonella Lombardo, artistic director of the Laboratorio Accademico Danza (LAD) dance school in Montecatini, Italy and promoter of the event. We have seen them in the most different places in these months of pandemic: pianists, violinists, rockers, pop and opera singers on the roofs, in the squares, in the parks, always keeping the right distance. It bears witness how nothing and no one can stop artistic expression, not even a worldwide virus. Antonella Lombardo is artistic director of the Laboratorio Accademico Danza school in Montecatini, near Florence, Italy. He’s also the creator of the Harmony Among Peoples festival that for 15 years has been promoting the idea of the search for possible harmony through art, as an inclusive and universal instrument. The 2020 edition did not stop with Covid. 
What shape did the festival take this year? The “Harmony for Peace” march is one of the main events of the “Harmony among Peoples” festival, and we knew that this year we were not going to be able to hold it in the traditional way. A virtual format was the only possibility, and so we launched it on 12 November. We invited schools in the area in which we are located, as well as beyond Italy, to make videos that express the meaning of peace. The response was incredible. Despite the fact that many schools in Italy now use, from a certain degree upwards, education at a distance, teachers supported the project, students responded enthusiastically, and everything took on a higher value, especially from the point of view of building relationships. The teachers collaborated with each other, and many classes made the videos that we posted on the DanceLab Armonia Cultural Association Facebook page. We received works not only from Italy, but also from other countries like France and Jordan. Thus an extremely varied digital marathon took shape and said “peace” in the most diverse artistic and choreographic formats. Of the material you received, was there something that touched you in a particular way? Why? We were struck first of all by the interactions among the kids. We don’t know where all this will lead, and the fact that they got together to work on what it means to build peace, today, is perhaps the most important thing. They had to come up with ideas with their teachers in order to make the videos. They went deep into the meaning of peace, and the fact that it is not a slogan. This made them have to dig into each other’s hearts. Even the civil servants from towns in our area who saw the early beginnings and growth of the “Harmony Among Peoples” festival were enthusiastic and told us that it was one of the most beautiful activities of their lives. In short, these relationships are the most beautiful fruit: true relationships, based on relationships built on our common good. What projects are you working on now? In collaboration with the Custody of the Holy Land, particularly with the support of Fr. Ibrahim Faltas and the John Paul II Foundation, we are working to create a dance school in Bethlehem. This project hopes to be a glimmer of hope and give dignity to so many children in these territories, who are prisoners in the open air. Another project is an international campus for dance, which will be based in Italy but be international. It will be a training centre where art will become a tool to break any kind of barrier – a place for all young people who want to leave their mark and use this language to bring beauty everywhere, even where it seems impossible.
Stefania Tanesini
Dec 1, 2020 | Non categorizzato
His Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople came to the Focolare Movement’s international centre on 20 October, where he visited the tomb of Chiara Lubich. He met representatives of the Movement’s General Council. This is the transcript of his address.
Homily of his Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome,
and Ecumenical Patriarch, for the Centenary of the birth of Chiara Lubich
Rocca di Papa-Rome, 20th October 2020
Dear Maria Voce, Emmaus, President of the Focolare Movement, Your Eminences, Your Excellencies, Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, With great joy we have accepted the invitation to come here at the end of this journey to the Eternal City, Ancient Rome, to Rocca di Papa, where our beloved Chiara is resting, awaiting the Resurrection. It is particularly significant that we come in the centenary year of her birth – Chiara was, in fact, born in 1920 – to pay homage to her and to express our thanks to the Lord of life for having granted her to us for so long, but above all for having flooded her with his dazzling grace, expressed in the phrase that reminds us of her here: “And we have believed in Love”. The Love in which she believed and in which she grafted her whole life does not belong to this world, but did become incarnate in the world so that we could experience Him, so that we could know Him, so that we could meet Him in our brothers and sisters, everywhere in the world; so that we could taste Him, becoming one with Him, in the Holy and Divine Eucharist. How many other things our Chiara would have done if she were still among us! But it is not the years that give meaning to life, it is not the quantity, the length, but how we use the talents that He has offered us. It is the quality of life, spent to bear witness to Him who is Life. If we think, for example, of St Basil of Caesarea, the great Father of the Church, the first of the Cappadocian Fathers, he had a very short life, not even fifty years. And yet that short life, offered entirely to the Lord, produced theological, liturgical, dogmatic and ascetic works, which “bear unmistakable traces of his pen, his mind and his heart”. He was a forerunner in caring for the poor and suffering, building a little city of charity with inns, hospices and a leprosarium, called the Basiliad: it was the first hospital in history. He also took care of nature and animals, about which modern themes emerge in his famous prayer dedicated to animals. If in such a few years St Basil did such works, it is because he had completely filled his whole life with Love for Christ, giving him his breath of every moment to the point of giving his soul to God, much tried by austerities, illnesses and worn out by worries. Our Chiara lived a longer life, but in the same way she left us a legacy on which we must meditate much still. She left us the charism of unity at all levels. She lived it, experienced it, spent all her strength on it and taught everyone to play their role in society in the best way possible. We can safely say that Chiara took on this commitment to fraternity, unity and peace in all areas of human life, giving us a message through her life and her writings that we cannot ignore. The Movement and all the works that exist today, thanks to her charism, are the witness of a life spent for the Lord, which has also passed through the Cross, but was always aimed at the Resurrection. After Chiara, the helm then passed to a very dear sister of ours, whose friendship with us and with our Ecumenical Patriarchate is long and steadfast, since the years of her stay in Constantinople, where she truly left an indelible mark of the ministry of fraternity, unity and love for all: Maria Voce-Emmaus. Taking on Chiara’s mantle, during these years Maria Voce has known how to be like the good servant in the Parable of the Talents. She did not hide the talent underground, but she made it fruitful again and again, and her Lord will certainly know how to show his gratitude to her. Having reached the end of your term as President, we also wish to thank you for your great contribution to this work; the memory we have of you, like all of you, is in our heart, and you will certainly continue the charism, wherever the Lord will call you. May God, in His immense mercy, grant this work that is pleasing to Him, a worthy successor, who is once again able to surprise and amaze us and all of you, to enlighten every people in the world with the power of Love that overcomes all things, because “to love, the Christian must do as God does: not wait to be loved, but be the first to love”. (Cit. Chiara Lubich). May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Read also the article about the Patriarch’s visit to the International Focolare Centre
Nov 30, 2020 | Non categorizzato
When Chiara Lubich spoke of suffering and pain, she did not limit herself to a philosophical, psychological or spiritual concept. She always looked towards the person she called the “spouse of her soul”, Jesus, at the moment when on the cross he experienced being forsaken by the Father and cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46). In her deep and mysterious relationship with Him she found the strength to accept every suffering and transform it into love. We would die if we did not look at you, who transformed, as if by magic, every bitterness into sweetness; at you, crying out on the cross, in the greatest suspense, in total inactivity, in a living death, when, sunk in the cold, you hurled your fire upon the earth, and reduced to infinite stillness, you cast your infinite life to us, who now live it in rapture. It is enough for us to see that we are like you, at least a little, and unite our suffering to yours and offer it to the Father. So that we might have Light, you ceased to see. So that we might have union, you experienced separation from the Father. So that we might possess wisdom, you became “ignorance.” So that we might be clothed with innocence, you made yourself “sin.” So that God might be in us, you felt him far from you.
Chiara Lubich
Essential Writings, New City Press, 2007 p. 9
Nov 28, 2020 | Non categorizzato
In two cities on the Syrian coast, a group of volunteers from the Focolare Movement is promoting a project that provides nutritious meals for elderly or disadvantaged people and families in need. 
“Working in a team made me feel that God is close to us; in addition, this collective commitment has made us one family.” This is what Hazem said about her experience of being involved in the “Lokmat Mahaba” project. In Arabic this means “a morsel of love”. The initiative, promoted by the Focolare Movement and supported with funds from AMU (Action for a United World) Syria Emergency provides support for families in need who are living in the cities of al-Kafroun and Mashta al-Helou, in north-west Syria. Christians of different denominations work together for this project. “Lokmat Mahaba” operates in a context marked by economic crisis, a very high level of tension and conflict, severe restrictions imposed by the EU and the United States, the depreciation of the Syrian lira and a decrease in life expectancy for the inhabitants in the area. Furthermore, the covid pandemic has exacerbated the already difficult situation. Nonetheless, the small group of volunteers offers help to about twenty families made up of displaced persons and residents who are facing many economic and health challenges. The volunteers offer their time and energy. Some even offer the fruits of their land. Others make a small but significant economic contribution. They are not the only people who sustain his project. People living in other nearby villages, university lecturers and people who give small donations all play their role. This means that it is possible to prepare and deliver one meal a week to each family. The volunteers take the food to the house just before lunchtime. Referring to these visits, Micheline said, “Those few minutes in which we stand with each family while they share the food help us to enter into their world. The prayers that we listen to and the relationships we are building are the real treasure of the project.” And what a joy it is to participate in the enthusiasm of the children – and of those who have not been children for a long time – who anxiously await that “morsel of love”: “Sharing everyday concerns and being with them as one” keep the enthusiasm and commitment alive in everyone. The volunteers have said that the strength to carry on this work comes from receiving the Eucharist and from sharing moments of prayer. One year after the start of the project, in September 2019, the group of volunteers and collaborators has grown and Father Gandhi Muhanna, pastor of the Maronite Church, has offered the use of the kitchen in his home for the preparation of meals. It is difficult to prepare healthy and nutritious meals, from good quality ingredients that are often difficult to find, while food prices continue to rise. However, none of the volunteers are backing down from this challenge: the aim is to develop the project, expand the network of co-workers, increase the quality and frequency of meals, but above all reach a growing number of families and people in need and to “use all means possible to share the gifts that each one has received from God.”
Claudia Di Lorenzi
If you want to make your contribution to help those suffering from the effects of the global Covid crisis, go to this link
Nov 26, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The Focolare Movement received the “I do my part” international award from the Kronos Academy for its commitment in favour of our planet through its ecological initiative by EcoOne. Pope Francis and Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian explorer and anthropologist are also among the winners of the 2020 edition. The latter received the award posthumously. 
An old African tale relates that during a forest fire a hummingbird, the smallest of birds, flew towards the fire while all other animals fled away from it. When the lion asked the hummingbird about its behaviour, the bird with a drop of water on its beak, replied: “I’m doing my part!”. The international award, assigned by the Kronos Academy takes its name from this story. It has now reached its fourth edition, and it is rewarded annually to people, entities and nations that “do their part” in favour of the environment and the earth’s climate. Among the eight winners of this edition, there is also EcoOne, the Focolare international initiative promoted by a network of lecturers, academics, researchers and professionals who perform in environmental sciences and strive to enrich their scientific knowledge through a profound humanistic reading of contemporary ecological problems (www.ecoone.org). 
Due to the pandemic, the award ceremony could not be held, as scheduled, at the Protomoteca Hall of the Campidoglio in Rome. The Focolare Movement received its reward on Thursday, 26 November 2020, at its international headquarters in Rocca di Papa, Rome from Vincenzo Avalle, member of the National Board of the Kronos Academy, who was accompanied by Armando Bruni, the Coordinator for the Academy in Central Italy and three environmental officers. Prof. Luca Fiorani, President of EcoOne received the award on behalf of the Focolare Movement. He was presented with a sculpture of a hummingbird, made of recycled metal by the artist Renato Mancini, and an award certificate. “This award is meant to stimulate, to motivate all those who are committed to protect the environment”, explained Vincenzo Avalle, while he continued: “I was struck by the complex Focolare activity in favour of the environment as expressed by EcoOne, supported by science and interaction with politics”. When Fioriani received the award, he said: “I can see a great synergy between the Kronos Academy and the Focolare/EcoOne, because we are complementary: Kronos originates from action, EcoOne from reflection. We need one another. The Focolare Movement can contribute to different areas of cultural depth, especially economy and politics, both decisive for the environment. We can also offer our international experience”. He added: “I see a possibility of collaboration, of very strong synergy. There are so many entities that work for the environment. I think it’s time that all these organizations pool their work together”. The Kronos Academy (www.accademiakronos.it) continues with the work and spirit of “Kronos 1991”, one of the first environmental organisations that was set up. With about 10,000 members in Italy and international offices and references, it is committed to protect the environment and quality of life. In collaboration with Scientific Institutes and Universities, Kronos offers a degree course for “Environmental Educator and Disseminator” and two masters degree courses in “Health and Environment”, and it supports a supervisory body for environmental prevention and information. But above all it invites people the world over to “do their part” to safeguard the environment.
Joachim Schwind
Nov 26, 2020 | Non categorizzato
At the school of Jesus, we can learn to be witnesses and instruments of the Father’s tender and creative love for each other. It is the birth of a new world, which heals human coexistence from the root and attracts God’s presence among men, an inexhaustible source of consolation to dry every tear. An unusual idea My husband and I were traveling on the highway when I noticed a couple in the car behind us. The man behind the wheel seemed very agitated, and his driving was dangerous. When we got to a toll booth, I had an idea: why not pay the toll for them too? While my husband was paying ours, I gave the clerk the amount for those behind us, with the following message: “Good day and happy vacation from the couple in the Massachusetts car”. And I explained to my husband, who didn’t understand, that perhaps this small gesture would have reminded the man that someone loved him. Who knows, it could give a different tone to their trip! Looking back, I saw that the tollbooth employee was talking to that couple, pointing in our direction. After a while, resuming the route, their car approached ours. The man was smiling, while she showed off a piece of paper with big letters: “Your kindness worked! Thank you, Massachusetts!” A., U.S.A. Peace in the family For years our relationship with our daughter Grazia and son-in-law has been painful. He became jealous of us to the point that Grazia could no longer visit us. For my part, I could not forgive her such passivity. Then there was a phone call with my son-in-law: an hour and a half of accusing each other. That night I was unable to sleep. I decided to write them both a letter, in which I apologized and assured them that they always had a place in our hearts. I did not expect anything from that letter, but he called me, evidently moved, and said that Grazia would come over the next day. Not long after there was a phone call from our son-in-law’s parents, whom we hadn’t heard from for years. They confirmed that the situation had completely changed: in fact they invited us to spend a few days with them. Never had there been so much affection shown to us, and we spent peaceful days together that we will not easily forget. Returning home, my husband and I thanked God, because with a simple letter he had given us the immense gift of peace in the family. R., Italy The missing amount It seemed to my wife and me that the time had come to buy a house. Having gone through our accounts, committed all our savings and the advance from a sale, we were still missing an amount to be able to make a 10-year mortgage. During that time, at work we made a big purchase. The supplier took me aside and informed me that when I wanted to, I would get “mine” if I stopped by. I understood what he meant by “mine”: a certain amount that I could pocket. In other words, if not a form of corruption, it was certainly unethical, which frequently happens in buying and selling. On the one hand, that amount would have been convenient, and the temptation to accept it was no small thing. But the freedom to be “pure of heart”, as the Gospel says, is priceless. The certainty that God will provide, as he has abundantly provided so far, made us reject the offer and, in addition, gave us the urge to donate our second car to a person who surely needs it more than we do. A., Italy
compiled by Stefania Tanesini
(from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VI, n.6, November–December 2020)
Nov 24, 2020 | Non categorizzato
On the 50th anniversary of Religions for Peace, we take a look at what progress has been made and visions for the future with Azza Karram, recently elected Secretary General. Azza Karram was elected Secretary General of Religions for Peace in August 2019. Born in Egypt, a Dutch citizen, professor of religious studies and diplomacy, former UN official, her soul has a universal dimension, and she now leads a movement made up of more than 900 religious leaders from 90 different countries, committed with her to making peace a place of encounter and a journey to be travelled together as a community. Religions for Peace held its first assembly in 1970 between 16 and 21 August. It was led by the great Japanese visionary Nikkyo Niwano, founder of the Rissho Kosei-kai. In the 1990s he also involved Chiara Lubich in this world assembly. He saw in her a unique spiritual and pragmatic consonance. This year Religions for Peace celebrates its 50th anniversary. We got in touch with Azza Karram in New York to ask her what progress has been made and to share her vision for the future. It’s been 50 years since Religions for Peace was founded, what do you see as the movement’s mission and what message is the movement giving today? After 50 years of life, we have seen how necessary it is for religions to work together, regardless of institutional, geographical or doctrinal differences. This is the message we give even if we have not yet realized it perfectly because we know that there is a process of continuous learning and the fatigue of working together. Covid has further emphasized the need to work together. Religious communities and NGOs inspired by religious values are already doing so because they were the first to respond to this humanitarian crisis. It is true that health institutions have also intervened but they would not have been able to do so properly without the religious institutions which have not only offered a medical, financial and psychological response to the crisis but have also been able to see the spiritual needs of a community and are responding fully on all fronts. And yet, how many of these religious institutions, while responding to the needs of the one same community, are working together? Very few and not for lack of exigencies, expertise or knowledge. Sometimes I suspect that we are really trying to save our institutions, and working together in this complex time requires even more effort and commitment because it is easier to be concerned about the sanctity and cohesion of our groups than be open to a universal commitment. Instead, Covid is forcing us to act differently. We wanted to launch a multi-religious humanitarian fund precisely to show that responding to a need together means having the intention and will to build a common future which does and will bring about abundant fruits: we know this from our history and we want to continue to show how fruitful inter-religious collaboration is. What challenges does Religions for Peace face? I think the challenges Religions for Peace faces are the same as those faced by all institutions, not just religious, but political, institutional, judicial and financial in terms of trust, efficiency, legitimacy and competences. In my opinion religious institutions have been suffering from these crises for a long time and will continue to suffer from them longer than civil institutions. Back again to the pandemic. Blocks and closures have created an institutional breakdown in our communities. We all understand what it is like not to be able to meet together anymore which is one of the basic and fundamental functions of our experiences. Instead, these functions are under threat for churches, temples, mosques and synagogues that used to welcome hundreds or thousands of people but are now restricted to 50 or a few dozen. Not being able to meet together in person has meant having to restructure our religious services which we have done but how much is this affecting religious practice? Not only the members of these communities but also those who lead them are having to redefine their role and how they carry it out in the world. So, if I am already struggling to survive as an institution, how can I work with others who are experiencing the same difficulties in other parts of the world? All of us are challenged to think differently – the United Nations, governments and we too as religions. And then the very existence of faiths is threatened in countries and societies where authoritarianism does not allow the practice of faith and where the regimes feel their intrinsic fragility to be threatened by the voices that speak out for human rights, justice and multilateralism. To respond to these challenges we need to work together more closely, we need financial resources and dare I say we also need greater political awareness of the social role that multi-religious collaborations play which should also be supported economically because they provide spaces of service, meeting and unique resources for the growth of a society. Instead, I see that faiths are often on the margins and if they do work together they are generally the last to be considered in governments’ plans. You cited collaboration as a fundamental pillar of inter-religious experience. We know that Religions for Peace has been collaborating with the Focolare movement for a long time. How do you see this work continuing and how can it be implemented? It has been a long-standing collaboration that began in 1982 and saw Chiara Lubich elected as one of the honorary presidents of Religions for Peace in 1994 and now Maria Voce has been one of our co-presidents since 2013. When I started my term of office, I promised myself that I would honor all those who have gone before me and who have allowed Religions for Peace to be what it is and so this also includes Chiara. I really need to find a space, also on our website, to talk about this friendship. The thing that strikes me most about our bond, both in the past and now, is that it has always been a vital, living collaboration formed by the people. The fact that someone from the Focolare is still responsible for communications at Religions for Peace is a fruit of this inheritance, and over the years, members of the focolare have served our movement in the most varied ways as has the Rissho Kosei-kai. These inter-religious collaborations where human resources are shared, images of the living divine that honor the sacred space of dialogue with their presence, are for me a sign of reciprocity towards God because through working together in inter-religious dialogue we are serving Him and showing everyone the beauty of having created us of so many religions. How do you see the future for Religions for Peace? I imagine it under the banner of multilateralism. Just as the United Nations is the multilateralism of governments, I see our movement as the multilateralism of religions. We are, after all, committed as human beings at a micro and macro level to preserving the diversity willed by the Creator and saving it for all, including the institutions. I imagine the benefits that institutions might derive from this vision and from our work, and if we work together we will all flourish. If political institutions are only interested in saving themselves and if religious bodies are only interested in saving themselves, this will not only lead to the destruction of our groups but of the whole planet. Instead, the Pope himself, first with the Laudate Si and now with his new encyclical, which was the result of a document he wrote with the highest Sunni leader, is calling us, is a call to all of us to safeguard the earth, but above all a call for the inclusive, human fraternity of all religions. We support this encyclical and this call to fraternity excludes no one, not even those without faith, and we will fight to really make it the patrimony of all religions.
Edited by Maddalena Maltese
Nov 23, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Suffering teaches wisdom. This is the belief expressed by Chiara Lubich in the following reflection. We should approach those who suffer not only with compassion, but with an attitude of reverence and listening. Why is that some people, although unlettered, even in religious fields, have become saints by reading only one book, that of the crucified Christ? It is because they did not stop at contemplating him, or at venerating him or at kissing his wounds, but they wanted to relive him in themselves. And those who suffer, and are in darkness, see farther than those who do not suffer, precisely because the sun must set before we can see the stars. Suffering teaches what you cannot learn by any other means. It teaches with the greatest authority. It is the teacher of wisdom, and blessed is the one who has found wisdom (see Proverbs 3:13). “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Mt 5:4). Blessed not only with the reward of heaven, but also with the contemplation of heavenly things while here on earth. We have to approach with reverence those who suffer, reverence like that once accorded the elderly when their wisdom was sought.
Chiara Lubich
Taken from “The sun must set” in Chiara Lubich: Essential Writings, New City Press, Hyde Park, New York 2007, p 92.
Nov 20, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Jesus is not indifferent to our tribulations and sufferings: he wants our hearts to be healed from the bitterness of selfishness. He wants to fill our loneliness and give us strength in all we do. A marriage saved One of our daughters was going through an extremely difficult moment in her marriage. When I spoke to her on the phone she was in tears and confided in me that she had lost all hope of saving her marriage and that the only solution was to divorce. My husband and I have always been struck by the promise Jesus made to the disciples: “If two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.” With this faith, I promised our daughter that we and her five other siblings would pray for reconciliation. Not long afterwards, she called me up. She sounded elated and almost incredulous. After much reflection, her husband agreed to talk to people who could help them solve their problems, and they did manage to save their marriage. A few years later, our son-in-law shared with her his desire to become a Catholic and asked her to come with him to see a priest so that they could start the process. (G. B. – Usa) A new beginning I was really looking forward to teaching at a Church of England secondary school in West London but my enthusiasm soon began to wane. Not being welcomed by the students as I would have wished and in being constant conflict with them, I started to assert my authority. However, when I shared the situation with friends, I realised I had to try a different tactic. Even though I felt I was in the right, it wasn’t what Jesus would have done. The following day I apologized to the class saying that I had probably made a lot of mistakes that a more experienced teacher would not have made. As the pupils listened in total silence, I said I would try to see them all with new eyes and I hoped they would do the same with me. One of the main troublemakers publicly accepted my apology, and apologised in turn for his own behaviour and that of the rest of the class. Several students nodded at these words. I saw some of them smiling. Something almost unheard of had just happened: a teacher had apologised in front of the whole class. It was a new beginning for everyone. (G.P. – England) The boy at the crossroads Every morning, before I start work as a traffic policeman, I go to Mass and ask Jesus to help me to love everyone I meet during the day. One day, at a busy crossroads, I saw a young lad speeding by on his motorbike. After a while he came back again at very high speed, and this carried on several times. I told him to stop, hoping in my heart that he won’t cause trouble, but to no avail. Finally he did stop, just to say to me: “I have so many problems and I just want them to end with my life”. I listened to him for a long time whilst carrying on with my work. I offered him my willingness to help and decided not to give him a ticket. He left much more at peace. One day a few years later while I was on duty in another place, a young man came up to me with a big smile on his face and hugged me warmly. I said to him: “Look, you must have got the wrong person ” to which he replied, “No, I’m the guy at the crossroads; now I’m happily married and happy with life. I came all the way back here from the town where I now live because I wanted to thank you”. In my heart all I could do was thank God. (S.A. – Italy)
edited by Stefania Tanesini
(taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, year VI, no.6, November-December 2020)
Nov 18, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Originally planned as part of the centenary year of Chiara Lubich’s birth, this event was postponed due to the pandemic, and the funds raised distributed to people in need. It’s now being launched on social media by the Focolare Movement in Brazil, with the original content but communicated in a completely new way. The physical exhibition was originally scheduled for August 2020, then shifted to November and finally arrived at its destination on the web. Dedicated to Chiara Lubich to mark the centenary year of her birth, the exhibition is now accessible through Focolare Brazil @focolaresbrasil (Facebook, Instagram e Youtube). Photos, videos and articles will be published daily throughout the month of November 2020. It’s even better than originally planned, because it’s open to a wider public online and it’s been enriched by the contributions of an intergenerational team. We spoke with Josè Portella, one of the exhibition curators. How did you decide to replace the physical show with a virtual one? Who is part of the team and tell us something of how you’ve worked together? There are 16 of us in the team, young and older, all members of the Focolare Movement in different vocations: youth, Volunteers of God and Focolarini. We’ve been working together since early 2019 to curate a version for Brazil of the original Chiara Lubich centenary exhibition launched in the Gallerie in Trento, Italy. When Covid-19 took hold, we realized that the most important way for us to “celebrate” Chiara’s centenary was to help those suffering from the effects of the pandemic. So, in agreement with the benefactors who had already donated money to fund the exhibition, we distributed all we had received to those in immediate need. After we had decided to do this, we learned that the Trento exhibition was planning to make some of its resources available online. We understood that in order to engage deeply with the reality of Brazil, it was not enough simply to translate the material from Italian into Portuguese. We asked ourselves, why don’t we create something online specifically designed for our own country? Working with experts from the younger generations who joined our team, we split into three groups to adapt the original Trento material, prepare videos and assess the financial implications. It was an experience of unity among generations. The main challenge was to maintain faithfulness to the narrative of the Trento exhibition while incorporating a Brazilian approach and the language of social media. What can online visitors expect from this exhibition? Firstly, four promotional videos and a launch video of the exhibition. Then, we meet Chiara Lubich and her charism through three main themes: being – the story of Chiara Lubich; influence – testimonies of people who know and live the spirituality of unity; action – the many and varied realities born through the charism. What do you think is Chiara Lubich’s message for Brazil today, in the context of the global pandemic we are living through? When she visited Brazil in 1991, Chiara Lubich seeing the inequalities present in our society, had an intuition of an Economy of Communion. She foresaw that the Movement in Brazil was called to engage in a communion of goods on a global level. Today, in the context of the pandemic, living this charism in practice means taking care of each other, not only sharing material goods but dedicating our lives in service of others, not asking ourselves ‘who is my neighbour?’ but rather ‘who am I a neighbour to?’. As Pope Francis has written in his Encyclical “Fratelli tutti”, we are called as a people to act in fraternity, following the example of the Good Samaritan. Only in this way will “new men and women” (of the Gospel) emerge to build a more inclusive and fraternal society.
by Anna Lisa Innocenti
Nov 16, 2020 | Non categorizzato
In the spirituality of unity a person not only seeks God in the depths of their own soul, but discovers His presence in the space that opens up when two or more people love one another in the spirit of the Gospel. The image that Chiara Lubich uses to describe this reality is that of a castle: not an interior castle, but an exterior one. For those who follow the way of unity, the presence of Jesus in the midst of their brothers and sisters is essential. Despite our personal inadequacy, we must always keep this presence alive. It is precisely this that characterizes the charism of unity. Just as two poles of electricity, even when there is a current, do not produce light until they are joined together, likewise two persons cannot experience the light of this charism until they are united in Christ through charity. In this way of unity, everything — in our work, study, prayer, striving toward sanctity or the spreading of Christian life — takes on meaning and value, as long as we keep, with our brothers and sisters, the presence of Jesus in our midst, for that is the norm of norms for this way of life. In this spirituality we reach sanctity if we walk toward God in unity. … St. Teresa of Avila, a doctor of the church, speaks of an “interior castle”. It is the soul with the divine majesty dwelling at its centre, revealing and shedding light on everything throughout life, allowing it to overcome every sort of trial. Even though St. Teresa drew all her daughters into this experience, it is a height of sanctity that is primarily personal. But then came the moment at least so it seemed to us, of discovery, of shedding light upon and building not just the “interior castle” but “the exterior castle.” But if we consider that this new spirituality God is giving the Church today has reached leaders in Church and society, then we see that this charism … tends to make an exterior castle also in the whole body of the Church and of society. Pope John Paul II, speaking recently to some seventy bishops, friends of the Movement, said: “The Lord Jesus … did not call his followers to individual discipleship but to a discipleship that is both personal and communitarian. And if that is true for all the baptized, it is true in a special way … for the apostles and for their successors the bishops.” 1 So this spirituality, like all charisms, is for the whole people of God whose vocation is to become ever more united and ever more holy.
Chiara Lubich
Taken from: “A Spirituality of Communion” in Chiara Lubich: Essential Writings, New City Press, Hyde Park, New York 2007, pp. 31-32. 1) Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, XVIII [Teachings of John Paul II] (1995) 1, Città del Vaticano 1997, p.382.
Nov 14, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Open to all, a Webinar promoted by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America to reflect and analyse the impact and consequences of COVID-19. The social, economic and political implications along with the thought of Pope Francis. The virtual seminar entitled Latin America: Church, Pope Francis and the pandemic scenario will take place on November 19th and 20th 2020 and will be open to all those interested in this part of the world, which is also heavily affected by the virus; a situation already problematic due to many areas of poverty and marginalisation. The event aims to reflect on and analyse the pandemic situation on the Latin American continent, its consequences and, above all, the proposals of action and of aid from governments and from the Church. It is organised by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and by the Latin American Episcopal Conference (CELAM), The Pope will contribute with a video-message. Contributions will also be made by Card. Marc Ouellet, President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Mgr Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte, President of CELAM, Carlos Afonso Nobre, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2007, the economist Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the entre for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and Gustavo Beliz, Secretary for Strategic Affairs of the Argentinean Presidency. The introductory note to the seminar explains that to date, on the Latin American continent, as in the rest of the world, it is impossible to calculate the damage of the pandemic: “In many cases, the negative effects of border closures and the consequent social and economic repercussions were only the beginning of a spiral of damage not yet quantified, and even less a medium-term solution”. For this reason, the seminar will be an opportunity for the missionary and pastoral work of the Catholic Church and the contribution of various specialists from the world of economics and politics to meet and dialogue in order to strengthen a cultural and operational network and thus ensure a better future for the continent. Pope Francis will also participate at the presentation of the Task Force against Covid-19, established by him and represented at the seminar by its head who will present the work of the Task Force. In times of uncertainty and lack of future, the Church looks to the “continent of hope” and seeks shared instruments that can transform the crisis into opportunities or at least find a way out. For the programme of the event sign in here
Stefania Tanesini
Nov 13, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The Global Compact on Education, suggested by Pope Francis, invites all people to adhere to a Pact. This was discussed this with Silvia Cataldi, a sociologist and professor, who lectures at La Sapienza University, Rome. The protagonists are the ones who hope in a world of more justice, solidarity and peace. The Global Compact on Education, suggested by Pope Francis, speaks of youth as being, at the same time, both beneficiaries and agents in the field of education. Together with their “families, communities, schools, universities, institutions, religions and government” they are called “to subscribe to a global pact on education” and to commit themselves to a more fraternal and peaceful humanity. This was discussed during the meeting entitled “Together to look beyond”, held at the Pontifical Lateran University, in Rome on October 15. In a video message, the Holy Father urged all people of good will to adhere to the Pact. Silvia Cataldi, sociologist and professor at La Sapienza University in Rome commented on the Pope’s words In recent years we have noticed the youth’s sturdy protagonism where important current affairs are concerned. The educational model that sees them as passive subjects seems to be obsolete… “Often, educational models limit themselves to think of culture as a concept. The pedagogist Paulo Freire speaks of the “banking model of education”, where knowledge can be poured or deposited as if in a container. However, this knowledge has two risks: that of remaining abstract and detached from life, and that of assuming a hierarchical vision of knowledge. With respect to this, the Pact strikes me as an educator, because it invites us to listen to the cry of the younger generations, to let ourselves be questioned by their questions. We must realize that education is a participatory path, and not a unidirectional one”. So, what does to educate mean? “The term culture stems from colere and it means to cultivate, a verb which indicates that one needs to dedicate time and space, by starting from questions and not from providing answers. But it also means to take care, to love. This is why I am so impressed by the Pact, because it strongly affirms that “education is above all a matter of love”. When we speak of love we think of the heart, of feelings. But love has an eminently practical dimension, it requires hands. So, we educators do our work only if we manage to understand that education is care. Daily care is revolutionary because it is an element of criticism and of transformation of the world. Hannah Arendt explains this well when she says that “Education decides whether we love the world enough because it leads to its transformation”. How can we make sure that the Pact does not remain just an appeal? The call to universal brotherhood – the core of the Pact – has important implications, but to have a transforming power it must promote a change of perspective that leads one to welcome diversity and heal inequalities. The French sociologist Alain Caillé says that “fraternity is plural”, and this means that if in the past brotherhood was only among peers, relatives, in a class or in a group, today it requires recognition of “the specificity, beauty, and uniqueness” of each one. Moreover, if we are all brothers, then our way of conceiving reality changes, because we look at it from a specific perspective, which is that of the least ones, and we are pushed to act, as for example, to protect the fundamental rights of children, women, the elderly, the disabled and the oppressed”.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Nov 11, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The commitment of the young people of the Ho Chi Minh City Focolare Movement in Vietnam for people in difficulty: to take care of their needs by distributing 300 parcels of goods to families and 370 small gifts for children. 
In July 2020, some gen2 and youths of the Focolare in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam wanted to do something concrete for #daretocare – the focolare youth Campaign to “take responsibility” for our society and the planet -, to help people in the community who are in need. They chose to go and share their love to Cu M’gar district, Dak Lak province. It is a place with the widest coffee area and the people come from another ethnic group. It’s 8 hours’ drive from HCMC. “We started to pack and sell fruits, yogurt, and sweet potatoes online. We collected used clothes for adults and kids, we received some donations and at a certain point the restrictions for COVID19 was over so we were able to sell goods as “fundraising” at the parish. During the preparation, it was a big challenge for us to see things together, misunderstanding and disagreements were not lacking. But knowing that there will be 300 families who are waiting for us we continue to go ahead with love, patience and a little of sacrifice. On the 17 – 18 October with 30 energetic and enthusiastic youths, we made a meaningful trip. We were able to distribute 300 parcels of goods to the families and 370 small gifts for the kids. During the trip, we realized how lucky and happy we are compared to the situations of these families. We shared what we have brought to show our love but at the end we received more LOVE through their smiles… In fact, every time we approach them it seemed like we have known each other for a long time. During the trip some of the youths brought their friends. We found ourselves being together from different parts of Vietnam. There was a joy to know each one, to laugh and to work together like brothers and sisters without any distinctions. Thank you for this project #daretocare, a good excuse to work together and build this fraternal brotherhood among us”.
Gen and youth of the Focolare Movement in Vietnam
Nov 9, 2020 | Non categorizzato
A communitarian spirituality also involves a communitarian “purification”, as Chiara Lubich explains in the following text. Just as loving our neighbour according to the Gospel brings great joy, so too a lack of relationships and of unity with others can cause suffering and pain. Since communitarian life must be fully personal as well, it is our general experience when we are alone that, after loving our brothers and sisters, we become aware of our union with God. … So it can be said that when we go to our brothers and sisters … by loving as the gospel teaches, we become more Christ, more truly human. And, since we try to be united with our brothers and sisters, in addition to silence we have a special love for the word, as a means of communication. We speak in order to become one with others. We speak, in the Movement, in order to share our experiences of living the Word of Life, or of our own spiritual life, aware that the fire that does not grow is extinguished and that this communion of soul has great spiritual value. Saint Lawrence Giustiniani said: “Nothing in the world gives more praise to God and reveals him as worthy of praise than the humble and fraternal exchange of spiritual gifts….”[1] When we do not speak, we write: we write letters, articles, books, diaries to advance the kingdom of God in our hearts. We use all the modern means of communication. … In the Movement we also practice those mortifications that are indispensable for every Christian life. We do penance, especially as recommended by the Church, but we have special regard for those penances that a life of unity with others entails. That is not easy, for the “old self,” as Paul[2], calls it, is always ready to find its way back into us. Fraternal unity is not established once for all; it must be renewed continually. When there is unity and through it Jesus is in our midst, we experience great joy, as promised by Jesus in his prayer for unity. When unity is compromised, the shadows and confusion return and we live in a kind of purgatory. That is the kind of penance we must be ready to practice. Here is where our love for Jesus crucified and forsaken, the key to unity, comes in. We must first resolve all our differences out of love for him, and make every effort to restore unity.
Chiara Lubich
Taken from: “A Spirituality of Communion” in Chiara Lubich: Essential Writings, New City Press, Hyde Park, New York 2007, pp. 30-31. [1] S. Lorenzo Giustiniani, Discipline and perfection in monastic life, Roma 1967, p.4. [2] The old self: in the Pauline meaning of a person imprisoned by their selfishness, cf. Eph: 4:22.
Nov 7, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Economist Luigino Bruni, one of the experts Pope Francis called to be part of the Vatican Covid-19 Commission is convinced that the lesson of the pandemic will help us rediscover the profound truth connected with the expression “common good”. 
Healthcare, education, security – these are the linchpins of any nation which should not be subject to making a profit. Economist Luigino Bruni, one of the experts Pope Francis called to be part of the Vatican Covid-19 Commission (the “Covid-19: Building a Healthier Future” has been created in collaboration with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development), is convinced that the lesson of the pandemic will help us rediscover the profound truth connected with the expression “common good”. This is so because, as he believes, everything is fundamentally a common good: politics in its true sense, the economy which looks to humanity before seeking to make a profit. In this new global vision that can be born after the pandemic, the Church, he states, must make itself a “guarantor” of this collective patrimony, in so far as it is lies outside the logic of commerce. Bruni’s hope is that this experience, conditioned by a virus that has no boundaries, will help us not forget “the importance of human cooperation and global solidarity”. You are part of the Vatican COVID 19 Commission, Pope Francis’ response mechanism to an unprecedented virus. What do you personally hope to learn from this experience? In what way do you think society as a whole can be inspired by the work of the Commission? The most important thing I have learned from this experience is the importance of the principle of precaution for the common good. Absent for the most part in the initial phase of the epidemic, the principle of precaution, one of the pillars of the Church’s social doctrine, tells us something extremely important. The principle of precaution is lived obsessively on the individual level (it’s enough to think of the insurance companies which seem to be taking over the world), but is completely absent on the collective level, and thus makes 21st century society extremely vulnerable. This is why those countries which have preserved a bit of a welfare state have demonstrated themselves a lot stronger than those governed entirely by the market And then the common good: since a common evil has revealed to us what the common good is, so has the pandemic forced us to see that the common good requires community, and not only the market. Health, safety, and education cannot be left to the game of profit. Pope Francis asked the COVID 19 Commission to prepare the future instead of prepare for it. What should be the role of the Catholic Church as an institution in this endeavor? The Catholic Church is one of the few (if not the only) institution that guarantees and safeguards the global common good. Having no private interests, it can pursue the good of all. It is because of this that she has a vast hearing. For the same reason, she has a responsibility to exercise it on a global scale. What personal lessons (if any) have you derived from the experience of the pandemic? What concrete changes do you hope to see after this crisis both personally and globally? The first lesson is the value of relational goods. Not being able to exchange hugs in these months, I have rediscovered the value of an embrace and of contact. Secondly, we can and must have many online meetings and working remotely, but for important decisions and for decisive meetings, the internet does not suffice. Physical presence is necessary. So, the virtual boom is making us discover the importance of flesh and blood contact and the intelligence of the human body. I hope that we do not forget the lessons learned in these months (because people forget very quickly), in particular the importance of politics as we have rediscovered in these months (as the art of the common good against a common evil), and that we do not forget the importance of human cooperation and global solidarity. Preparing for the post-Covid world includes forming future generations, who will be forced to make decisions that forge new paths. In this sense, can education be considered only as a “cost” to reduce, even in times of crisis? Education, above all that of children and young people, is much more than an “expense”… It is a collective investment with the highest rate of social return. I hope that in those countries where schools are still closed, a national holiday will be designated when they are reopened. Democracy begins at the school desk and there it is born again in each generation. The first heritage (patres munus) that we pass on through the generations is that of education. Tens of millions of children around the world do not have access to education. Can article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights be ignored, which affirms that everyone has the right to free and mandatory education, at least regarding elementary education? Clearly this must not be ignored, but we cannot ask that the cost of education be entirely sustained by countries without sufficient resources. We must quickly give life to a new international cooperation under the slogan: “educating children and adolescents is a global common good”, where countries with more resources help those will fewer resources so that the right to free education becomes real. This pandemic has shown us that the world is a large community. We must transform this common evil into new common, global goods. Educational budgets have undergone sometimes drastic cuts even in rich countries. Could there really be a desire not to invest in future generations? If economic logic takes over, reasoning such as this will increase: “Why should I do something for future generations? What have they done for me?” If do ut des ‘(I’ll give something only if I get something out of it), the commercial mantra, becomes the new logic of nations, we will always invest less in education, and we will always create more debt which today’s children will pay off. We must become generous once again and cultivate non-economic virtues such as compassion, meekness, and generosity. Though it finds itself in economic difficulty, the Catholic Church is on the front lines offering education to the poorest. As we’ve seen during this pandemic, lockdowns have had a considerable impact on Catholic schools. But the Church continues to welcome everyone, without distinctions based on creed, making space for encounter and dialogue. How important is this aspect? The Church has always been an institution for the common good. Luke’s parable does not tells us about the faith of the half-dead man who the Good Samaritan assisted. It is precisely during the gravest crises that the Church rediscovers her vocation as Mater et magister (Mother and teacher), that the esteem of non-Christians grows toward her, that the sea that gathers everything in, then gives everything to everyone, above all to the poorest. The Church has always known, after all, that the indicator of every common good is the condition of the poorest. What contribution can education about religion and religions offer young people, especially in a world increasingly driven by divisions and which fosters the engagement of fear and tension? That depends on how they are taught. The ethical dimension which exists in every religion is not enough. The main teaching that religions can offer today regards the interior life and spirituality, because our generation, in the space of just a few decades, has squandered a thousand-year-old heritage which contained ancient wisdom and popular piety. The world’s religions must help the young and everyone else to rewrite a new “grammar” of the interior life. If they do not do that, depression will become the plague of the 21st century.
Source: Vatican News
Click here to see the interview
Nov 5, 2020 | Non categorizzato
In recent months the communion of goods has developed even more among the Focolare communities around the world, responding to many requests for help. The extraordinary communion of goods for the Covid-19 emergency is once again helping us to experience the reality of “always being family” which knows no boundaries or differences but builds universal brotherhood as endorsed by Pope Francis in his latest encyclical “Fratelli tutti”. This communion is developed through very real “fioretti” (“little flowers”) or acts of love and reminds us of the experience of the first Christians: knowing they were of one heart and one soul, they put all their goods in common, bearing witness to God’s superabundant love and bringing hope. During these months of pandemic, the communion of goods has grown even stronger between various communities of the Focolare Movement around the world, in response to many requests for help. 
In Asia, Taiwan and Japan, the Gen who are the young people of the Focolare started a fundraiser to help the community in the city of Torreón, Mexico. Ròisìn, a Gen from Taiwan immediately felt the urge to act when she heard how the Mexican Gen were helping poor families affected by the virus. Together with other Gen in her city she launched an appeal to the entire Focolare community in Taiwan who immediately joined the initiative by raising funds for their friends in Mexico. Subsequently, the Gen of Japan also joined the initiative. In Tanzania, one of the families in the community was without light because the battery of the small solar system had stopped working. “Some time before,” the local community wrote, “one of us had received a grant of 50 Euros, about 120,000 Tanzanian shellini, for a family in difficulty. We talked about it together and decided to give the money which covered about 60% of the cost. The family was able to buy a new battery with the money and get light back into the house. After a few days, a donation of 1,000,000,000 Tanzanian shellini arrived for the needs of the focolare: almost 10 times as much…the hundredfold!!!”. In Portugal, after hearing about the global situation from the International Focolare Centre, the local community decided to broaden its horizons beyond its borders. “The money we have collected so far – they write to us – is the result of small sacrifices as well as larger sums of money that we had not expected to receive. We see that there is a growing awareness of communion in everyone’s daily life: together we can try to not only overcome the difficulties caused by the pandemic but also create a way of life”. In Ecuador, J.V. managed to involve lots of people in the culture of giving. It all started with “a phone call to a colleague to hear how he was,” he says, “and to share his concerns about his family and the people in his village who had no food. He opened a Facebook page and started sending e-mails to publicize the precarious situation in this village. This prompted an incredibly generous response not only from the inhabitants of his neighbourhood but also from further afield. The colleague’s friends and family can now buy food and even help others whose needs are even greater than theirs. In Egypt everything is closed because of the lockdown, including the work of the “United World” foundation which transmits the culture of “universal brotherhood” through development projects supporting people living in fragile social situations. They asked themselves what they could do and where they could help. And so, in spite of the lockdown and “through the communities of various churches, mosques and other social organizations, we have been able to help an even larger number of people: families from the poorest districts of Cairo, widows, orphans, people on their own and elderly people, refugees from Ethiopia, Eritrea, North and South Sudan. At the moment we are able to prepare 700 packages of essential foodstuffs. Our goal is to reach 1,000 packages”. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Gen of Kinshasa started a communion of goods which consisted of setting up a fund to help those most in need. Nine families have received soap, sugar, rice and face masks. These experiences are about more than just providing financial help. As Ròisìn from Taiwan said, “even the darkest times can be enlightened by love and solidarity, and even if we are isolated from one another, we are closer to achieving a united world”.
Lorenzo Russo
If you want to make your contribution to help those suffering from the effects of the global Covid crisis, go to this link
Nov 4, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Taking care of others builds community. Following is the experience of Teresa Osswald, who supports a small group of children in Porto, Portugal. Pay attention to what is happening around us. Devote time and energy to those in need. Put yourselves in each other’s shoes and share their joys and labours. Often, loving those around us means stepping into the shoes of everyday life and being close to them. This is the experience of Teresa Osswald, who works with a small group of children in the city of Porto, Portugal. Like every year, when the school closes for summer vacation, the children enjoy some rest in the open air: some by the sea, some in the mountains, some in the city. There are some, however, who do not have the chance because their families are experiencing financial difficulties or do not have family or friends who can take care of them while their parents are at work. So they are socially isolated, partly because they come from distant countries, with different cultures, traditions and religions. This is the story of three Portuguese children whose parents are originally from the islands of São Tomé and Principe off the west coast of Africa. They generally spend their vacations at home, alone and not doing much. This year would have been the same if Teresa hadn’t taken in their discomfort. She did the same for other children and other families in the same conditions. “I had a great desire to have an answer for all these situations,” she says. “At least we managed for one family: at the end of July I had spoken to a friend about these three children who would spend the month of August alone at home. The next day she gave me some information about the summer camps in our town.” But places were few, their request arrived late, and it was not clear if the children could participate. Teresa entrusted everything to God. “Thy will be done.” They find places, and the cost of the camp is covered by the Focolare community there in that city. Those who donate then experience a “return” elsewhere. Teresa considers it Gospel fulfilled: “Give and it will be given to you” (Lk 6:38). Then the children need to be brought to camp in the morning and home in the evening. It is not easy to find time between daily commitments, but Teresa offers herself all the same. “I see three happy children running towards my car. All that’s left to do is to tighten the laces on the little girl’s shoes, and everything is fine.” After a week, a phone call arrives. It is a friend who comes to help her and offers to take the children to her place. “And so it was that, with a small contribution from many,” she explains, “these children had the opportunity to swim, dance, socialize, instead of being locked in the house. Above all, they had the opportunity to infect teachers and other children with their joy and great generosity.” And it was also nice to see the joy of their mother, who was moved and grateful. “There were words so strong that they shook me,” confides Teresa. “To be interested in everything that happens near us and taking care of others has helped us build a little piece of the united world in our community.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Nov 3, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Insights by Sherin, a focolarina of the Coptic Orthodox Church, drawing from her daily experience of how unity among Christians from different Churches is possible. The Church of tomorrow will follow “the example of the Most Holy Trinity, where there will be unity in one truth, and variety in all traditions; they will be different aspects of the same truth”. This is how Chiara Lubich described the ecumenical journey towards unity among Christian Churches in her book Una spiritualità per l’unità dei cristiani. Pensieri scelti (A Spirituality for the Unity of Christians. A selection of writings), edited by Città Nuova. Focolarina Sherin, a member of the Coptic Orthodox Church living in Cairo, Egypt, agrees with Chiara, adding that it’s possible to experience unity among Christians of different Churches in our daily lives. What was it about the spirituality of unity that struck you when you met Chiara and the Focolare Movement? “I discovered that the Gospel, lived by a people with a new lifestyle, language and culture, is leaven for a new humanity. I learned universal fraternity and our own lives are not in separate compartments. And one can live one’s faith 24 hours a day, allowing Jesus to transform us, to become another Him, so He Himself can live among His people, as He promised in the Gospel”. You are a member of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Has joining the Focolare Movement, founded by a Catholic woman and largely Catholic in its membership, created a sense of distance from your own Church? “Certainly not! Maybe God prepares us. I went to a school run by Catholic nuns where there was such respect and love that I never felt any conflict in belonging to another Church. When I met the Movement, the experience was even deeper, and my heart opened up to the whole Church. It prompted me to go deeper in my understanding of my own Coptic Church, to discover similarities in it with the life I found in the Focolare. I discovered, for example, that St Anthony the Great invites all Christians, as brothers and sisters “to become one soul with one will and one shared faith”. So as time passed, I felt I wanted to commit myself to live for the unity of the human family. I feel such gratitude to Chiara”. You live your daily life in community with other Focolarine who are Catholic. What does building unity with them mean for you? “It means never being afraid to face up to any differences, because they are always an opportunity to love, believing that this actually builds unity and allows us to experience the presence of Jesus among us. It’s the same for people with different ethnic backgrounds, social provenance, politic beliefs, and so on. If we think we’re all children of God the Father, then every other person is a brother or sister to love”. For the Coptic Orthodox Pope, His Holiness Tawadros II, the journey towards communion among the Churches is centred on Christ. The “ways” leading to Him are dialogue, study, prayer, relationship. In practical terms, what does it mean to seek unity in these areas? “In the Focolare Movement ecumenical dialogue is understood as a “dialogue of life”, in which we try to love one another reciprocally in our daily life as Jesus did. Then through dialogue we can discuss themes of faith, focussing on finding what unites us. The Coptic Orthodox Church gives great importance to prayer and fasting. So we pray together because unity is a gift only God can give. And we practice fasting for the soul to transcend the material level and so get spiritually closer to God. Within the Movement there is also a group of academics who together look into many different subjects, each one from the perspective of their own Church. Their approach is one of mutual love, listening, welcome and respect. They pray to perceive and discern how God may view things”.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Nov 2, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The insecurity arising from worldwide challenges such as globalization, climate change and the coronavirus pandemic seems to awaken in many people a new need for a spiritual life. But, as Chiara Lubich says in the following text, spirituality for today is characterized by a strong community dimension. One of the more original characteristics of this spirituality of unity is its communitarian dimension. In the two thousand years since the time of Christ, the Church has experienced the flowering of the most beautiful and fruitful spiritualities one after the other. Sometimes they occurred in the same period, adorning the Spouse of Christ with many saints, like precious pearls and diamonds. But in all this splendor one factor has always remained constant; spirituality was focused primarily on the advance of the individual toward God. … But times have changed. Now the Holy Spirit is inspiring people to walk together, in fact, to be of one heart and soul with all who share their convictions. The Holy Spirit has motivated our Movement from the beginning to make this outreach toward others. In the spirituality of unity one advances toward God by going through one’s neighbor. “I—my brother—God,” we say. You go to God with other people, your brothers and sisters, or rather, you go to God through others. In our era the reality of communion is coming to the forefront; the kingdom of God is sought not just in individual persons but in the midst of the people. Spiritualities characterized as individual usually make precise demands on those involved, such as: Solitude and flight from the world to reach mystical communion with God within. The silence that solitude requires. Separation from others by a veil, a cloister as well as a particular habit. The practice of all kinds of penances, sometimes very difficult ones like fasts and vigils, in imitation of the passion of Christ. In the way of unity we do seek solitude and silence in response to Jesus’ invitation to go to your room to pray, and do avoid others if they lead us to sin, but generally we welcome our brothers and sisters, we love Christ in our neighbors, in every neighbor, as Christ is living in them or can be revived in them through the help we offer. We seek to be united with our brothers and sisters in the name of Jesus, who guarantees his presence in our midst (see Mt 18:20). In the individual spiritualities it is like being in a magnificent garden (the Church), looking with admiration at a single flower, the presence of God within. In a collective spirituality we love and admire all the flowers in the garden, every presence of Christ in others. And we love him in others as we love him within ourselves. …
Chiara Lubich
From: Chiara Lubich: Essential Writings – spirituality, dialogue, culture New City Press, Hyde Park NY, 2007, pp. 27-30.
Oct 31, 2020 | Non categorizzato
A long and deep friendship united the Focolare Movement to the recently deceased Metropolitan.. The article that follows was written by Gabriella Fallacara, a focolarina and expert in ecumenism who for many years was in charge of “Centro Uno”, for the unity of Christians. “When I first visited Gennadios Zervos’ modest house, I was greeted with particular cordiality. His mother, who spoke little Italian but beautiful Greek offered me a strange dessert: it was a small “curl” of a white creamy substance that was stuck firmly to a long spoon and it was immersed in a glass of clear water. Its subtle flavour seemed to embody every aspect of the orient.” This was how I began my article about an interview with Gennadios Zervos that I wrote for “Città Nuova” magazine.[i] That first meeting dates back to November 1970. I did not know then that, after a few months, Gennadios Zervos would be elected by Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople and his Synod and be given the title of Bishop of Kratea. This meant that for the first time in 275 years, an Orthodox Bishop was to be consecrated in Italy. That “homely atmosphere” was a characteristic of the friendship that Bishop Gennadios shared with us for many years. Zervos was very young when he first came to Naples in 1961. He was only twenty-four years old but he was a high school teacher and lecturer in Greek patrology in the Superior Institute of Theology in Bari. He also wrote for the magazine “Stakis” which was the most important paper in the Greek Orthodox world. He had already graduated in Orthodox theology in Constantinople and in Catholic theology at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Naples. He certainly had a prestigious career before him, but how did this develop? He had actually expected to carry out his mission in Greece, but the Patriarch Athenagoras presented him with a new goal. “You need to be in Italy,“ he said, “ because it is the centre of Catholicism. We need young theologians there … for the unity of the two sister Churches.” And this is a prophecy that has been fulfilled. The last time we were in contact, a few months ago, he spoke of the joy that has always been characteristic of our relationship. “I will never forget our meetings in Rocca di Papa [ii] because they gave me the joy of knowing Chiara Lubich who I had admired for so many years. There were our meetings with the Orthodox, as well as our meetings with the Bishops Friends of the Movement. The last time I saw her was in the Gemelli Hospital. Her splendid figure and her splendid personality live in my soul. For us she is a pillar of love and unity through whom we have come to know the supreme testament of our Saviour, his will that “all may be one.’” Gennadios was a humble but determined protagonist of the “new season” that began with the Second Vatican Council. He shared and lived Chiara Lubich’s charism of unity which contributed to the fulfilment of the vision of the Council. His simplicity and integrity made him an ambassador for the Eastern Church, thus creating bridges of respect, collaboration and understanding. His contribution to the history of the Church fills us with gratitude.
Gabri Fallacara
[i] G. Fallacara in “Citta Nuova” Feb. 1971 [ii] Ecumenical Meetings promoted by the Centro “Uno” Secretariat. Foto: Metropolitan Gennadios Zervos & Gabriella Fallacara at the 59th week long Ecumenical Meeting, promoted by Centro “Uno”, Castel Gandolfo, Italy, 13th May 2017.
Oct 30, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Just days after the Metropolitan’s death, we publish the tribute prepared by Monsignor Piero Coda, professor of Trinitarian Ontology at the Sophia University Institute of Loppiano (Italy) where he was Dean from 2008 to 2020. “He had a vision: a door was open in heaven…”. With these words, taken from the book of Revelation, the Metropolitan Gennadios Zervos, Orthodox Archbishop of Italy and Malta, loved to describe – with a gaze full of wisdom – the meeting between Patriarch Athenagoras and Chiara Lubich. Athenagoras used to say, “because if the door is now open, we are called to go inside together: to share in the wonder and joy of the divine gift of Unity”. I cannot find more appropriate words to describe the flame that lit the heart and illuminated the action of Metropolitan Gennadios. He was an extraordinary and tireless apostle of Unity between the Church of the East and the Church of the West that we have known since the Second Vatican Council until today. His work began way back in 1960, when he arrived in Italy from his native Greece, sent by Patriarch Athenagoras. A humble and ardent disciple of the Eastern Church with its two-thousand-year-old tradition. A tradition impersonated by the prophetic figure of Patriarch Athenagoras, and in which Metropolitan Gennadios had been formed from the time of his studies at the historic Theological School of Chalki, an experience he had shared with the future Patriarch Bartholomew; and in the charism of unity given by the Holy Spirit to Chiara Lubich for the whole Church of our time, beyond confessional distinctions. He thus lived, as an active and discreet protagonist, the great progress inaugurated by the reconciliation between Rome and Constantinople at the close of Vatican II, sealed by the historic embrace between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem. He continued then with tenacity and without hesitation on this road, contributing in a unique way, in Italy, to the mutual knowledge of the two sister Churches. Along the journey he joyfully nourished himself with the light of the charism of unity. Metropolitan Gennadios animated his ministry in the Orthodox Diocese of Italy and Malta, with this spirit leading the diocese with foresight as Archbishop – the first after almost three centuries – to a magnificent flowering in the constant search for communion with the Catholic Church and in a sincere dialogue with all. Finally, as if it were the precious legacy he wanted to leave us, he intensely desired the Ecumenical Chair Patriarch Athenagoras-Chiara Lubich at the Sophia University Institute in synergy with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople: “a sign” – he stressed on the day of the inauguration – “of our infinite love for these two extraordinary protagonists of the dialogue of love”. With amazement and gratitude, I am a witness of how close to his heart this last initiative was. For him, it was a new contribution so that the ‘miracle’ rained down from Heaven might continue. ‘Miracle’ is how he described the meeting between Athenagoras and Chiara – Chiara had become a living bridge between the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Pope of Rome, Paul Vl. He even considered it indispensable to the ecumenical journey towards full and visible unity: “the love between Athenagoras, Chiara and Paul VI “- he repeated – “is such a powerful reality that no one can erase it anymore, because it is the presence of Jesus in their midst”. With immense gratitude we gather from his hands the witness he transmits to us. As we remembering him , we are deeply moved by the words of Patriarch Bartholomew who wanted to celebrate his many and luminous charisms in which we rejoiced, and which we now contemplate in a fuller light: “among them the greatest are humility and gentleness, peace and wisdom, and the greatest of all love and faith towards Mother Church”.
Piero Coda
Oct 29, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Just like Jesus, we too can approach our neighbour without fear and be by their side walking together through difficult and joyful times, appreciating their gifts, sharing material and spiritual goods, encouraging, giving hope and forgiving. The art of teaching During the pandemic, like many of my colleagues, I started giving lessons online. In the beginning it was a novelty so there was a high level of participation among the children but with time some of the craftier ones found ways to do something else and slowly lost interest in the lessons. Faced with such a variety of responses to my commitment to them, I tried not to show preference or approval but tried to highlight the importance of taking personal responsibility which was certainly more difficult in those times of crisis. The real dilemma, however, was when I had to pass judgment because it was clear to me that the written work they sent me lacked originality and was probably copied. One day I asked the pupils how they would act in my place. It was an opportunity for them to really reflect on their own participation or non-participation. And what really moved me was that they made their own judgment. I don’t think I have ever experienced a life lesson like it before. (G.P. – Slovenia) Overcoming the crisis together We were unable to have children and this “defeat” meant that we both focused on our careers but after 24 years, our marriage was in crisis. It was as if he had slipped away from me. When I understood that we were moving from young love to adult love, I decided I had to make the first move and asked my husband to come with me to see a counsellor. When we got back home, he was visibly upset and confessed that he had no idea I had been suffering so much and apologized. I asked God for help and I prayed. It felt right that I should leave the job that had led me to excel in my career and I tried to be more present at home, more affectionate and understanding. It took a lot of kindness and patience but now our relationship has matured and is no longer tied to expressions that had seemed so important to us when we were young. Today I hear myself saying things that would have been unthinkable a few years ago, like: “I couldn’t live without you”. We are like two companions on a journey each striving to realize God’s plan on both of us united. (S.T – Italy) A teenage grandson During the time when schools were closed due to the pandemic, my teenage nephew became more aggressive than ever. We live in the same house and I would say that, as a grandmother, I had brought him up, sometimes replacing his parents; I also accompanied him through difficult moments with his school friends and teachers. One day his reaction to some food he didn’t like was quite offensive. My first thoughts were to judge him harshly but instead I decided to be the first to love by going into the kitchen to prepare a quick dessert that I knew he liked. When he recognised the smell coming from the oven, he came up to me, hugged me and asked for forgiveness. I didn’t say anything to him, and just acted as if nothing had happened. Then he started to open up and we had the kind of dialogue we hadn’t had for a long time. When his parents came back, to my surprise, he said that, unlike his classmates, he felt privileged to have his grandmother living in the same house. (P.B. – Slovakia) No more complaints Often, instead of being grateful to God for what we have and sharing it with those who don’t have, we complain about the food we do not like, how small our houses are, certain clothes we don’t have and so on. We forget that Jesus believes that everything we do to our brother is done to Him. It was Hurricane Mary that made me and other friends change our attitude, giving us a strong impulse to look at the needs of others. It was also Hurricane Mary that had caused a lot of suffering and destruction in our country. Among the many people who had been left homeless was the family of one of my classmates: his parents and their six children who had been living in a basement flat had lost everything. Together with the other classmates I made a list of the things they needed and we organised a collection with the much appreciated help of the altar boys in my parish. When we went to hand over the “providence” we had collected, we were really moved to see with what joy and emotion our friend and his family received everything. (Némesis – Puerto Rico)
edited by Stefania Tanesini
(taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VI, no.5, September-October 2020) _______ 1 C. Lubich, Parola di Vita October 1995, in Parole di Vita, edited by F. Ciardi (Works of Chiara Lubich 5), Città Nuova, Rome 2017, pp. 564-565.
Oct 28, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The meeting will be held online from November 19th to 21st. Maria Gaglione, from the organising team, collected the stories of the participants: economists, researchers, scholars and university professors, entrepreneurs, students, activists and changemakers from 115 countries around the world. 
“It is essential to train and support the new generations of economists and entrepreneurs” to adopt a new model of development that “does not exclude but includes” and does not generate inequalities. Speaking to economists and bankers, the Pope highlighted the urgency of an “ecological reconversion” of the economy and stressed the decisive role of young people. He invited them to discuss these issues in Assisi (Italy), where St Francis “stripped himself of everything to choose God as the guiding light of his life, he made himself poor with the poor (…). His choice of poverty gave rise to a vision of the economy that is very up to date”. The meeting, entitled Economy of Francesco, will be held online from November 19th to 21st. Maria Gaglione, from the organising team, collected the participants’ stories: “The young people who responded to the Pope’s call are economists, researchers, scholars and university professors, entrepreneurs, students, activists and changemakers from 115 countries around the world. They are themselves “builders” of a fairer, more fraternal economy, aiming at inclusion. The universities, businesses and communities where they operate are “workshops of hope”, as the Pope defines them. Their motto is “No one left behind”, because they want an economy that leaves no one behind. In this way, they resemble St Francis who chose a new life to dedicate himself to those who are the least”. Saint Francis preferred giving to the logic of profit. What does it mean to make of one’s work and study a gift for others? “These young people choose to give their lives, their skills, their talents, to give everything a deeper meaning. Many, having undertaken a study or work activity, at a certain point choose to change their ways. Joel Thompson is an electronic engineer. Inspired by Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si, he decided to commit to environmental and social justice, and now lives and works in an indigenous village in Amazonian Guyana where he is involved in training in 16 villages. Diego Wawrzeniak is a Brazilian social entrepreneur and member of the Inkiri community. He has worked in the financial sector and after creating a startup he decided to join his community to develop a local bank and currency and now follows projects that combine innovation, entrepreneurship and local economy. Maria Carvalho, of Indian descent, grew up between Saudi Arabia and Canada and is involved in energy and climate policy in London. She says that St Francis’ message of fraternity inspired her life and that she chose to become a social scientist to fight poverty and inequality”. Because of the pandemic the event, planned for March, will be held online in November. What format will it take? The original method of the event is preserved – an opportunity to highlight the voice, the thought, the perspectives of young economists and entrepreneurs. For months, about 1200 young people from all continents have been working on the major themes of today’s economy, trying to reconcile apparently unrelated dimensions: finance and humanity; agriculture and justice; energy and poverty, etc. The November appointment will be the fundamental stage of a process that has already begun to report the experience and work of the past few months. The proposals and reflections will be given space in the various sessions of the online programme, where young people will be in dialogue with internationally renowned economists and experts. There will be links from the symbolic places of Assisi and moments in which young people will tell their stories. Art, poetry, meditation, local realities are also included in the programme. A large part of the programme will be available in streaming by connecting to the website www.francescoeconomy.org The Pope has told us that he will be present.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Oct 26, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Pope Francis sent a message to the participants of the conference of EcoOne, an ecological initiative of the Focolare Movement. Pope Francis sent a message to the participants of the conference of EcoOne, an ecological initiative of the Focolare Movement, which took place from 23 to 25 October in live streaming from the Mariapolis Centre of Castel Gandolfo (Italy). “I offer cordial greetings to all taking part in this international Meeting being held as part of the year-long observance of the fifth anniversary of the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’. I express my gratitude to EcoOne, the ecological initiative of the Focolare Movement, and to the representatives of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Global Catholic Climate Movement who have cooperated in making this event possible. Your Meeting, with its theme “New Ways towards Integral Ecology: Five Years after Laudato Si’”, addresses a relational vision of humanity and care for our world from a variety of perspectives: ethical, scientific, social and theological. In recalling the conviction of Chiara Lubich that the created world bears within itself a charism of unity, I trust that her perspective can guide your work in the recognition that “everything is connected” and that “concern for the environment needs to be joined to sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society” (Laudato Si’, 91). Among such problems is the urgent need for a new and more inclusive socio-economic paradigm that reflects the truth that we are “a single human family, fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, children of the same earth which is our common home” (Fratelli Tutti, 8). This solidarity with one another and with the world around us demands a firm willingness to develop and implement practical measures that foster the dignity of all persons in their human, family and work relationships, while at the same time combating the structural causes of poverty and working to protect the natural environment. Achieving an integral ecology calls for a profound interior conversion on both the personal and communal level. As you examine the great challenges facing us at this time, including climate change, the need for sustainable development and the contribution religion can make to the environmental crisis, it is essential to break with the logic of exploitation and selfishness and to promote the practice of a sober, simple and humble lifestyle (cf. Laudato Si’, 222-224). It is my hope that your work will serve to cultivate in the hearts of our brothers and sisters a shared responsibility for one another as children of God and a renewed commitment to be good stewards of his gift of creation (cf. Gen 2:15). Dear friends, once again I thank you for your research and your cooperative efforts to seek new ways that lead to an integral ecology for the common good of the human family and the created world. In offering my prayerful best wishes for your deliberations during this meeting, I cordially invoke upon you, your families and your associates God’s blessings of wisdom, strength and peace. And I ask you, please, to remember me in your prayers”.
Focolare Communications Office
Oct 26, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The restrictions that have been imposed due to the pandemic, particularly the lockdowns, have often caused or increased tensions in personal relationships. Forgiveness is needed. But forgiveness requires strength, courage and practice. Families often fall apart because they don’t know how to forgive. Long-standing hatreds maintain divisions between relatives, social groups and peoples. At times, some people even teach others not to forget the wrongs done to them and to nurse their desire for revenge… Blind resentment poisons the soul and corrodes the heart. Some people think that forgiveness is weakness. It isn’t. It’s the expression of extreme courage and of true love in its most genuine form, because it is the least self-interested. ‘For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?’ Jesus said, because anyone can do this. But you must, ‘Love your enemies’ (Mt 5: 43-47). We too are asked to learn from him and have the love of a father, the love of a mother, a merciful love for whoever we meet during the day, and especially those who make mistakes. The New Testament asks even more of those called to live a spirituality of communion, in other words Christian spirituality: ‘Forgive each other’ (Col. 3:13). Mutual love demands almost a pact among us: to be ready to forgive one another always. This is the only way we can contribute to building universal fraternity.
Chiara Lubich
Taken from the Word of Life of September 2002
Oct 23, 2020 | Non categorizzato
In this special year aimed at highlighting the principles set out in the encyclical Laudato si’, we come across Abdullah Al Atrash, a young Italian-Syrian entrepreneur in the United Arab Emirates. Though a non-believer, he is a member of the Economy of Communion of the Focolare Movement. The company he runs employs mostly Asian and African migrants, guaranteeing them a salary and social support measures, all while observing the highest possible safety for both employees and the environment, even during the pandemic. 
They are Pakistani, Indian, Nepalese, Filipino, Nigerian, Cameroonian, Senegalese. What they share in common is a past marked by severe poverty that forced them to leave their homeland and family to emigrate, and a present that seeks to keep them from experiencing exploitation and new hardships. They number about 212, the employees of MAS Paints, a paint manufacturer established in 1989 in Italy that relocated in 2000 to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Nine out of ten of the UAE’s 10 million inhabitants are foreigners. Abdullah Al Atrash, the company’s General Manager, tells Vatican News about his “colleagues and friends of the company” founded by his father and uncle. Hearing this young 42-year-old entrepreneur with a degree in economics and business from the University of Ancona and a Master’s degree obtained at the Adriano Olivetti Institute whose headquarters are in Italy’s Marches region, calls to mind the reflections on work contained in Pope Francis’s Encyclical Laudato Si’. There, the Pontiff highlights how work is a “necessity”, a “part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfilment” (no. 128). “Other than ourselves” “Underlying every form of work,” the Pope further elucidates, “is a concept of the relationship which we can and must have with what is other than ourselves” (LS, no. 125). Arriving in 2005 in Dubai, Abdullah observed, studied, and, in a certain way, made his own the world of migrant workers. “It was a trauma for me to see how these people were living. Everyone from poorer countries go to work in other nations, whichever one it may be. They then need to send a lot of money home to support a truly high number of relatives, because they all have an extended family system, that is, they help even their parents, siblings, cousins. So, I did a calculation,” he explains. “Based on that calculation, on average each one of them had to maintain 10 people, not only from the point of view of money to cover expenses, but money that truly makes a difference between life and death because in many of these countries the State does not help for various reasons: there is serious poverty, war, political instability, ethnic or religious tension. These people tend to put in long hours, doing jobs that are quite fatiguing, for really low wages. I saw cases in which people were working in construction earning a wage equal to about € 130 – € 150 per month, making it impossible for them to send money home.” A culture of sharing In his Encyclical Letter of 2015, the Pontiff points out that “helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs” (no. 128). He goes on to clarify that “the broader objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through work” (ibid.). An atheist, married to a Catholic and the father of two children, Abdullah, together with his wife Manuela, is involved in the Focolare Movement and its Economy of Communion initiative. It was founded in 1991 by Chiara Lubich to promote a type of economic culture marked by sharing, and proposes the living of a different lifestyle than that of the dominant capitalistic system. The life experience of this Italo-Syrian thus led him to the point of “being aware of the costs of life as well as the world in which they [the migrants] were living” and of adopting concrete measures for his employees. This was not easy, he confesses, but “I multiplied the base wage by 5 so that they could live with the utmost dignity. And I decided to pay not only their medical expenses of any kind, but those of the entire ‘extended’ family, as well as for the education of their children, supporting them up to university – because without education it would be difficult for them to find work.” 
The common good The predominant value, therefore, seems to be that social capital goes together with trusting and reliable relationships, respect for the fundamental laws underpinning civil co-existence, as Pope Francis emphasizes in his Encyclical, citing Caritas in veritate of Pope Benedict XVI. Abdullah tells how he “created a fund from the company’s profits” which are also used to help his employees. “A company’s profits,” he emphasizes, “must, in my opinion, be employed both to invest in the company’s growth and obviously for the owners’ needs. But they must also be equally invested in the company’s employees. In fact, the profits are a common good: a company belongs to everyone because everyone works there, and it must serve everyone.” “At a certain point,” he continues, “I realized that beyond these necessities, my employees also had the problem of housing in their homeland. I came to understand this as I would speak with them, as we talked about our lives together. I wanted to establish a human rapport with them, not only a business one. This is community. This made me understand that there were two ways they could build a house in their countries of origin: seeking a loan from the banks (who do not lend money to the poor), or – and this was so painful for me to learn – they have to go to loan sharks because usury is very common in these countries. Thus, they have to make tremendous sacrifices over many years to pay back the money. So, I tried to understand how many people were in their families, where they wanted to build their houses and, calculating the necessary amount, we granted a loan to be paid back freely over time according to their possibilities. It is an interest-free loan, even if an interest-free loan does not really exist because there is always inflation, especially in certain countries.” Production that respects the environment During the special year inaugurated by Pope Francis to reflect on his Encyclical Laudato Si’ that goes until 24 May 2021, we asked Abdullah how his own business succeeds at responding to the urgent challenge of protecting our “common home.” “We produce some paints that are absolutely non-toxic – so, they are not harmful and do not cause pollution. Other types of products are necessarily pollutants, take solvents for example, highly used even in the pharmaceutical industry. What’s important is that they do not cause harm to the environment because we are the environment: the Pope continually recalls this. I, as an atheist, understand that the environment comprises everything that lives.” “Therefore, in the company,” he continues, “we aim to protect the workers so that their health is 100% protected, investing heavily in safety measures, in masks, ventilation systems and machines that do not release substances such as solvents. Regarding waste, we have invested a lot in machinery that separates the solid, liquid and gaseous waste products. Subsequently, public companies, under the government, come to haul them away and transfer them to appropriate and suitable places where they are disposed of properly so as to avoid polluting the environment. The sea is under us: when you dig a bit under the plant, we find the sea!” 
The pandemic During the world-wide coronavirus emergency, concerns for the condition of their employees grew. “The onslaught that arrived here,” Abdullah recalls, “was strong. It hit Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, all the countries around us. The hardest period, when everything was shut down, was between March and April. With the first news of the virus, we prepared measures such as the adoption of glass dividers where employees work and in reception areas, the use of surgical masks, measuring body temperature, respect for the 2-meter social distance, Covid testing for all the employees, daily coordination with the local Ministry of Health. In addition, I rented around thirty studios for safe quarantine periods.” Co-existence What hits home is the word “co-existence” which Abdullah repeats a number of times in our conversation, including when he recalls his participation in the Pope’s Mass in Abu Dhabi on the occasion of Pope Francis’s journey to the United Arab Emirates at the beginning of 2019. “It was an extraordinary experience. I went with some colleagues and friends from the Focolare Movement. There were a lot of people, so many that I was outside of the stadium, on the lawn, where you could follow the event on the jumbo screens. I noted that the majority of those present were Catholics, but there even 5 thousand muslims, as well as some groups of Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs. They transmitted the images of the moving embrace with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb. It was a liberating moment of an encounter between the Islamic world and the western world, with the Pope who had come here with such great humility: he thanked the country, the authorities, the people, in the spirit of co-existence, peace, tolerance. He wanted to say that living together is possible.”
By Giada Aquilino – Vatican News
Oct 22, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Maria Voce: “Immense suffering and unconditional collaboration by the Movement so as achieve clarity; the establishment of an independent inquiry after a meeting with some victims of a former consecrated member of Focolare”. “Faced with this immense suffering, we are convinced that the only path to follow is that of offering the victims full attention and recognition of the harm done. I wish here to reiterate the Movement’s full and unconditional collaboration, to shed full light on the facts and do justice to the victims.” This is what Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, said in a press release dated 22nd October 2020 on the case of violence against minors by J.M.M. a former consecrated member of the Focolare, who lives in France. A victim has made his case public, which goes back to 1981 and 1982 when – aged 15 – he was sexually molested. An independent body is being established through which the Focolare Movement has decided to initiate a special inquiry, after the meeting with some victims on 18th September 2020. On that occasion Jesús Morán, Co-president of the Focolare Movement, expressed his pain and shame for the abuses suffered “and also for the silence or lack of initiative sustained for years on the part of various people in positions of responsibility”. The composition of the independent body will be made public shortly. Its task will be to listen to the victims and to gather further testimonies, as well as investigating whether there were any omissions, cover ups or silences on the part of those responsible for the Movement. At the end of the investigation, the independent Body will make its final report public. In the interests of the completeness of the investigation and to guarantee full transparency, the two people co-responsible for the Focolare in France and one of the people co-responsible for the Movement in Western Europe offered their resignation from their respective roles on 21st October 2020. These were accepted by the Focolare President.
Joachim Schwind
Press release
Oct 21, 2020 | Non categorizzato
On August 11th we celebrated Danilo Zanzucchi’s 100th birthday. He and his wife Anna Maria were responsible for the New Families Movement for over 40 years. Theirs is a very rich story, a story of love given, received and generated. We went to visit them at their home in Grottaferrata…
https://vimeo.com/465833515
Oct 20, 2020 | Non categorizzato
This morning His Holiness Bartholomeo 1, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople paid a visit to the international centre of the Focolare Movement in Rocca di Papa. He was welcomed by Focolare President Maria Voce, who escorted him to visit the house where founder Chiara Lubich lived. He then prayed at her tomb. Joined by Co-President Jesús Morán and a small Focolare delegation, there followed an exchange of greetings and gifts. The Patriarch was in Rome for the international Prayer for Peace meeting promoted by the Community of Sant’Egidio being held at the Campidoglio (Capitoline Hill) today. Tomorrow he will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy from the Antonianum University. The Patriarch will also be meeting with Pope Francis.
©J. García – CSC Audiovisivi
©J. García – CSC Audiovisivi
©J. García – CSC Audiovisivi
Stefania Tanesini
To read the homily of His Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, click here https://vimeo.com/470297305
