Aug 22, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Since 2012, theworld-famous Salzburg Festival, the most important event dedicated to classical music, starts with an overture spirituelle:anumberof sacred music concerts and performances dedicated to dialoguebetween religions. Many famous international artists take part in this festival, andthis year, for the first time, the Archdiocese of Salzburg participated with an exhibition of works by the French artist Michel Pochet. 
On July 20, 2019 the entrance hall of the Archbishop’s Palace in the city of Salzburg was packed with people.At five o’clock on that Saturday afternoon, Helga Rabl-Stadler, the president of the Festival and Archbishop Franz Lackner inaugurated the exhibition entitled “Lacrimae”(tears), worksof the French artist Michel Pochet. Mgr. Matthäus Appesbacher, the Bishop’s vicar said: “It is the first time that the Salzburg Catholic Church is participating in the so-called ouverture spirituelle of the music festival”. He recountedall about the genesis of this exhibition, andsharedthat when he came to know that Pochet presented his work of art, the weeping face of God-Mercy, as a gift to Pope Francis, he decided to invite the artist to this year’s ouverture spirituelle, the central theme of which was “tears”. In his brief speech Michel Pochet insisted that “beauty is a primary need for man”. He emphasized that artists need to be freed from social uselessness complex, and he related the story of a young man in the Amazon region who managed to support hishungry family by playing his flute. The works chosen for this exhibition, which lasted till July 30, stimulated dialogue. The majestic setting for it was the city of Salsburg, where the legacy of this past Church state stands outeverywhere. Here, the encounter between Church and art speaks with a strong celebratory tone, while Pochet’s works are decidedly anti-triumphalistic in matter, form and content. 
His canvases, as the one which “speaks” about God’s presence in Auschwitz, demonstrate this. Pochet uses alightstroke on a white cloth almost reduced to shreds. This piece of art depicts God’s crying face-heart looking at the outrageous horror of a mountain of corpses. One detail surprises and almost irritates: each corpse has an identification card, something thatdid not exist in extermination camps. However, we see itin TV detective films: it is only a bureaucratic procedure that draws dead people in morgues out of anonymity. On canvas it is a timid reminder of God’s memory: He does not forget, although an attempt has been made to erase countless names from the face of the earth. Next to this scene, almost as a contrast, there appears a large face of Mary whose linear features, present an almost virile aspect. This cloth soaked in tender colours is full of poetry: Mary’s tears are like pearls of dew and speak of the dawn of a new creation. This exhibition was set up in the entrance hall and an adjacent room. It included a series of graphics in black and white: a “Via Crucis” with scenes from Christ’s passion and others that show today’s sufferings. It also included a series of meditations on other “faces of God”, that show closeness tohis people through his archangels. One can define this as “sacred art”, although it differs a lotfrom works known by this name. It does not depict scenes from the Holy Scripture or – as in the Baroque and Rococo art- the concepts of theologians, but it depicts the audacity of personal reflection. The focus on the face brings to mind the words of the philosopher Giuseppe M. Zanghì, according to whom “the emerging Sacred” in the twenty-first century is “One without a face”, a “Power without a face”.[1]
Peter Seifert , art historian
[1]Giuseppe Maria Zanghí, Notte della cultura europea, Rome 2007, pp. 46-47
Aug 20, 2019 | Non categorizzato
In international jargon they are called “expats”: they are the young expatriates who have found work and have decided to live abroad. Each one has his or her own reasons for making this move, each one has their own story. Mitty is an expat: she is Italian and does research on glucose biosensors at a Japanese university and lives in the Focolare community in Tokyo. “Today, technology has enormous influence in all fields, including health care. I feel called to work in this area because I want to help direct technical research according to ethical and non-business choices. Sometimes we biomedical engineers invent things that reduce human beings to robots but do nothing to improve health. There is no doubt that Mitty whose real name is Maria Antonietta Casulli has clear ideas. She studied biomedical engineering in Italy, but moved to Switzerland to complete her thesis at the prestigious Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL – Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne) and was awarded a research post to prepare for a doctorate. The prerequisites for a marvellous career were all there: a substantial salary, a beautiful house with a view of Lake Geneva, good friends. What more could she have wanted? “And yet – says Mitty – something was not working: it was 2013; we were in the midst of an economic crisis and I had a perfect life. But beyond the Alps, in Italy, many of my friends were running the risk of becoming depressed because they couldn’t find work. In addition, I didn’t want my life to consist only of a career and money. But the “coup d’état” was a trip to the Philippines where I found myself in the middle of one of the most powerful and devastating typhoons in the world: Typhoon Yolanda. The contrast I experienced was enormous: this people had nothing of what my friends and I had, but they lived life with a capital “L”; their life was full, rich in relationships and great dignity. Paradoxically, this seemed to me to be the medicine for the crisis that my continent, Europe, was going through: it was not just an economic crisis; it was much more: a void in the fundamental values of life”. After that trip Mitty decided not to return to Switzerland because she felt she wanted give back to God all the life that he had given to her. And so, following a period of formation for focolarini, she moved to Japan two years ago and now lives in the Focolare community in Tokyo. Upon arriving, her first task was to study the language. This challenge plus the time taken for formation has meant she has been out of the world of work for five years. Could she go back to doing research, especially in a society like Japan? “Just as I was asking myself these questions, a friend who was passing by told me about a Japanese Catholic professor from a university in Tokyo who does research on glucose biosensors – the very subject I had studied for my degree! Since the chances of finding someone in Japan who had completed the same studies are almost nil, Mitty understood that God was at work in her life and she has since seen he continues to do so. The professor gave her the opportunity to complete her doctorate, but there was still a problem: “In Japan I wouldn’t have had a salary as I would have done in Switzerland. In fact, I would have had to pay for my doctorate”. Here too, God’s answer was surprising. Almost by chance, Mitty found herself being interviewed by six managers from different Japanese companies: a difficult situation for a young foreign woman. “I felt that God was with me and that, in the end, they were all just people to love. This changed the way I presented the project and listened to them when they spoke. For an hour I told them about my project, but for the next hour I answered their questions about my choice of life as a focolarina and why I was in Japan. I received 100% of the funding for the project and I must say that I saw the power of God making its way into this culture and these environments in a world I had never imagined. Just two months after beginning my doctorate, my former Swiss professor came to Tokyo and we were able to organize a seminar at my new university. At dinner, watching the two professors speak together, it seemed to me that I understood what God wants from me now. Not only to do research, but to build bridges: between universities and companies, between East and West. All I have to do is continue to give myself totally to God”.
Stefania Tanesini
Aug 18, 2019 | Non categorizzato
The Emilia Romagna Teens4Unity, who chose the Holy Land as their site for this year’s “workshop”, shared a very profound spiritual and human experience with peers who live in that country. Their enriching experience ranged from visiting the Grotto of the Nativity to trekking in the Judaean Desert, from visting the Holy Sepulchre to bathing in the Dead Sea, from the renewal of their baptismal promises in the River Jordan to a boat trip on Lake Tiberias. If one stops at this itinerary, it would have been only a trip or, as many would call it, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the footsteps of Jesus to retrace the life of Him who gives meaning to our life as Christians. 
But if to this itinerary, one adds an afternoon visit to the Creche Orphanage in Bethlehem, a meeting with the Auxiliary Bishop Kamal Batish of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the exchange of experiences with youth and other local Focolare members, then one would be able to talk about the Emilia Romagna Teens4Unity Workshop that took place in the Holy Land from 23 to 30 July. The protagonists were 45 young people and animators, keen to become more familiar with places that are at the centre of their Christian faith. These young people have already participated in many other experiences: they took part in World Youth Day held in Poland three years ago; they visited Amatrice in the Abruzzo region, where they offered a donation of money to support the youth of this Italian city devastated by a powerful earthquake in 2016; they took part in two workshops organized by the international music groups Gen Verde and Gen Rosso; they organized ecological and non-ecological activities, promoted initiatives in favour of the Zero Hunger project and collected money to provide for hearing-aid batteries needed for deaf and dumb children in Belarus. These activities led to the desire for a deeper spiritual experience, and these young people went for it. James related: “I had a very strong experience while we were walking in the desert. The animators suggested silence to help us live a moment of personal dialogue with Jesus. I must admit that after a while that silence frightened me because in our society we are not used to it”. Life in common and sharing are typical characteristics of these experiences, where one feels comfortable to share everything, from tiredness to deep spiritual thoughts, and where the group becomes very sensitive to the difficulties of the individual. Chiara commented: “In a few days, I will forget all about the hot weather, the effort to climb Mount Tabor on foot, running a temperature on the day we had to visit the orphanage, something I was really looking foward to… but I will always remember this trip because I have lived it with my family par excellence. Yes, I travel even with my natural family, but it’s not the same. My Focolare friends are real family to me and a very special one”. 
As expected, moments of tension and fatigue were also part of the journey, yet as Joshua said: “When we listened to the experiences of the Palestinian youth, our perspective changed. We have no idea what it means to be a minority because of religious belief. We have never experienced the presence of a wall in our everyday life like the one that separates Israel and Palestine. These things became food for my thoughts”. Annamaria said: “When we met the children at the Creche, my eyes opened. I have discovered that all my life is a great gift”. The seven days in the Holy Land flew by and it was soon time for the group to return to Italy, but this experience, which summarises the great mystery of pain-love that finds fulfilment in the Resurrection, remains imprinted on the heart of each one. That empty sepulchre still cries out loudly Alleluia.
Tiziana Nicastro
Aug 16, 2019 | Non categorizzato
#intimeforpeace is the hashtag that expresses the Focolare youth’s commitment for the coming year. Programmes for campuses, workshops and courses in different parts of the world, starting from Loppiano (Italy), are already focusing on it. During the past year, until May 2019, the Focolare youth concentrated on promoting and contributing towards a more humane economy, one of communion that pledges attention to people in need. During the last couple of months they have also started to focus on various fields of justice, because Economy and Justice are the first two steps in Pathways for a United World: a global strategy proposed by Youth for a United World (Y4UW) as a commitment to address the challenges our world has to face. In this project there are six different pathways, one for each year, and as one of the organizers explained: “Each year we focus on a different challenge without neglecting our previous commitments. Our commitment ranges from economy to politics, from justice to art, from dialogue between cultures to sport, and we promote actions, collaborations and projects based on fraternity and geared towards a local impact that aims at a global change”. The motto “In time for peace” marks the commitment for the coming year, which ends at Korea during the first week of May 2020. During the coming months, the Gen and Y4UW will be offered opportunities where they can train, study in depth and exchange ideas on themes that deal with justice, peace, legality and rights. The Summer School, held in Loppiano from 7 to 22 July, proved to be a very significant opportunity. The 40 young participants came from various countries, that included Korea, Hong Kong, Malta, Scotland, Italy, Brazil, Cuba, Myanmar, Poland and Colombia. Maria Giovanna Rigatelli, a lawyer involved in “Communion and Law”, who participated as an expert, highlighted the importance of similar experiences, opportunities for young people to immerse themselves both in the cultural heritage and in the historical wounds of the different peoples they come into contact with. “The world’s situation reveals lack of knowledge about the values of human rights. The school made us become more aware of the importance of personal commitment to contribute, for example, in dramatic situations like that of the two Koreas or Hong Kong. Through our commitment, we can be a light that shines in many parts of the world”. Y, a young girl from Korea said: “Our nation is divided into two and there are many wounds that do not justify this division. To have peace we must learn to dialogue. During this school I thought: if we continue to love, to love, to love, maybe at the end we will be able to reunite the two Koreas”. D. explained: “Before I came here, so many things were happening in Hong Kong, and I started to think that, maybe, at times the use of violence is necessary and that peace might not be the only remedy to solve the problems. I felt very frustrated. But after the experience I have lived here and all that I have heard about peace, I now feel so happy. During this year, as young people, we will go deeper and live in the “pathway” dedicated to human rights, justice and peace. So I question myself: how can I say that it is good to use violence, when so many people are wounded and killed? Here, I have learned how to love others and how to focus on love among us. I know it’s difficult to walk in the path of peace, but I think we should try to achieve it without using violence. When I return home, I want to make use of what I’ve learned and experienced in Loppiano so that I can love people in Hong Kong, even the ones I hate”.
Stefania Tanesini
Aug 14, 2019 | Non categorizzato
At times, material wealth fills our ‘heart’ and creates an anxiety to always have more, a real and true dependence. Instead sharing spiritual and material goods with those who are in need allows one to experience true freedom: this style of Christian living gives witness to trust in God the Father and puts down a solid foundation for the civilisation of love. A gift from God Our fifth child David, seemed a normal child at birth. However, after some time the doctors explained to us that he had Down Syndrome. In that moment my husband and I remembered that we had accepted David, from the moment of his conception, as a gift from God. His older sister, when she learnt about him, wrote in her diary: ‘I don’t just want to be a sister to David, I want to be his mother’. Surrounded by a great love David continues to make progress. He goes to school regularly and is very affectionate. He is full of joy. His joy is contagious. He truly showed he was a real gift from God. (Jacqueline – Scotland) In prison There was a boy in my cell who had no money to eat. He took a box from another inmate who threatened him making him pay three Naira. Then he began to ask other inmates for money. I had only five Naira which I needed to buy food. But I remembered the gospel and I understood that to love God I had to love my neighbour. So, I gave him my money. Later on, someone came to my cell and brought me food. (Sylvester – Nigeria) Supper This evening when I got back from the university I sat down in front of the television as usual expecting that my mother, who was watching her favourite programme, should get up and prepare my supper. Then a thought: a few days ago, I heard three medical students talking about the gospel and they emphasised the importance of doing the will of God during the day. So, I got up and went to the kitchen and prepared supper. It was my first conscious act of love. (T.C. – Italy) The foundation of our marriage After we married, despite the fact that we loved one another, each of us remained ‘as we were’, each of us with our own particular habits. One day there was a great difference of opinion on how to cook a particular Czech meal. The difference in opinion was so great that we took a decision: we would always accept one another as we were without wanting to change the other. Perhaps that was when we laid the foundation of our marriage. Now that we are grandparents, we try to share this experience with our grandchildren grateful to God for having opened our eyes. (J. e T. – Bohemia)
Edited by Chiara Favotti
Aug 13, 2019 | Non categorizzato
At the European Mariapolis the story of a possible friendship that sows seeds of peace Open up and “choose an inclusive lifestyle”. Open up to reconcile with each other and discover the pearl that is inside each person. Open up like Jesus, who met everyone, and let the Holy Spirit act “who rejoices in diversity but pursues unity”. This is the way pursued by Rev Ken Newell, Presbyterian minister in Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland. A land that still suffers today from the wounds left by the conflict that for 30 years, since the end of the 1960s, has seen unionists and separatists opposing each other: the first, Protestants, who support belonging to the United Kingdom; the second, Catholics, who support the reunification of Northern and Southern Ireland. A political conflict that has poisoned the social fabric, turning cities into battlefields and leading to “religious segregation”: Protestants and Catholics live in different neighbourhoods, communities do not meet, there is mistrust and prejudice. It was not easy for Reverend Ken to try to build bridges. He had to begin with himself. “ I grew up in Belfast in a Protestant and Unionist community” – he tells the European Mariapolis – “ in my early years I was shaped by the culture of my community (..); many things were healthy, good and serene; other aspects influenced me with negative attitudes towards the Catholic, Irish and Nationalist community, which took me years to overcome”. A path that helped him gradually to open up and discover the beauty of diversity. While in Holland the meeting with a priest convinced him to attend a Mass. Or again in Indonesia, where, as a teacher in a seminary in Timor, he was able to immerse himself in a different country, with its own language, food and culture. “I began to realize that, just as there are different colours in the rainbow, so too God created the human race with incredible diversity; valuing the cultures of Timor taught me to value the good within my own culture. In contact with the priest Noel Carrel, the discovery of a possible friendship: “we realized that we were in Timor to serve the one Christ, that we had the same Heavenly Father and we were brothers. I asked myself if it would be possible to have such a friend in Northern Ireland. Hence a clear awareness: “The Holy Spirit made me open up to “diversity” at the other end of the world and prompted me to seek the best in Irish Catholic culture and spirituality. Returning to Belfast in 1976, he was called to lead the Presbyterian Church of Fitzroy: his inclusive lifestyle was against the tide. In one of the toughest moments of the conflict, his invitation to build new relationships was taken up by the members of a Redemptorist monastery in Clonard: and so, began the Association of Clonard – Fitzroy. The human and spiritual friendship with Father Gerry Reynolds, leader of the Community of Clonard, “companion in the building of peace”, gave rise to many experiences of sharing: “We begin to go together to the funerals of policemen killed by terrorists and of innocent civilians killed by loyalist paramilitary groups; it is rare to see Protestant ministers and Catholic priests together at funerals to comfort the families of the deceased”. It then happens that they participate in each other’s celebrations and that Fr. Gerry and Rev. Ken participate together in marriages between people from different Churches. Another unthought of step is made possible: the priest and the minister are invited to meetings with political leaders of the opposing parties, to reach a ceasefire and adopt policies of peace. Slowly, politicians from the main parties in Northern Ireland, the pro-British DUP and the pro-Irish Sinn Fein, recognise the Clonard – Fitzroy Association as a “safe space” for discussion. The desire for reconciliation grows that will lead, in 2007, to the “miracle of Belfast”: “in Stormont, the government building of Northern Ireland” – says Rev. Newell – “Rev. Ian Paisley, Prime Minister of the shared executive power, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Martin McGuinness, former commander of the IRA, descend the marble staircase, sit side by side in front of the world press and address the people of Northern Ireland; they speak of their determination to lead the country towards a better and more reconciled future”. It is the dawn of a new day. The Clonard-Fitzroy Association, which has been operating for 38 years and has inspired thousands of similar initiatives, received the 1999 Pax Christi International Peace Prize.
Claudia di Lorenzi
Aug 12, 2019 | Non categorizzato
This country has all it takes to be a model for the world of shared life in society and among religions. Yet the longstanding political and economic crises undermine this careful balance. For 50 years the Focolare has been seeking to make its own contribution. https://vimeo.com/343239477
Aug 10, 2019 | Non categorizzato
https://vimeo.com/459315159 Read the text of the video
Aug 10, 2019 | Non categorizzato
At the end of the European Mariapolis, Maria Voce reiterated the value and relevance of the commitment to unity among peoples made 60 years ago. The Focolare President’s full text. “If one day all people, not as individuals but as peoples; if one day all peoples learned how to set themselves aside, to set aside the idea they have of their homeland and their kingdoms, and offer them like incense to the Lord … and if they were to do this for the sake of mutual love among states, which God asks for in the same way that he asks for mutual love among brothers and sisters, that day will be the beginning of a new era. On that day, just as there is the living presence of Jesus between two people who love each other in Christ, so too Jesus will be alive and present among peoples ….”* In these words, on the 30th of August 1959, Chiara Lubich, the founder of Focolare Movement, outlined her dream for unity among all peoples. It became clear that this was the task that God entrusted to the new Movement, for the sake of humanity. In the aftermath of a war laden with hatred and pain, thousands of men and women from 27 countries and representing all continents made a solemn pact. It was the 22ndof August, the day on which the Catholic Church celebrates the Virgin Mary as Queen; and the Mariapolis in the Primiero Valley was coming to an end. Sixty years later, on the 10th of August, at the end of the European Mariapolis at Tonadico, everyone there celebrated this anniversary and re-launched the value and relevance of the commitment to unity among peoples. Below is the full text by Maria Voce, Focolare President. “Sixty years ago, in this locality, parliamentarians from different countries united in prayer to consecrate to Mary their own people and all peoples on earth. Each of them bore in their hearts the hopes and aspirations of their countries, to which they had to respond with responsible and fitting political choices. They faced significant challenges, at a time when ideological conflict was dividing the world into opposing blocs that threatened world peace. After the war, cities needed to be rebuilt, communities re-established, economies developed, lawfulness guaranteed and services maintained. All these were urgent problems calling for political competence and care for society. Yet those politicians did not gather round a table, nor did they organise an international summit; instead they prayed for unity among peoples. It was an unusual choice, indeed, but it guaranteed the future. The world of politics calls for skill and responsibility, honesty and consistency, the ability to work with passion and courage. But the value that most enhances political action is farsightedness, the ability to see beyond, to see further, so as to plan the future frameworks of society and foster their growth. Yes, at times of crisis and rebuilding, interpreting change can be important; being able to envisage the future can make all the difference. And the further ahead one is able to see, the more influential and transforming is one’s action in the present. Those politicians who, sixty years ago, asked God for the gift of unity and decided to commit to its fulfilment, knew how to look very far ahead. From their involvement with Chiara Lubich’s charism they had learned an important lesson: the destiny of the universe is unity. This was not only clear to them in an intellectual manner, because unity was the lifestyle and the norm of the Mariapolis: they had actually experienced it in the smaller or greater actions and choices of daily life. Unity lived in the Movement as it developed shed a special light on relationships in society that all people were called to edify, in whatever circumstances they found themselves. Unity is seen, always and in any age, as a new and revolutionary way of conceiving life and the world. It is not simply an ideal like any other, because it arises from the prayer that Jesus himself addressed to the Father, when he raised his eyes to heaven and prayed that all may be one. It is from this prayer that human history draws meaning. It is not by chance that one of the first politicians who followed Chiara Lubich was Igino Giordani, a member of the Italian parliament. He welcomed the ideal of unity interpreting it with this most effective expression: “history is a fifth gospel”, because history shows the constant and progressive fulfilment of Jesus prayer and therefore of God’s plan for creation. Everything is marching towards unity. This means that social changes that can positively transform the present are ones that accompany citizens, associations and states towards a world that is more cohesive, where there is greater solidarity. All that contributes to cooperation, peace and greater closeness among communities and groups is in line with authentic progress and enables development. In other words, if you want to do your people some good, you need to busy yourself with the good of other peoples. That is why, strengthened by a prophetic and ever relevant message, Chiara Lubich never ceased to spread the message of unity, speaking to politicians and all those actively engaged in society with the exhortation to “love your neighbour’s party as your own”, to “love your neighbour’s country as your own”. The challenges we face today are no less urgent than those of 60 years ago. Quite the opposite. The need to work for unity among peoples is clearer today than ever. The global processes we are witnessing show the interdependence of states, nations and communities on our planet. It is ever clearer that all peoples on earth share one destiny and that the big issues of our day concern matters that are vital for all people: care for the environment, older and newer types of poverty, the invisible conflicts and the wars that make the news, migration on a global scale (which is more often than not the outcome of poverty, war and climate change), the redistribution of wealth, access to natural resources and the recognition of human rights. These issues cut across civil, cultural and political differences. Hence, they engage countries in an ongoing cycle of dialogue aiming to develop processes of political integration and convergence in decision making. Yes, the future of humankind appeals, in a loud voice, for unity. The Focolare Movement responds to this appeal by fostering dialogue among different political parties (for example through the Movement for Politics and Policies for Unity), by encouraging the communion of goods and the culture of giving (through the Economy of Sharing), by studying the doctrine of unity (for example at the Sophia University Institute); by promoting unity in places of professional and social engagement and by way of many specific projects and initiatives (through New Humanity). Today too, like 60 years ago, we can pray to God for unity among all peoples on earth. My deepest wish is that this prayer should be accompanied by a renewed commitment, taken on both personally and as communities, to live for a united world. We will spread the seeds of change that are needed to transform the present and write new pages in the history of the human family as it progresses towards unity.”
Maria Voce
(*) http://www.centrochiaralubich.org/it/documenti/scritti/4-scritto-it/183-maria-regina-del-mondo.html
Aug 8, 2019 | Non categorizzato
In her 66 years, Christine, a Ugandan focolarina, said with her life that there are no insurmountable barriers in the world. She has been able to love each person and every place with great openness: first as an artist with the international group Gen Verde, then in Italy, at the service of the focolarine; and finally, back in Africa, first in Tanzania and then Kenya. 
At the beginning of the 1970s Chiara Lubich had an almost daily relationship with the Gen, the young people of the Focolare Movement. In a world in rapid evolution, shaken by revolutions of different ideologies and colours, the founder of the Focolare prepared the gen to conquer the world through evangelical love. A life-long project that, if embraced, required leaving everything behind and knowing how to look far into the future. In 1972 in Masaka, Uganda, Christine Naluyange made her choice. At the age of twenty she left for Fontem (Cameroon) to take part in one of the most visionary experiments in social coexistence of the time: living in a small town, built less than 10 years earlier where people lived together African and European, healthy and sick, gifted or not, so to say to themselves and to the world that fraternity as a way of life is possible, productive and even exportable. Telling about Christine, an African focolarina, a few days after her death on the 21st of July due to an aggressive disease, is not only a duty , but is necessary in times like these, when in the name of sovereign claims walls of all kinds are put up or, of the African continent, one only wants to see the faces of those who flee in search of a future. In her 66 years of life, Christine never considered the many differences encountered as insurmountable walls. On the contrary, she embraced them, she made her own the richness of every person, people and culture: first as an artist, for 23 years part of the international group Gen Verde, then in Italy at the Centre of the Movement, at the service of the women focolarine; then back in Africa, first in Tanzania and then in Kenya. Hers was a varied and full life, where she tried everything. She went on stage, served her brothers and sisters and carried out roles of responsibility; and all was done with great naturalness and normality. Her life was filled with relationships; she approached people with a mother’s heart, more and more ready to listen than to speak, to take care of each one’s needs. It was not for nothing that her motto of life was a phrase from the Gospel that Chiara Lubich had chosen for her: “Go and preach the Kingdom of God” (cf. Mk 16:15). Of the many testimonies that came as a sign of gratitude and praise to God, we report two that express well the human and spiritual richness of Christine. Maricel Prieto, a Spaniard who spent 18 years with Christine in Gen Verde, writes: ” One word, above all, comes to mind when I think of her: ‘royalty’. Christine was royal on stage, but she was also royal when she approached people, when she welcomed someone, when she loaded or unloaded the equipment from our trucks, when she worked in the garden, when she prepared lunch. And this was not just an attitude, but a constant ‘sinking’ into the present moment with a firm adherence to the will of God that made her always available, close”. “Having lived more than half of her life out of the African continent – says Liliane Mugombozi – Chris, as we called her, had acquired in a certain sense a universal ‘culture’, even if – for those who knew her well – she was a Ugandan woman, an authentic daughter of her land. Next to her you felt an enormous openness; she was a ‘world – woman’. Her great faith in and living for unity with a broad vision was impressive, she knew how to go beyond the injustices she had suffered. How can we explain all this? I believe that Chris had made a choice in life: she chose to love and in all her efforts to be consistent, according to the evangelical style of the spirituality of unity her model was Jesus crucified and Forsaken.
Stefania Tanesini
Aug 6, 2019 | Non categorizzato
In the souk in Aleppo we hear form Jalal: war means destruction and loss, that is true, but crossing the threshold of the Focolare we find a home and a community, a refuge and place of comfort, hope and joy, where people support one another in getting up and starting over again. https://vimeo.com/343239935
Aug 4, 2019 | Non categorizzato
The ongoing Mariapolis for Europe is encouraging sparks of the idea of universal fraternity – even in politics! “Love the other country as your own”. This is the challenging invitation launched during the Mariapolis for Europe currently underway in the Dolomites, by members of the Movement of Politics and Policy for Unity (MPPU), founded by Chiara Lubich. A radical proposal to allow the ‘Fraternity Factor’ into international relations between states and peoples. We discuss this idea with the Italian parliamentarian, the Honourable Letizia De Torre, who is the current president of the MPPU’s international centre. The MPPU as a school of thought aims to promote a “culture of fraternity” in the political field. What implications could this bring to relations between states, international institutions, political parties and even individual representatives? This question implies a serious appeal for a complete 360 degree change in politics! Actually, we can see that citizens everywhere are disillusioned and angry. They’re indignant. They feel betrayed. And they’re right! Politics, apart from a few rare exceptions, has been too slow to recognize the epoch-making changes taking place in the world. This has led to a profound crisis in international relations and organizations, in our political parties and democratic systems. Citizen movements are rising up everywhere, but who can they talk to? Who can answer their appeals? Protest alone cannot bring about change. To begin to grasp the impact the ideal of unity could have on international relations, let’s just imagine what would happen if states (beginning with the major geo-political powers) would act towards the other states “as they would like other states to treat them”! Apply this to any of the current areas of crisis. Then, just immagine if this attitude, applied to political behaviour, was reciprocated between states! And I don’t think this is such a utopia at all. It could actually be a pragmatic and advantageous approach. In the field of scientific research, including space exploration, enormous progress has been made to everyone’s benefit since governments decided to work together rather than in competition. So if our states could discover the value of cooperation, if our peoples could discover the possibility of loving one another, what amazing outcomes of peace, distribution of goods and know-how could emerge, what benefits for our shared home the earth! I do think that the world is moving in this direction – albeit very slowly. And the idea of unity could really be a potent accelerator. In the 1950s countries in Europe began to form common institutions: in 1951 the European Coal and Steel Community, in 1957 the European Economic Community. This impulse seems to have gone into reverse. Can it be revived? I don’t believe that the concept of unity in Europe has been lost. What I do think is that the European Union, like the rest of the world, has been shocked by the great transformations of this century. And because of the cultural crisis in the West, it has failed to summon up the energy required to generate a new political vision, a new understanding of its role on the international stage. The motto of the EU is “unity and diversity” and yet it has not been able to recognize within this the secret for facing the huge complexities of today’s world. However, we need to keep in mind that the European Union is not constituted of institutions in Brussels, but rather by its citizens, which means, us. So the steps ahead to take in the future depend to a large extent, on all of us. Internationally, alongside situations of tension, there are also examples of collaboration and reconciliation within and among countries. We see examples of this in Africa, in US-North Korea relations, as well as inside the ‘Old Continent’ of Europe. What do you make of this period of history we are in? The world has no choice but to hope for peace, concord and collaboration. Progress will always be slow, with many contradictions and reversals along the way, and with many weights dragging on our feet, starting with corruption. But it’s the direction we want to encourage with the paradigm we mentioned before: “Treat other peoples as you would like them to treat you!” For this to happen, it’s not enough to elect leaders who are willing and able to dedicate themselves to the good of their people and to establishing good relationships of unity among peoples. This would already be really great! But we also need the citizens to agree to it. Citizens must create the pressure towards global fraternity, they – we – must be able to see beyond a limited viewpiont towards the common good of the whole world.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Aug 2, 2019 | Non categorizzato
The Duma, the Russian Parliament, invited members of Parliaments and experts for a discussion on the development of parliamentary systems. Letizia De Torre, president of the MPPU, was also present. “It is important to walk together with all those who are seeking some kind of change in the world. All of us, individually and collectively, are called to unity and so every positive step should be celebrated”. This is former member of the Italian Parliament and President of the International Centre of the Movement for Unity in Politics (MPPU), Letizia De Torre’s initial impression. She was present at a Forum which took place from 30 June to 3 July entitled “The Development of Parliamentarism” on the development of parliamentary systems. It proposed an iniative called co-governance, i.e. the idea of institutions and civil society exercising co-responsibility in governing cities and international relations. This idea was the central theme of a conference held in Castelgandolfo (Rome, Italy) last January and was put forward on different levels and in different countries and will be developed further at a second high-level meeting in Brazil in 2021. How did CO-Governance arrive in Moscow? The Secretary General and the Advisor of the IAO (Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy), http://eiao.org/home_english_iao, – a network of Orthodox parliamentarians, including Russians, with whom we work together – took part in the CO-Governance event in Rome in 2019. They were really interested in the idea and made sure that the MPPU was invited to the Forum – http://duma.gov.ru/en/international/forum_english/. I must say that it was only when I arrived in Moscow that I really understood why. In fact, it may come as a surprise to learn that Russia’s institutional system is defined by expressions such as “controlled democracy”, “centralism”, “ambivalence between modernization and traditionalism”, while co-governance involves co-responsibility, widespread participation, innovative relations between politicians and citizens … In fact, and this is symptomatic of an epochal change we are currently experiencing, politicians are being asked to change. Citizens have lost confidence and the Internet has catapulted us into a world which takes us beyond the rigidity of the palaces of politics. Many parliamentarians are looking for new paths to follow and CO-Governance expresses the idea of a deep relationship between politicians and citizens, and of co-responsibility for governing at all levels, without fear of the times we are living in which are so complex. How was your proposal received? The idea of collaboration is developing in all societies and the Forum’s final declaration also reflects this sign of the times. But what has been welcomed with surprise is the underlying political logic: “Treat the other country and everyone ‘other than you’ as you would like to be treated yourself. This attitude revolutionizes politics and gives it the new role it needs today: that of facilitator and catalyst for collaboration between everyone. What does the MPPU take away from this official presence in Russia? First of all, I experienced a change on a personal level. The Russian people are wonderful and attentive; Moscow is beautiful, rich in history, efficient and remains in your heart. In this sense it is easy to feel that you are amongst brothers and sisters. But getting to know another country’s political system more deeply is a different story. I “landed” in a political culture which was completely different and I was afraid I wouldn’t understand it. At the first difficulties I found myself at a crossroads. I could either set myself apart or put into practice the “method” that had one day fascinated me. I consciously decided to love Russia as much as I love my own country. You don’t love your own country because it’s perfect. You just love it. You enjoy and suffer with and for it in good times and in hard times. That’s how I began to understand Russia today. I tried to look at the world from its point of view, even to the point of feeling regret for the negative judgments it receives which are often instrumental in the race for geopolitical supremacy. I appreciated how the Forum was intent on exercising “soft power”, with which I believe Russia is trying to gain the trust of other countries and draw closer to them with more dignity and respect. I found myself more open to accepting and welcoming, for example, the desire for unity between the two Koreas expressed by the North Korean MP; the commitment to seek “partnership” rather than dependence expressed by a Ghanaian MP; the hope expressed by the Syrian delegation and the question expressed by the Lebanese MP “But why do we kill each other?” who concluded with the strength of his Orthodox faith: “God does not want this!”.
Stefania Tanesini
Aug 1, 2019 | Non categorizzato
‘Heart’ refers to that which is our inner most being, what is hidden, what is most alive; ‘treasure’ refers to what has most value, what gives us a sense of security today and for the future. The heart is where all our values lie, where our choices are rooted, the secret place where we work out the meaning of our life: what is our priority? On the underground Train While I was travelling on the underground train I went over a topic that I considered important for the upcoming exam. At the next station a student got on whom I knew. She is sitting for the same exam and she asks me about a topic that I don’t consider very important. Seeing how agitated she is, I ‘forget’ my plan and focus on what she suggests. Later, in the oral exam, the professor asks me about that very topic which I just studied with her! (M.L. – Germany) Life awakened by God I am Turkish, a Muslim. When I told my husband Sahib that I thought I was pregnant for the fourth time he began to list all the sacrifices we would have to make. I was completely confused and I asked the gynaecologist if I was still in time to have an abortion. He told me it was just a matter of putting my name down on the waiting list. However, within me I felt that no one in the world has the right to end a life that God has begun. The months that followed were very difficult but I had made up my mind to fight on. Many friends, Christian and Muslim, supported me. Reading the Koran, I could feel the warmth of God who gave me strength. Little by little, Sahib found peace. We have never been as happy as we are with this child. With him, God has come to live under our roof. (F.O. – Germany) Terminally ill While in hospital due to an inoperable tumour, I felt very close to God. It was like a great, inexplicable happiness filled the whole of my being. I tried to befriend the other patients and we felt like brothers, not just those in the room but also with the others. Each time someone was discharged it was painful to say goodbye. It seemed like illness made us deepen our relationships. Now that I am getting weaker, I feel that the brotherhood established in the hospital is accompanying me and supporting me in the final stage of the journey. (M.J. France) Solidarity We got a request from the hospital to do something for a 19-year-old Albanian girl who had just put to bed/given birth. She, her husband and a brother were living in a car. My husband went to the hospital administrator to ask if they could keep the mother and baby for another few days and he agreed. I asked my parents if they would be ready to let them use their old flat. With the help of the two Albanian boys and other friends, my husband painted the rooms. A friend offered some furniture. A plumber did some jobs for free. When she left the hospital, L went to a cosy house. The Council Social Services arranged for a free meal a day until she could find work. (A.A. – Italy)
Edited by Chiara Favotti
Jul 31, 2019 | Non categorizzato
“What do you think?”, “What would you do if you were me?” People often ask for our help, or we realise they need it, and we are convinced that to help a friend, a brother, a person, we need to “do” something. In the book “Meditations”, a collection of Chiara Lubich’s very first spiritual writings, we find a few lines where she invites us to change our perspective and aim at the life of God in us. Thus, our love for all others would be His love and not ours. There are those who do things ‘for love’. There are those who do things trying to ‘be Love’. Someone who does things ‘for love’ may do them well, but thinking for example that they are doing a great service for their neighbour, who is sick for instance, they may annoy them with their chatter, their advice and their help. Such charity is burdensome and not to the point. Poor thing! They may gain merit, but the other person gains a burden. That is why we must ‘be Love’. Our destiny is like that of the stars: if they revolve, they are; if they do not, they are not. We are, in the sense that not our own life but the life of God lives in us, if we do not stop loving for one moment. Love places us in God and God is Love. But Love, which is God, is light and with the light we see whether our way of approaching and serving our neighbour is according to the heart of God, as our neighbour would wish to be, as they would dream of it being if they had beside them not us, but Jesus.
Chiara Lubich
Text adapted from Meditations, New City London, Dublin, 1989, p. 45
Jul 30, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Does it still make sense to work for fraternity in politics? A pact for the brotherhood of peoples, originally drawn up 60 years ago, will be renewed on August 10 at the European Mariapolis. We spoke with Marco Titli from the Focolare’s Movement for Unity in Politics. Echoes from the war could still be heard back on August 22, 1959. Yet at the end of the Mariapolis that was being held in the Primiero Valley that year, representatives of the five continents came together and established a pact of unity. Praying in nine languages, they consecrated their own peoples to Mary, affirming that fraternity was truly possible. Sixty years later, descending to the current political climate, the idea of a pact of unity for the brotherhood of peoples seems utopian – both because it comes from a low point (as it did in 1959) and because it would need to come from governments themselves. Do we need to resign ourselves – or does it even make sense – to work for political fraternity? We discussed it with Marco Titli, 33, who works in parliament and is active in the Movement for Unity in Politics, a district councillor in Turin. What message does the European Mariapolis give to a Europe that is divided between integrating and special interests? “The role of the Mariapolis is not to enter into political debate. The message that we hope to give is that the unity of Europe is a value worth safeguarding, while respecting each country’s individual identity. If Europe breaks up, we end up back to defending borders. Instead, it is bridges and roads that widen our perspectives and bring well-being. The Focolare is part of a network of other efforts in the Church, such as actions against arms exports to Yemen, or combatting against problem gambling.” There is a crisis of trust towards political parties that has exacerbated, and citizens step back from active participation. How can we rebuild trust? “Alongside the political crisis I also see another in the media, which spotlights bad news. Many mayors risk their lives fighting against organised crime and risk their reputations accomplishing brave things for their cities. At the national level as well, there are politicians who fight for the common good. If you look beyond the political apathy, there are many great people in politics today.” Holding fast to your ideals can sometimes mean making someone else unhappy. How do you decide on which actions to take in politics? “In politics, you need to be ready to compromise. We live in complex situations. But not just any compromise – when faced with illegal activities or serious incidents you need to be able to say no. That means you need to take risks. Many public servants have fallen because they said no and were not even understood by their own constituencies. Yet if you shun compromise and go into politics to defend your ideas, you bring division. It is a hard road, and there can be opposition, but a politician is called to listen to special interests and then compose a mosaic with them.” Can you tell us about collaborative efforts between parties in your city? “We were building a bridge near the Porta Susa station in Turin, which joins two parts of the city that were once divided. Together with others in my district and those on the other side of the bridge, I proposed that we name the structure after the European Union, a symbol of unity between different peoples. The project was unanimously approved, and a number of political groups attended the naming ceremony. It was a moment of hope, and my wish is that signs like this can build citizens’ trust towards politics.”
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Immagine:© Ufficio stampa Mariapoli Europea
Jul 29, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Young writer Andrea Cardinali shares about the fourth Harmony Among Peoples summer camp for kids, held in the Holy Land in July. This story is both his personal experience and that of a country which, perhaps more than many others, has the ability to touch the soul. There are trips that leave you relaxed because they’re holidays, others that you need to take days to rest and recover from. Then there are trips that when you come back you ask yourself, “Where was I?” 
Sometimes you live everything so intensely that there’s no time to question – that stage when people ask themselves about why things are, where things are headed, and the meaning of it all. That’s not necessarily bad – quite the contrary. This can particularly happen when you spend most of your time with children who have yet to understand that they are “prisoners” in their own birthplace, Palestine. And the fact that there is no time to question is not a symptom of a lack of reflection. Some trips, perhaps the greatest ones, work like that—you say a somewhat ignorant “yes”, take off and go all in to the full adventure. You can’t even think of what it might mean from outside looking in; you are so beyond yourself that you go through it and find meaning within.
I was in Palestine for 18 days, having been dragged there by Antonella Lombardo and the brilliant girls from the Dance Lab at Montecatini School (Italy), some of whom I had met at the unforgettable “Let’s Bridge” Genfest in 2012. “Harmony Among Peoples” began in 2005, with the idea to use art and dance as tools to unite peoples and cultures. After various editions in Italy and workshops with youth from a number of countries, some years ago the “Children Without Borders” project began, thanks to a collaboration with Father Ibrahim Faltas. This summer the fourth edition was held in Palestine, and I was the newest addition to this band of artist-educators. Together with Luca Aparo of Sportmeet, we also took a sports angle. We know that sports are just as important to learn how to enjoy while respecting all kinds of diversity. After two weeks of artistic workshops we opened with the children on July 14 at the Notre Dame Theatre in Jerusalem, and on July 16 at the John Paul II Foundation in Bethlehem. It showed the historical meeting between St. Francis of Assisi and the Sultan of Egypt, Malik Al-Kamil, which happened 800 years ago in 1219. To enhance the two evenings, singer Milad Fatouleh also performed with us. He is known in Italy for Una stella a Betlemme, which was voted best foreign song at the 2004 Zecchino d’Oro. There were many political and religious figures who attended the two shows, which celebrated the meeting between Christianity and Islam. It was a prophetic sign of interreligious dialogue and possible peace.
Andrea Cardinali
Jul 28, 2019 | Non categorizzato
The present and future challenges of humanity in the light of Chiara Lubich’s intuitions and experiences of summer 1949. The theologian Hubertus Blaumeiser relates about the recent Abbà School seminar held at Tonadico (Trent, Italy). Who are we? How do we achieve our fulfillment? What relationship do we have with others? What are our goals and what about our roots? Today, these questions are being asked with a new urgency, because, scientifically, man can appear to be simply the result of evolution, determined by his genes and brain activity, and because he can be empowered by new technologies, and also manipulated by them. Today, these questions present a certain emergency because masses of people are compelled to flee from their countries or forced to experience the poverty of slums, and man’s interventions may risk to compromise the planet’s state of affairs. These very complex challenges cannot be tackled in a sectoral way; they need new approaches, they need “light”. The 65 scholars, who met at Tonadico, on the Dolomites, from the 14 to 16 July, are fully convinced of this. They got together for a seminar that involved the “Abba School” (the interdisciplinary centre of studies of the Focolare Movement), the “Sophia” University Institute (Loppiano, Italy) and the “Chiara Lubich Centre”. What was the objective of these scholars engaged in about twenty academic disciplines? While putting aside ideas that might have led to the expectation of rapid conclusions, they aimed at avenues of research that could be followed together. Place and time offered the perfect setting: Chiara Lubich and the first nucleus of the Focolare Movement were in this same mountainous spot exactly 70 years ago when a period of overwhelming experiences and insights started. While being led to feel enraptured in God, Lubich and her companions discovered that they were looking at the world not from “above” or “below”, but from “within”, if one can say so. This experience left an indelible mark on them, and it was decisive for the Movement’s development. Later on, one realized that it was also a source of light for new cultural developments in the whole range of scientific disciplines. The vision of the human being that emerged from this seminar was varied yet convergent. Piero Coda, the Dean of the Sophia University Institute, spoke about the need of further development in universal, “panchosmic and pan-human” self-awareness, quoting Chiara Lubich: “my ego is humanity, with all men who were, are and will be”. While speaking about a vision of man and society that is not at all static, Anouk Grevin, the French economist who is a scholar in the dynamics of giving, said: “Giving and receiving are both based on the ability of discovering myself in the other person, of owning all that is his, in such a way that we can communicate fully and receive one another totally “. Whilst referring to environmental issues, the political scientist Pasquale Ferrara and the nature scientist Sergio Rondinara indicated that: “World politics adopt an anthropocentric view of the globe, while the socio-natural dimension of our planet’s life still remains in the shadow”. Urgent is the need to move from a “despotic” anthropocentrism and pass on to “an anthropology that is not hegemonic but oblatory”. In his comment at the end of the seminar, Fabio Ciardi, the coordinator of the Abbà School said: “As the hours went by, we delved deeper into the realities of existence. We need to move ahead: we must work in our own field and confront with the other disciplines”. Jesús Morán, co-president of the Focolare, indicated a twofold task: an adequate hermeneutics of the charism of unity and “the service to humanity, addressing at least some of the most important issues of our time”.
Hubertus Blaumeiser
Jul 25, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Travelling from Damascus to Aleppo, you go through Homs. We saw for ourselves what is happening there: the rebuilding and the people’s determination to go back to a normal life in a country where the war is not yet over and rubble blocks roads and hinders lives. We saw what the Focolare is doing through projects run by the Action for a United World (AMU) and the New Families Association (AFN). https://vimeo.com/343238660
Jul 23, 2019 | Non categorizzato
An interview with Lucia Abignente, co-author with Giovanni Delama of ‘A Golden City’, the story of the first Mariapoli, to be published by Città Nuova in September. The first Mariapolis happened 70 years ago in the Dolomites in the Trentino province of northern Italy. It was the summer of 1949 and Chiara Lubich had a few years earlier made her definitive choice to live the Gospel, a choice already shared with a group of companions. Together they went to the mountains, to Tonadico di Primiero, to rest. It became a key moment in the history of the Focolare Movement. During this time, through a mystical experience Chiara gained a new understanding of God’s plan on the emerging presence in the Church: the Work of Mary. Since that time, similar gatherings, which came to be called Mariapolis (“City of Mary”), take place every year in summer time, in countries all around the world. In the story of Mariapoli, the years from 1949 to 1959 have particular significance. Can you explain in what way? Those years mark the origins of Mariapolis, years in which the power of the charism of unity, given by God to Chiara for the Church, was producing new fruits. A very strong sense of communion was generated among the participants who were of all ages, social backgrounds and even from different countries. (The 1959 Mariapolis was visited by 12,000 people from 27 countries!) It emerged as a profound experience of God, a way of sanctity lived together as a family. It has been described as a “people of God”, to use a term the Second Vatican Council would later promote. Why is it called “Mariapolis”? In fact, this name first appeared in 1955, and it emerged from the life of these gatherings over the years, which developed as a kind of small city, a people who identified themselves as being guided by Mary. The Gospel-inspired love lived among them generated the presence of the divine, in the sense of Jesus’ teaching, “Where two or more are united in my name, I am in their midst” (Mt 18:20). And this enlightening experience inspired the title of our book on the Mariapolis phenomenon. How would you define the key elements of these gatherings which are still taking place today? I would summarize them in one word: “communion”, or rather “communions”. Meaning, communion in the Eucharist, renewed each day; communion with the Word of the Gospel; communion with our sisters and brothers. This is what characterized the Mariapolis experience of 1949, and this is what we find in the Mariapoli which continue to this day. From this communion, people draw strength to continue to live this experience in their daily lives, to cooperate in the design of God on Creation and on the social environment around them. What is the most important thing you learnt from those who participated in the very first Mariapoli? Meeting those “witnesses”, I saw how their Mariapolis experience is not a memory for them but a vivid and vital reality to this very day. From the written testimonies I’ve gleaned the authenticity of a life lived as a “body”, in the quest for unity. Those early Mariapoli have sparked off some notable long-term effects … First of all the “Città Nuova” magazine (“New City” or “Living City”) came to life during these first Mariapoli as a way of keeping all the participants in touch with this life once they got back home. Then there are the permanent “Mariapoli” small towns which have been established in different countries – Chiara first spoke about these in 1956. The Focolare’s experience of dialogue among members of different Christian Churches was already part of the Fiera di Primiero Mariapolis in 1957. The presence of charismatic figures within the Catholic Church indicated pathways of communion which were later developed in the Second Vatican Council and by successive Church leadership. It’s also possible to identify the precursors of the Movement’s impact on social and political fields. In the permanent Mariapolis towns, people of different ages, countries, cultures and Christian traditions live together, putting the Gospel into practice. Diversity lived in a context of unity. Do you draw any message from these Mariapolis towns for today’s Europe fragmented by nationalist and populist pressures? Pope Francis made a very important point when he visited the Mariapolis town of Loppiano, Italy, last year. He spoke of the “mysticism of ‘us’” which propels us to walk together through our part of history. This is something which was very alive in the first Mariapoli. For example, in 1959, despite being so close to the end of the second world war, participants from Italy, Germany and many other countries overcame their own personal barriers, to consecrate their peoples to Mary. They wanted to do this together, as a demonstration of love for one another, forming the “one people of God”.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Jul 21, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Chiara wrote in 2006 «Throughout the Gospel Jesus invites to give. To give to the poor, to whoever asks, to whoever needs a loan. To give food to the hungry, a coat to the one who asks for a cloak, to give freely….He himself was the first to give: health to the sick, forgiveness to sinners, life to all of us. He encourages generosity to combat the selfish instinct to hoard, to focus on the other so as to overcome the focus on our own needs; to give so as to combat the culture of having”. The wedding One of my daughters was getting married and given our limited family economy it was difficult for us to cover all the expenses. With ten days to go I still did not have a suitable outfit for the day. Furthermore it was not easy to borrow from someone given my size. Just at that time a container arrived from Florence with clothes and household goods. It had been prepared and sent by some families in Italy for our community. A friend decided to look through the many things to see if she could find something for me. She was delighted to find a beautiful piece of material and even thought of the style of dress to make with it. On the wedding day whenever I was complemented on my outfit I replied that God’s providence made use of friends near and far. (M.A. – Paraguay) On Dialysis For three years now I have to have dialysis three times a week as I wait for a transplant. It’s not easy at the clinic and I try to build a relationship with each patient. If someone likes talking about food, I talk about food. If someone is interested in sport, we talk about sport. However one day I was particularly tired of fighting and my spirits were low. I hadn’t the energy to smile nor to greet people. A nurse who knew me well said “ You too, Aracelis?” Immediately the anguish and discouragement disappeared and I began to think of the others and not about myself. (Araceli J. – Brasil) Adopted I was always ashamed not to know my biological parents even though the family which adopted me did everything to fill the gaps. When I fell in love and then married K my problems, which seemed to have disappeared, surfaced again. In fact when it came to educating our children we had opposite opinions. I left her without giving any explanation. For those who have had a family it is difficult to understand someone who feels existentially alone. Now, after a long time, trying to draw out love from a dry heart is helping me to recover. (T.A.F. – Hungary) The challenge One day a colleague offers me a sheet of paper explaining that it is a phrase from the Gospel with a commentary to help live it. I read: “Love your enemies”. I reflected and the next day I am ready to take up the challenge. I found my mother in the kitchen. We haven’t spoken for two months. I sit down and have a coffee with her. “Did you sleep well?” I ask her. In the afternoon my brother comes to my room and asks me if he can borrow a jumper. “Open the cupboard and choose the one you want” I reply. These are small deeds but I already feel different. (A.F. – Italy)
by Chiara Favotti
Jul 20, 2019 | Non categorizzato
The event will be held from 26thto 28thMarch. Present among others: Yunus, Frey, Meloto, Petrini, Raworth, Sachs, Sen, Shiva and Zamagni Registration is underway for the three days commissioned by Pope Francis for young economists, entrepreneursand change-makersfrom around the world. From 26th to 28th March, Assisi will host the international event The Economy of Francis: young people, a commitment, the future. The invitation to participate comes directly from the Holy Father and is addressed to young people up to the age of 35. You can submit your application by 30 September via the website www.francescoeconomy.org. The Economy of Francesco event will consist of workshops, artistic and plenary events with the best-known economists, experts in sustainable development and business people who are engaged today worldwide in a different economy and will reflect and work together with young people. Nobel laureates Muhammad Yunus and Amarthya Sen have already confirmed they will attend. Other participants include Bruno Frey, Tony Meloto, Carlo Petrini, Kate Raworth, Jeffrey Sachs,Vandana Shiva and Stefano Zamagni. It is not a traditional conference but an experience where theory and practice engage to build new ideas and new ways of working together. A programme where time slows down to leave room for reflection and silence, for stories and meetings, for art and spirituality, so that the thought and economic action of young people will emerge. The meeting is aimed at young people under 35 involved in research: students and scholars in Economics and other related disciplines (master’s students, doctoral research programmes, young researchers); and in business: entrepreneurs and managers. Participation is also open to change-makers andpromoters of activities at the service of the common good and of a just, sustainable and inclusive economy. The proposal is to make a commitment with the young people, beyond differences of beliefs and nationalities, to change the current economy and give a soul to that of tomorrow so that it is more just, sustainable and with active engagement by those who at present are excluded. 500 young people will be chosen from among all the candidates to attend apre-event scheduled for 24th and 25thMarch: it will be an opportunity for work and study that will continue during the days of the event (26-27-28) together with all the other participants.
(source: press release)
Jul 18, 2019 | Non categorizzato
The first European Mariapolis, sponsored by the Focolare Movement at Tonadico, in the Dolomites, has begun and runs through August 8. Within the historical and political context of a Europe divided and in conflict, this event aims to show that the dream of brotherhood among peoples is not some faraway utopia. The original intuition that Focolare’s founder, Chiara Lubich, had last century during the 1940s and 1950s has carried through to various fields of knowledge, and to the heart of relationships between individuals and peoples. We discussed it with Fabio Ciardi, who is responsible for the movement’s interdisciplinary study centre, the Abbà School. What is the link between Chiara Lubich’s mystical experiences in 1949 and 1950 during and after the first Mariapolises, and the birth of the Abbà School? “The Abbà School began in order to go deeper into what had happened during those years. Chiara had the opportunity to write her experience little by little as it happened, aware that within it was a teaching – values so profound and rich that they could nourish not just the movement but the Church as well. Later she felt the need to take up those pages yet again, so she began to call on people with a certain amount of culture to go more deeply into her experience and help the doctrine that was already within it flow.” Among the fields represented in the Abbà School are history and political science. Can the group’s reflections in these areas help us understand the reasons that the European Union was founded? “The experience that Chiara had in 1949 gave her a vision from on high of God’s designs for humanity and history. So you can find values there that are at the foundations of Europe. The Abbà School hopes to bring them to light and show how current they are. Today the Mariapolis helps us discover those designs and understand what God’s plan for our history is and who we are.” In the early days Chiara had an intuition that Europe was called to be united at its core. Igino Giordani, one of the movement’s co-founders, hoped for a “United States of Europe” that would present itself as a federal entity of peoples in the global context. Today, however, we are far off from that vision, and nationalism and populism run through Europe. How can we find that passion again and make it contagious? “It seems to me that the initial experience of 1949 has all the elements to expand our hearts; to grow that sense of fraternity, hospitality and sharing; and to promote a way forward together. At the beginning Chiara’s reflections were focused on Italy, and she spoke of Saint Catherine and Saint Francis as its patron saints. Yet soon her horizons expanded when people from other European countries and continents joined the movement. She saw the charism of unity resonate for all of them, and each found their deepest values there. She saw all of humanity moving towards unity. I think this could be a fundamental ideal that can be realised today as well. We need to reflect culturally in a way that combines God’s great plan for humanity with the current political, economic, and historical situation.” What message does the experience at the European Mariapolis send to the citizens of Europe? “The idea that European unity is not uniformity or an obligation, but it is a richness that comes from having great diversity – not only from the historical European peoples but the new ones who arrive as well. Europe is something we build; it has been in continual construction since its origins. It needs to know how to combine these two elements: promote fraternity, sharing, communion and unity; and at the same time, value the great cultural diversity and the particular history of each people. I think that the Mariapolis could be the new melting pot in which we learn to respect and love each other, and live together.” So the Mariapolis is a “lab” of unity for Europe. Someone might object that this is outlook is simply utopian… “Utopias are located in imaginary places where you dream up a reality that does not in fact exist. A Mariapolis, instead, is a different place that is not utopian but real. I think we need to put forward experiences like this one once again – meaningful, despite small, which show how the world could be if we truly lived the laws of fraternity, love and unity.”
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Jul 15, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Seventy years ago it was Chiara Lubich herself who defined as “Paradise ‘49” the mystical experience through which God conveyed to her and, through her, to the Movement during its early times, the full understanding of the charism of unity and of the Work that would be born of it. This experience has been studied for years by the “Abba School”, the cultural centre of the Focolare which is currently engaged in a study seminar on “Paradise ’49” together with other scholars. Jesús Moràn, co-President of the Focolare Movement, is also taking part and we asked him to explain its relevance and vision. https://vimeo.com/348249423 “What we in the Focolare Movement, and I think others too, know as ‘Paradise ’49’ is a mystical experience that was in some way unprecedented and unique, because God never repeats himself. It was new and unique in both form and content. It all started with a pact of unity between Chiara Lubich and Igino Giordani: a woman and a man; a girl to whom a charism had been given by God and a politician actively engaged in society; a virgin and a married man. That already says much. Furthermore, the context preceding the event must be kept in mind and is very important. The background to this experience was a very deep life of the Word – the human logos united to the divine logos; Jesus crucified and forsaken who unites heaven and earth and therefore fills every void; Eucharistic communion as a symbol of universal fraternity, of universal communion and fellowship. Those who study this experience tell us that everything started there; everything arose out of that context. It is understandable that, if that is how things were, what came of it was a wide-ranging ecclesial and social movement, with a methodology based on a 360° dialogue: dialogue within the Catholic Church, ecumenical dialogue, interreligious dialogue and dialogue with culture. It is a movement that, in turn, was able to initiate important social movements such as the Economy of Communion and the Movement for Politics and Policies for Unity and also important cultural realities such as the Città Nuova publishing house or the Sophia University Institute. What we are celebrating today is this particular event that occurred in a marvellous context where nature blends with culture, where the divine shines out in what is human and the human shines out in the divine and in social relationships. Certainly, in a world like this, which is so fragmented and marked by extreme polarization, I believe this experience is extremely relevant and can make a significant contribution to humanity’s journey today.”
Immagine: © Fabio Bertagnin – CSC Audiovisivi
Jul 15, 2019 | Non categorizzato
From the special pact that Chiara Lubich and Igino Giordani made on 16th July 1949 emerged a new kind of mystical experience, one open to humanity and able to transform the history of communities and peoples. —- All these pages are worth nothing if the soul who reads them does not love, is not in God. They have value if it is God who reads them in that soul. Now what I want to leave to whoever will follow my Ideal is this certainty: all you need is the Holy Spirit (and faithfulness to the one who began it) to carry on the Work. … As an aid, then, I can leave what I have written – but it has value only if it is taken as “an aid.” Even Jesus, although he was God and had everything in himself, did not come to destroy and begin all over again, but to complete. In this way, whoever comes after me will be able to complete what I have done. I do not want to love those who follow on after me less than myself, and therefore I want them to have the Holy Spirit welling up in them just as God gave him to me. They will not have him directly; they will have him through an intermediary person but they will have him, living, from the living lips of the one who will convey him by living what he is teaching through me. Thus it is good to remove decisively any concern other than that of doing the divine will made manifest moment by moment, but without suggesting anything to God. (Chiara Lubich, Paradise ’49) What are “these pages” that Chiara Lubich was referring to? They are contained in a text known as Paradise ’49, written by Chiara 70 years ago, in the summer of 1949. They were written under the influence of a spiritual light that then continued for many more months. In the part quoted here, Chiara was addressing herself to those who, in our day, do not want merely to remember what happened then, but to graft ourselves on to the mystical experience that she and some members of the Focolare community had at its beginnings. The beautiful words, meaningful metaphors and breadth of concepts expressed in those pages can indulge a reader’s aesthetic sense, and help him or her to savour the religious atmosphere that was breathed at the time, but that is all. Only those who love are able to enter within the deep meaning of the mysticism of Paradise ’49. This meaning arises from the understanding of human reality and of all beings directly inspired by the contemplation of God and in God. The fruits of this experience are visible to all: the broad vision of the spirituality of communion, the doctrine arising from the charism of unity, the mission of the Focolare Movement and the actions and works that have sprung from its social engagement. It is not by chance that the path into this mystical experience was opened by a special spiritual pact that Chiara made with Igino Giordani. He was married and a father, a member of parliament and a well-known author. Mysticism is not usually within the reach of those who are immersed in daily challenges of family, work, unavoidable commitments and complex challenges. The fact that Paradise ‘49 opened up through the unity between Chiara and Igino means that Chiara Lubich’s spirituality is not reserved to, nor is it dedicated to those who live in some kind of special religious state. It is for all humanity and is called to sustain the march towards unity of all people, men and women, communities and groups, peoples and nations, in all circumstances and conditions. Today, Chiara asks us to continue her work.
Alberto Lo Presti
Jul 14, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians, members of Chiara’s family, got together for the first time and spent a week together. Liridona is a Sunni Muslim from the North of Macedonia. She was asked to share her experience during an interreligious meeting for youth when Pope Francis recently visited her country. She spoke about her experience with other Christian and Muslim Focolare youth, and at the end she asked the Pope: “Am I dreaming too much?”(1) Liridona, who was at Castelgandolfo from 17 to 23 June, discovered that others shared her dream. She was there with a group of forty people who follow 5 different religions and come from 15 different countries. A team of people, responsible for interreligious dialogue at the Centre of the Focolare Movement, welcomed these members of Chiara’s family, and the first item on their programme was a visit to the chapel where Chiara Lubich is laid to rest. (2) There, Vinu Aram, the Indian leader of the Shanti Ashram Movement, sang a song through which she expressed the love of all of them, a love that binds them to the “source” that has changed their lives. 
And Dr. Amer, a Muslim, professor of comparative theology shared: “I come from Jordan, where the Jordan river flows and reminds me that our journey starts with the purification of the soul. Very often I wonder why radical extremism incites people to kill others and themselves. I ask God for the courage needed to give our life for what is Good, to be witnesses of this love among us and to all”. 
One fourth of the participants were younger than 35 years. Among them, there were Kyoko, a Buddhist from Japan; Nadjib and Rassim, Muslims from Algeria; Israa and Shahnaze, Shiite from USA and Vijay, a Hindu from Coimbatore. They lived days of “prophecy” while they delved deeply into the mystical experience of summer 1949. Shubhada Joshi, a Hindu, related: “The first time that I heard someone speak of “Jesus Forsaken” I was going through great suffering and I could not manage to understand. I started to look at him as the other side of the coin of love. Now I understand my tradition in a better way”. On the fourth day, another hundred people joined the first group who were participating in this “workshop”. These were mainly Christians involved in the Movement’s journey of fraternity The message delivered by Msgr. Ayuso Guixot, the new President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue expressed a sign of profound “harmony” with Pope Francis’ work. When Rita Moussallem and Roberto Catalano spoke about this dialogue in the teachings of the last Popes, they highlighted the openness and prophetic spirit of Vatican II.
Although each participant arrived for this meeting with a bagful of one’s own experiences, they discovered that sharing with brothers and sisters of various faiths is “the best school”; they experienced a “presence of God”. They realized that this goes beyond dialogue and that they can look ahead together. Hence the need of training and change.
After all, Pope Francis told Liridona that we need to “become expert carvers of our own dreams (….) with concentration and effort, and especially with a great desire to see how that stone, which no one thought was worth anything, can become a work of art” .(3)
Gianna Sibelli
(1) www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-travels-north-macedonia–meeting-young-people.html (2) In the chapel, at the Focolare Movement Centre at Rocca di Papa, one finds Chiara Lubich’s tomb and those of the two co-founders of the Work of Mary: Igino Giordani and Fr. Pasquale Foresi (3) www.vatican.va, apostolic journey in North Macedonia, Discorso di Papa Francesco all’incontro ecumenico e interreligioso con i giovani, Skopje, 7 maggio 2019.
Jul 12, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Seventy young people gathered in the U.S. for one of the international events that is part of United World Week 2019. It was the first of the six “Pathways for a United World” launched by the Focolare’s young people, focused on work and economy, and also opened up the next one on peace, law and justice. 
They are leaves from the same tree, threads of the same fabric. They are different, yet linked to the same dream of fraternity, and united by the same commitment to achieve it. And the more than 70 young people from the U.S. Canada, Mexico, Paraguay, Italy, Brazil, Lebanon and the Czech Republic certainly experienced it when they came together June 9–16 just north of New York City at Mariapolis Luminosa, the Focolare’s international centre for North America. We asked Chris Piazza, a young American who was there, to tell us about this event, which was just one of those scheduled internationally for United World Week 2019. What was the main theme of the meeting? Last year, at Genfest 2018 in Manila, Philippines, the Youth for a United World (Y4UW) launched “Pathways for a United World”, which are six themes to go deeper into and live over six years. The first, which includes the topics of economy, work and communion, was at the core of the event at Mariapolis Luminosa. How did you take it on and develop it? We had a number of workshops to go deeper into topics such as finance, leadership and resource poverty, and in small groups we reflected on how to live and spread a culture that is based on giving and sharing. We also participated in an exercise on consumer awareness called “Into the Label.” The final day was titled “Live to give until no one is in need,” which sums up what we lived. 
Also present were a number of entrepreneurs from the Economy of Communion, a new economic model that promotes fraternity in all aspects of business. Two of them, from competing firms, spoke about how they tried to not compromise their personal relationship despite the cutthroat competition at work. “Hands 4 Humanity” was another of the week’s events – visiting a nursing home. Then there were conservation activities promoting recycling, and an art exhibit called “Fabric of fraternity,” which was a journey towards how to form a symbolic fabric that leads to universal brotherhood. One day you were in New York City – what did you do? That day was dedicated to the climate crisis. Together with Lorna Gold, author of the book Climate Generation, and other environmental activists, we discussed how to fight climate injustice. Each person wrote their related hopes or contributions on a leaf and placed it on a design of a huge tree trunk. Our commitments became a great tree – an individual and collective call to action. “This event helped me realise that a united world is not only possible, but it’s already becoming a reality!” said Mary Bisada of Toronto, Canada. “Even though this pathway may be ending, our mission does not end here.” Treasuring the commitments taken and putting them into practice, we have now opened up, with all the young people of the Focolare, the second “Pathway for a United World,” which focuses on peace, human rights, justice and a lawful culture.
Stefania Tanesini
Jul 11, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Maria Voce and Jesús Morán were in Birmingham (UK) from 29 June to 4 July to take part in the meeting of the General Secretaries of the European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE). They also met with the Focolare community and visited one of the Sikh centres in the city. Known for centuries as the “city of a thousand trades” and “workshop of the world”, Birmingham is the second most populated city in the United Kingdom. It currently has a youthful appearance with 25% of its inhabitants under 25 and is markedly multicultural – largely due to the movement in and out of Birmingham of workers from all over the country and the world who have walked and built its streets and the country’s economy since the Industrial Revolution. It was here that the meeting of the General Secretaries of the European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) took place from 1 to 4 July on the contribution of Christianity to a re-awakening of consciousness that can truly be described as European. Maria Voce was invited to give her testimony on the importance of charisms within the Church, with a report entitled “Petrine profile and Marian profile: together for a new Pentecost”. Despite it being a lightning visit, the president of the Focolare Movement still managed to get to know the small community of the Movement that also reflects the variety of nationalities and cultures present in the city. There were people from Burundi, Uganda, India, Malaysia and the Philippines alongside those born in Great Britain. They were Sikhs, Muslims, Christians from the Catholic and Anglican Churches as well as those of non-religious convictions. 
In a simple and spontaneous dialogue, Maria Voce showed them a way: “Universal fraternity is our goal and each one of us has to follow our own path; and we do so when we love because love makes us see what others need. This city of a thousand trades can become the city of a thousand faces, a thousand flavours and a thousand encounters with the many people you meet. I hope everyone you meet will really be touched by the love you have for everyone.” 
She also visited the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewa Jatha Gurdwara, the centre for one of the city’s Sikh communities. The President, Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh, warmly welcomed her together with a group of children from two secondary schools in the city, the Sikh Nishkam High School and Catholic Saint Paul’s School. The Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, Bernard Longley, and a representative of the Anglican Bishop David Urquhart, were also present. For years the two communities – the Sikh and the Focolare – have been working side by side for peace, to bear witness to the fact that there is much more that unites us than divides us. The visit to Birmingham of the international group Gen Verde last November was an example of this. Many young people of different faiths participated in the workshops organized by the band and performed in the final show. During the visit to the Gurdwara, Maria Voce was given the “Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation“, signed by several leaders and international religious organizations which seeks to “foster healing, harmony, justice and sustainable peace in our world”, as the preamble itself states. “Division is not God’s plan; God’s plan is unity and we believe in this” – Maria Voce concluded – “what binds us are not only the efforts of collaboration for the common good. We are bound by a gift from God: the dream of unity for the whole human family”. She then stressed the centrality of forgiveness in a way of life and relationships centred on dialogue and mutual acceptance: “Only by taking these small steps will we be able to overcome even the conflicts that every day try to divide us. Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh then gave the President of the Focolare a passage from the Sacred Sikh Scriptures that speaks of the love and union between God and creation, with the wish to continue to walk together for peace and harmony amongst all people. On July 2, the President of the Focolare gave her speech at the meeting of the General Secretaries of the European Bishops’ Conferences; Jesús Moran, Co-President, was also present and participated in one of the dialogue sessions. Maria Voce stressed the “co-essentiality between hierarchical and charismatic gifts in the Church”. For the President of the Focolare, the different realities “arising from a charism need to live strongly grafted onto the whole ecclesial structure of which they are a part and cultivate a fruitful exchange with all the other realities.” “It is not a question of everyone doing the same thing together, staying ‘at home’, but of setting out in the most varied directions, driven by a shared eagerness to reach the ends of the earth”. Finally, she indicated the Marian profile of the Church as a dimension that “teaches how to give life to pastoral care which is authentically generative.
Stefania Tanesini
Jul 9, 2019 | Non categorizzato
For the first time the historical meeting of the Focolare is organized on a continental level and Europe will be the forerunner. From 14 July to August 11, 3,000 people are expected in the Italian Dolomites. For the first time in 70 years, the Focolare organize their historical gathering, the “Mariapolis” (city of Mary), for an entire continent, Europe. The European Mariapolis with the title and motto “Aim high” will take place from July 14 to August 11, 2019 in Fiera di Primiero, in the Italian Dolomites, just where this experience began 70 years ago, inspired by the charism of unity. According to organisers, the event is arousing much interest. In just a few weeks, early bookings have far exceeded available accom modation. As of 31 January, the closing date for pre-registration, almost 3,000 people had registered. There will be about 600 people per week. The European Mariapolis comes against the background of an increasingly fragmented continent of Europe. “Our dream is to have an event which underlines the beauty of the European continent in all its diversity, where the richness of every culture emerges in the splendid tapestry that is Europe,” said Peter Forst from Focolare. “We believe that through sharing our stories, our cultures and our histories – getting to know each other – we can lay the foundation for a more united Europe.” A Mariapolis is a gathering where the citizens of a temporary ‘town’ try to build a new type of human society based on the relationships in a family – fraternity and mutual respect, as they holiday together. Participants will be accommodated in hotels, a religious institute, houses and self-catering apartments in the Fiera di Primiero region. A team made up of people from a number of European countries has prepared the programme for the four week-long Mariapolis events, which will include a variety of key inputs, moments of cultural exchange, workshops and round table discussions. “We hope that there will be something for everyone! And of course, it will also be a holiday – participants will have many opportunities for walking, hiking and other cultural events,” commented Ana Siewniak from the UK, a member of the group preparing the programme. She told CatholicIreland.net that one of the aims of the European Mariapolis was to have loads of “spaces in which to exchange the richness of our cultures and our experiences”, for example learning each other’s national songs or dances. In a recent interview, Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, described her own first experience of the last Mariapolis at Primiero 70 years ago in 1959. “I remember it well – we slept in school halls – all the mattresses on the floor. There was a chair between each bed and that was the extent of the furniture for the participants. There were no wardrobes, no mirrors for doing your hair. Yet none of this took from the experience of the life of the Mariapolis.” Although the Mariapolis was materially poor, she continued, it was “very rich in spiritual grace – the divine, which was built up and shone out among the people of the Mariapolis, involving all the participants”. Among the 12,000 people who passed through the final Mariapolis at Fiera di Primiero in 1959 were people from all walks of life, she explained, and from many countries. “Poor and rich people came” through a large communion of goods among everyone. “It was truly the coming together of a town rich in these relationships of mutual love. People were all equal in a love that gave everyone the same divine life and full joy.”
Susan Gately
Fonte: Catholicireland.net Per informazioni: mariapolieuropea.org
Jul 7, 2019 | Non categorizzato
The logic of Jesus and the Gospel is always to receive so as to give. Never accumulate for oneself. It is also an invitation to all of us to recognise what we have received: energy, talents, abilities, material goods and to use them for the good of others. The registration fee I am in charge of a hostel for students in a village in the Punjab. On the day for registering for the final exams two brothers came to tell me that they did not have the money to register. Unfortunately I did not have the means to help them. But I was not at peace thinking about these boys. Two days later having made a few savings, without their knowledge, I sent the respective applications for registration to the office of the superintendent. On that very same day I was offered a big farming job using my tractor. (M.A. – Pakistan) The extra change I don’t often check the change at the cash desk because I am always in a hurry. However one night I was already on my way home when I did a check. There was not much change left over but I thought the cashier might have problems if, at the end of the day, the figures did not tally. So I went back to return what was not mine. (Annalisa – Switzerland) All that I have I am elderly and live alone. I don’t manage to get to the end of the month with my small pension but God’s providence makes sure I don’t lack the essentials. One day I had to go for a check up at the hospital and I had only 2 euro in my pocket for the bus ticket. A poor man was begging and so I gave him the 2 euro. I am known around the area so maybe someone will give me a lift. After only a few steps I met someone I knew very well: without my saying anything he took out his wallet and offer me 50 euros. (Tonino – Italy) Picnic We went on a walk out of town with our four daughters. We played, ate lunch, sang songs all with great joy. Towards the evening we went home tired but happy. At the front door however we could not find the keys. Who had the keys? Who had locked the door? My wife and I began to argue when our second child said: ‘Why are you arguing? Didn’t Jesus tell us to love one another?’ At these words our attitudes changed . Immediately afterwards we found the keys in the picnic basket. (T.V. – Madagascar)
Edited by Chiara Favotti
Jul 4, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Emotions, sexuality and relationships are at the heart of this course for teens and families. This year it will extend to smaller children as well. We discuss it with Barbara and Paolo Rovea. Let’s be honest: building relationships that can really be called “true” has never been easy, especially not these days, when most of our relationships are filtered through technology beginning at the earliest ages. Children and teens learn much from their smartphone screens, while today’s parents are more or less left floundering and, with various levels of awareness, continually searching for the key to understand and educate their children about their emotions and sexuality. It is an immense challenge when faced alone, although it does become possible through the synergy of family, youth facilitators and professionals. The Up2Me Project (with the tagline “It depends on me”) began by reorganising the educational pact entirely. It started by offering teens, tweens and their families a personal, shared space that was also qualified to recognise and deal with emotions. This was in order to bring about positive relationships at home, school and in groups, and ultimately to offer tools to build purpose over a lifetime. Begun within the Focolare’s education environment, the project grew and is spreading to a number of countries. We talk to Barbara and Paolo Rovea, a physiotherapist and doctor couple in Italy who are on Up2Me’s expert panel and members of the New Families International Centre. 
Up2Me began in 2016 with two pilot courses in Italy and a few trials in various countries. Where did the idea come from? The project aims at holistic training, including emotions and sexuality. This is in order to shape the basic choices in life – which our children need to deal with and for which they are often not adequately prepared for with the right tools. Many parents even do not feel sufficiently prepared for the role of educator, and the information teens get at school or through the media in many cases does not shape them to place value on people, nor educate them to take responsibility for their choices and behaviours. At the core of the project is the idea to contribute to create a “person-relationship”. What’s that about? To relate to others is the essence of being human, an ontological foundation to promote complete development, which sees children and teens, according to their age, play a lead role in making their decisions, aware and able to experience positive relationships, all for the harmonious development of their physical, emotional, intellectual, social, environmental, historical and spiritual sides. In order to become an Up2Me tutor and start teaching a course, you need to attend an international school. When are the next ones scheduled? For 2019 there are three new courses planned. One will be launched in the Philippines and is especially for Asia and Australia. Another in Argentina will be for participants from the Americas. Finally, one in Prague is aimed at Europe. There will also be a specific course in Prague for facilitators of the Up2Me course for young children. Up2Me has three courses for tweens and teens (ages 9-11, 12-14, 15-17) and one for children. What methodology is being used? Employing inductive reasoning, under the guide of a tutor, this method helps young people develop their capacity to gain a conscience autonomously. Through video, role playing and group activities, teens and tweens discover fundamental principles so they can shape their personal consciences. Up2Me also offers their parents, if they wish, a parallel course with educational topics that correlate to those taken on by the teens. Alongside a married couple, they exchange experiences of life and find that education is actually “mission possible”. Finally, in the course for younger children, their parents are actively involved alongside facilitators and experts. Together with their children, through games, they open up to specific subjects. All of this is to build up people who are able to recognise emotions within themselves and others and learn how to manage them, as well as take on subjects such our bodies, living and even dying.
Stefania Tanesini
Download the Up2Me flyer in English here.
Jul 3, 2019 | Non categorizzato
The Focolare president, Maria Voce, briefly talks about her participation in the annual meeting of the General Secretaries of the Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE) being held in Birmingham (United Kingdom) from 1st to 4th July. The focus of the meeting is the relationship between the institution and charismatic realities in the Church in Europe today. “In these few days I took part in the meeting of the General Secretaries of the Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Europe, with Jesús Moran. I was invited because they had chosen as their theme the presence of both charism and institution in the Churches of Europe[1] and their co-essentiality, their combination. They chose to base their four-day meeting on these two main themes; one entrusted to a bishop for the institutional aspect and one entrusted to me for the charismatic aspect. I must say that they welcomed me with great affection and great esteem, and when I spoke they listened with exceptional attention and I felt there was a deep understanding of what I was saying. Afterwards they continued discussing this subject for an hour, as a group, and then they wanted to meet with us again to look more in depth, and with great attention, at some aspects of the topic. I found they all have very high esteem for the Movement and a new regard for all the movements and their contribution to the European Churches. They will now continue working on this same subject, but they really thanked us because they felt that our presence truly represented this charismatic reality. Moreover, when we talked about the integration of the Marian profile and the Petrine profile in the Church, they were particularly grateful that it was presented by someone from a movement such as the Focolare Movement, by its president and especially by a woman. They were very grateful for this presence and, in fact, I was the only woman among forty priests, including six bishops, who represented the various Bishops’ Conferences of Europe. At the beginning there was a warm welcome by the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and the Archbishop of Birmingham. They too showed a very great appreciation and a great love for the movement and for me personally. So I really thank all those who have accompanied me”. By the editorial staff [1] Note: the term ‘Churches’ here refers to the Roman Catholic Church in the territories covered by the Bishops’ Conferences.
Jul 2, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Interview with Guilherme Baboni, Focolare representative at the recent International Youth Forum of the Catholic Church “We want to bring the light of the Gospel to all, to be witnesses of Jesus’ love, going beyond our own environments to reach those furthest away”. With these words, Guilherme Baboni, a 26-year-old from Brazil, describes his enthusiasm for the 11th International Youth Forum hosted by the Catholic Church’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, 19-22 June in Ciampino, near Rome. Effectively a continuation of last October’s Synod of Bishops on the Youth in the Church, it was a meeting of 250 18-to-29 year olds, representing 109 different countries and 37 ecclesial communities and movements. They focused on the Pope’s recent “Apostolic Exhortation” for all youth, the document Christus Vivit. Guilherme, representing the Focolare at the forum, reflected, “The image of the Church is often projected as an old, dying institution, out of touch with real life. However, at the Forum we experienced a living, creative, universal Church, formed of many youth people who’ve encountered Jesus in their lives. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we young people want to bring the light of the Gospel to others, whatever their age. We see a Church with many different forces within it, working to achieve this aim”.
In the center Guilherme Baboni
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Jun 30, 2019 | Non categorizzato
01/07/2019 Broken families, divorced couples, people in subsequent relationships, or living together – what’s the best attitude to have towards these situations? New Families is committed to married couples and families in crisis. “Family is an exchange of love – sharing, support, reciprocity. It’s caring for children and a privileged place to grow, even for parents. Family means continually starting over.” That’s how Massimo and Lucia Massimino describe it. They’re in their forties, have been married for 17 years and have three children. They live in Collegno, near Turin, and through Focolare are involved in the New Families Movement, which offers a space for couples to upskill and dialogue. They answered some of our questions. 
Today people seem to only talk about the sacrifices that building a family takes. What’s missing is anything said about the beauty of the family. Let’s start with that. Lucia: The beauty of the family is the feeling that you are taking care of someone and that someone is caring for you. It is that someone is thinking of you, fond of you, and that you are part of a community. Massimo: It is also sharing joys and sorrows, even with our children, so that they can see beyond the words you say. It is great when your life moves forward in your children. Today many families are in crisis, torn or divided. In New Families you take in the pain of many couples – which way forward do you suggest? Lucia: Certain crises call for us to support them through difficult moments. Couples ask to be able to confide in us – as friends who can understand them because they have gone through something similar. These are only some of life’s transitions. When faced with more serious crises, however, we try to walk with the couples towards choices that include professional help, motivated by important values. Massimo: As a movement we emphasise training a lot. Lucia and I work with young couples and organise meetings where we invite educators and psychologists, with the goal of providing solutions, such as how to manage conflict. These are meetings that are open to all couples, whether engaged, married, living together or separated. The training is inspired by Chiara Lubich’s spirituality of unity, which was born in the womb of the Catholic Church, but it is open to people of other faiths or those who have no ties to religion. 
Broken families, divorced couples, those in a subsequent relationship, or living together. What’s the best attitude to have towards these situations? Lucia: In the Focolare Movement we have them truly at heart. New Families tries to get to know them, investing in personal relationships. This is the only thing that can really help, and it allows us to understand the reasons for the breakup and the pain. The days we have dedicated to families are privileged spaces where there is an atmosphere so that advice can be given and there can be the opportunity to start again after a relationship breakdown. When you talk about family you talk about love. Do you always end up referring to God in your reflections? Massimo: We feel that marriage brings the presence of God in the family, and because of this presence the family has love circulating through it. As Chiara Lubich says, it recalls the love between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We feel that this presence sustains us, even through moments you wouldn’t want to go through. It is an experience that cannot be taught; you just have to do it, and we openly say this to couples who are not married or believe. Many ask themselves, “Can love end?” Is there a recipe so that “forever” can truly last forever? Lucia and Massimo: Falling in love does indeed end, but the key is to begin again, and to know how to forgive. What nourishes a couple is being able to share the path that marriage brings with other couples, sharing important values, and common projects. It is also important to remember to be a husband and wife in love, not just “Mum” and “Dad”.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Jun 28, 2019 | Non categorizzato
29/06/2019 Sixty people from different Churches came together to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in Switzerland. A journey through history and remembrance, through knowledge and the dialogue of life to understand the roots of the Reformed Church and the challenges it faces today. “This weekend I experienced how a ‘life of fullness’ really is possible in the Reformed Church and the Catholic Church through Jesus present in the midst of those who love one another. I want to contribute in a completely new and more conscious way to building bridges between the two confessions. This is how one of the participants summed up the three days dedicated to “Reformation Zurich” promoted by the Focolare Movement in the Swiss city to understand what caused the Reformation in this city. Five hundred years ago in January, Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531), who at that time was still a Catholic priest, started preaching in the pulpit of the Grossmünster interpreting the Gospel of Matthew. This is what many consider to be the starting point of the Reformation in Zurich. The aim of these three days was to bring people of different denominations together and introduce them to the history and particular richness of the Reformed Church. To love “one’s neighbour’s Church as one’s own” (Chiara Lubich), you first need to get to know it. Sixty people came to the weekend from Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovakia and various parts of Switzerland. The simplicity of the Reformed Church in Baar, all centred on the Bible, the baptismal font and the pulpit formed the setting for the first of the weekend’s events. Dialogue with the local pastor enabled the participants to have a deeper understanding of reformed spirituality. He did not hide the difficulties that his Church was experiencing but he shared his passion for seeking guidance and support from the Word of God alone, not from an institution. Successive events took place in Zurich. At the Theological Seminary, Dr. Gergely Csukás, Senior Assistant at the Institute of Swiss Reformation History, described the social, political, and religious situation in Zurich during the Middle Ages, highlighting Zwingli’s aspirations as a reformer, and emphasizing its relevance. “Reformed Christians are closer to me than ever before”, said one of the pariticipants. “Through the history and everything that has been communicated to us, the beauty, and also the suffering caused by what happened, have made a deep impression on me. It is about the life of Christians together. I want to start again and go ahead”. Another said: “Never before have I received such a clear explanation and understanding of Zwingli’s aspirations which are still relevant today. I have learned to appreciate him, his first companions and the reformers who offered their lives for the Gospel. Despite the unfavourable weather forecast, the participants still managed to walk through the places where Zurich’s Reformer worked – from the Grossmünster to the Wasserkirche, from the Lindenhof to the plaque marking the place where the first Anabaptists were drowned in the Limmat River. Pastor Peter Dettwiler spoke specifically about the work of reconciliation with the Anabaptists and the Amish in the United States, while Pasteur Catherine McMillan presented a picture of the Reformed Church in the world today. At the end of the visit, prayers were offered up in the crypt of the Grossmünster. “When I walked into the stark church in Baar on that first evening I was shocked” – said one of the participants – “That space did not seem to radiate anything solemn or sacred to me. Then, in the dark crypt of Grossmünster where we had gathered for prayer as sisters and brothers in Christ, it was as if an interior light suddenly illuminated the grey, secular walls. I felt deep joy and reverence.” On the last day, writings from St. Nicholas of Flue, patron saint of Switzerland, and Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare, were read out which formed the spiritual basis for the celebration of Holy Communion. “Being the one body of Christ in diversity” – as one of those present commented – “showed us what the visible unity of the Church looks like. It was an encounter with Christ! I hope that with life and theological dialogue coexisting we will continue to grow closer to one another”.
Stefania Tanesini
Jun 26, 2019 | Non categorizzato
The Focolare Movement has released the new version of its “Guidelines on the promotion of the well-being and protection of minors and vulnerable persons”. The updated text, which has just come into force, can be downloaded from our website. The Focolare Movement has updated its “Guidelines on the promotion of the well-being and protection of minors and vulnerable persons” in the wake of Pope Francis’ “Motu Proprio” on the protection of minors, published on May 7, 2019. A number of new policies have been introduced in the text, which also incorporates principles declared by the International Law and provides the policy guidelines for the Permanent Central Commission for the Promotion of the well-being and protection of minors (Co.Be.Tu.), the Supervisory Body and local members entrusted with this responsability.
Dr. Orazio Moscatello
Claudia Di Lorenzi
To read the new Guidelines click here (See also Child protection: training, prevention and zero tolerance)
Jun 26, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Condolences to the family of Mayor Emanuele Crestini and to all the residents of Rocca di Papa (Rome, Italy) from the International Center of the Focolare, on behalf of the whole Movement. “Mayor, friend, hero”. This is how the municipal webpage of Rocca di Papa, near Rome, described the mayor, Emanuele Crestini, who died on 10th June in a fire caused by a gas explosion during maintenance work on the mains. The international center of the Focolare Movement is located in Rocca di Papa, and the Focolare has enjoyed a warm relationship with their local Mayor, and with all the councillors in the Castelli Romani region. Local councillor Vincenzo Eleuteri also lost his life in the fire. The two men were the last to leave the burning building after checking no-one was trapped inside. This act of exceptional courage and selflessness towards colleagues with whom Mayor Crestini had been working that day characterises an official who was prepared to defend “his” people with extreme dedication, not even sparing his own life.
On the right of Maria Voce, the mayor Emanuele Crestini
Patrizia Mazzola
Jun 24, 2019 | Non categorizzato
A report on a journey with Egilde Verì who came back to Syria after 14 years and after a terrible conflict. We travel to Damascus with her to meet and hear from the Focolare community there. https://vimeo.com/343238285
Jun 22, 2019 | Non categorizzato
A strong appeal for a Europe that is open, inclusive and dialogic launched by the president and co-president of the Focolare Movement at Matera, European Capital of Culture 2019. Let the “city of the Sassi” be a living model for a more harmonious, just and fraternal coexistence – this was the challenge launched by Maria Voce and Jesús Morán during a conference held at Matera, European Capital of Culture 2019, this Saturday June 22, 2019. This conference entitled “Living time and space: the Culture of Unity at the service of the City” was organized by the Focolare community and the Elicriso di Matera Association. In their strong message, the president and co-president of the Focolare Movement invited the old continent of Europe to rediscover its mission: show the world that diversities can coexist without differences being suppressed and identities violated. 
About 550 people participated in this conference, amongst them Antonio Giuseppe Caiazzo, the Archbishop of Matera-Irsina, and Giovanni Oliva, Secretary General of the Matera Basilicata 2019 Foundation. Maria Voce, who spoke about the “culture of unity” promoted worldwide by the Focolare community through the concrete aspects of city life, posed the question: how can we live “a culture of dialogue, hospitality, fraternity” today in the fields of economy and work, interculturality, social ethics, health and environment, art, human formation or modern means of communication? The president gave an answer to this question by quoting examples of cities where – even through the commitment of Focolare members – citizens discover their city’s “vocation” through generous love towards neighbour and community, through being “active and co-responsible citizens” and through living “together the art of participation”. Sulcis Iglesiente in Sardinia was one of the examples quoted. The Focolare community and other pacifist movements in this city set up a committee to work together for the reconversion of a company that produces weapons. Another example quoted was Poland. The public administrator in the Council of Upper Silesia speaks of a Poland that is neither closed nor sovereign and of cities where the collaboration between religious communities and non-governmental organizations helps Ukrainian immigrants to integrate. But increase in citizens’ participation is not enough to rebuild the 21st century cities, concluded the Focolari president. The politicians’ specific contribution is essential; they are called to practice “the love of all loves”, an expression used by Chiara Lubich to define political commitment. In other words, politicians are the first ones called to provide the means for individuals and groups to be fulfilled and to create spaces where their resources and initiatives can be gathered into the unity of a common design, just like the colours that compose the rainbow. Interviewed by RAI journalist Gianni Bianco, Jesús Morán explained in depth all about his commitment towards fraternal coexistence in our cities, particularly in Europe. The co-president of the Focolari declared his firm belief that Europe is called to be “a model for all the world unification projects”. Morán affirmed that to fulfil such a vocation, Europe needs to go back to its Christian roots, to a Christianity whose great prophecy is “universal brotherhood”. He continued to explain that universal brotherhood motivates “processes, that have their own roots and identities but are inclusive and open to dialogue, and so one discovers that people of diverse status, religion or ideology are able to participate in them”. The president and co-president of the Focolare Movement expressed their great aspirations for Matera: “The capital city of a culture of unity”, “a new city” that may able to contribute towards “recomposing in unity the project for our Europe and for the human family”.
Joachim Schwind
Jun 19, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Following Jesus’ way of life means welcoming and sharing the experiences of all the people we meet in our families, at work, when we study and when we relax: we never lose sight of the goal we hold dear – universal fraternity. The Happiness Newsagent When my sister died, I inherited the newsagents that she had been running. It wasn’t my dream to become a shop keeper but I saw it as an opportunity to love because sometimes the people who come to the newsagents want to talk about their lives. The shop became a centre for community and friendship. I found space for a table and chairs and, when the weather is good, some people sit down to read and chat too. Someone suggested that I change the sign that says “Newspapers” to “Happiness Newsagent”. (M.R. – Italy) The Child Grandmother Due to illness, my mother has become a child again: she doesn’t speak and she doesn’t seem to understand anything. Until quite recently, we felt we were in a desperate situation and didn’t know what to do. Relatives and friends advised us to move her to a good care home. We spoke to our two sons to try to find a solution and we decided to take it in turns to stay with her in the house. My husband and I were worried about involving the children in this difficult situation because we felt it could be too much for them. However, as the days went by, the boys became more and more maternal towards their grandmother and saw her as someone who deserved respect and who had something sacred within that only love could penetrate. The relationship with her has become like waves that ebb and flow in a sea of love. (Y.O. – Japan) To Give One night, my brother was really ill and needed to go to hospital. We are poor so I had to run and ask if I could borrow some money from our neighbours. Then, my mother and I began to carry my brother to the hospital but before we had gone very far, we met a man who was begging. I was about to give him some money but my mother stopped me and said, “We will need that!” I said, “If we give then God will help us” and that is exactly what happened. At the hospital entrance, we met a doctor who knows us and, thanks to him, my brother received treatment totally free. My mother could not believe it. (M. – Egypt) The Example Our youngest daughter, Patty, had gone to Canada with her friend to improve their English. Shortly before the end of her stay, she telephoned and what she said hit me like a cold shower: she was expecting a baby. The father of the child loved her but she was not sure about marrying him. I didn’t know what to say but asked if she was going to come home. She agreed but felt embarrassed at the prospect of returning to a small village where our family is greatly respected. During the time we waited for her arrival, we began to accept what was happening and prepared to meet her without making judgements and to welcome her with an open heart just as she needed. When the baby was born, she was a ray of sunshine for everyone. Later, when the same thing happened to another family in the village, the parents confided in us saying, “Your example has encouraged us to do the same with our daughter as you have done with yours.” (M.J.S. – Switzerland) The day that began badly I had left the house feeling very agitated and, on the way to school, I thought the day would be a disaster. I thought of one of the people in my class who I don’t like and was sure that she would make the situation worse. However, when I got to the lesson, I really made an effort to be polite to her and she responded in a pleasant and welcoming way. The whole day seemed different. It’s really true that a tiny effort on our part to “go out of ourselves” can make a big difference. (M.S. – Hungary)
edited by Chiara Favotti
Jun 17, 2019 | Non categorizzato
The May-June 2019 issue of the New Humanity magazine is entirely dedicated to the mystical experience that Chiara Lubich had in the summer of 1949: this is now known as “Paradise 49”. We asked Father Fabio Ciardi, head of the interdisciplinary study centre, the “Abba School” and member of the steering committee for the publication of Chiara Lubich’s writings to explain the reasons for this decision. Father Fabio, in this issue of the magazine, there is a previously unpublished text by Chiara Lubich from 1969 that refers to the period of spiritual contemplation lived twenty years earlier and there are also articles by protagonists and witnesses from this time. Why did you decide to write about this now? Seventy years have gone by since the summer of 1949 and it deserves to be remembered by our magazine. We have given space to Igino Giordani, Pasquale Foresi, Klaus Hemmerle, Marisa Cerini, Giuseppe Maria Zanghí and Jesús Castellano because they were the people who worked most closely with Chiara, reading and studying her writings from that period. They were part of that circle of scholars, the “Abba School”, that Chiara wanted around her precisely to help her to bring out the doctrine inherent in the experience of 1949. Their academic contribution is very clear in the articles that we include in the magazine, many of which are being published for the first time. At the same time their personal experience with Chiara also comes to light: they have been profoundly transformed by this. In this sense they are truly witnesses and protagonists of Paradise 1949. We have chosen them also because they have finished their earthly “holy journey” and we believe they are in that Paradise which is the focus of study for many people. For a long time there was a great deal of confidentiality regarding the period called Paradise ’49 and only recently did we begin to publish texts related to that time. Why? Because Chiara had the right to her own intimacy. It was a very profound and personal experience of God, even if from the beginning it was shared with those who lived with her. How many mystics have their writings made public before their death? It took 500 years to know the diary of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. There was also the danger that Paradise ’49 would be misinterpreted. Like any mystical text it needs to be introduced and, more importantly, the experience has to be shared by recreating the same conditions that gave rise to the event: otherwise it could remain just eloquent words. At that time, there was also a certain diffidence towards such a new Movement that included men, women, clergy, members of religious communities……. especially since it was led by a woman. That period of vision and understanding was very important for Chiara Lubich and for the development of the Focolare Movement which had only just begun at that time. Can you tell us more about this? And what is the significance of these texts today? The fact that those writings were not published in full did not prevent the experience they expressed being shared with others enabling them to live it too. Chiara Lubich has always been inspired by these writings in her teaching, sometimes citing them explicitly, even without indicating their origin. The entire Focolare Movement has been constantly nourished by the light that has sprung from that experience, indeed it has been shaped by it. We already have Paradise ’49 within us, more than we can imagine. Those texts mark the beginning of the entire Work of Mary – with its many expressions of life and its social and cultural initiatives. They are also a prophecy that still demands to be fulfilled in that they offer a vision of God’s plan for humanity and they point the way to his incarnation. During a time of bewilderment and uncertainty like the one we are currently experiencing, Paradise’49 can help us rediscover the profound meaning of our life, of the life of the Church, of society, of the whole cosmos, and direct us towards its fulfilment.
by Anna Lisa Innocenti
Jun 14, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Sponsored by a group of Focolare Volunteers, a centre in Douala takes in girls who have been exploited, assaulted or abused, offering training courses that are both holistic and professional. “We looked around us, and, feeling pained and powerless at the dramatic situations that some teens go through in parts of our city, we asked ourselves what we could do.” This is how Albine Essene, from Douala, Cameroon, describes the spark of inspiration that brought her and a group of Focolare Volunteers to commit to caring for girls who have been victims of exploitation, assault and abuse. In 1998 they started the HUPJEFI social centre (Halte Utile Pour Jeunes Filles) in Douala. “Many are just teens,” she continues, “who each night are on the street, especially in front of hotels and restaurants, forced to prostitute themselves to get money to survive. Many are minors, so we’re talking about real-life abuse.” How did you begin? “One evening, one of us stopped with her husband to meet one of these girls and welcomed her into their home. They then contacted her parents so she could go back to her family. “This episode raised many questions in our hearts: How could we continue to help her? How could we help other girls? “What we needed was a centre to take them in and offer them holistic training. We put what we had in common; someone offered their house, another offered to take care of the girls, someone else gave their time to get information from social workers, and others put in money. “Our first location was in the city centre, where prostitution is quite widespread. We began with two girls, but it wasn’t long before the house was full. We then created three other centres for girls aged 14–22. “Our work includes listening to them, looking after their intellectual and social development, and even organising sessions on emotional and sexual training through the EVA programme (‘Life and Love Education’) “We then set up a professional training centre, with courses on writing, business law, haircutting, sewing – all activities aimed at helping them integrate socially. We are the only centre in the country with holistic training for them.” Over the years, you have come to know many girls, over 300. Are there some stories that you particularly remember? “I have many in my heart. I remember one girl who confided to us that she had problems relating to her mother, which led her to decide to marry a boy she was with. We asked her if she loved him, since marriage is an important decision, not a way to escape problems. “She listened to us without saying anything. The day after, in a letter, she explained that she didn’t love the boy. A week later she came back to thank us. She had found the courage to break her engagement and had asked her mother to forgive her. Peace had returned between them. “‘I feel so free now,’ she said. “Then there was another who always came late, explaining that each day, before coming to the centre, she was with a boy without her family knowing. He had promised her many things. “We put her on her guard, explaining to her that some men take advantage of financially vulnerable girls and abuse them. We tried to understand if she had weighed the consequences of these kinds of meetings (injuries, sexually transmitted disease, unwanted pregnancy, etc.). If the boy had good intentions, he should introduce himself to her parents. “She listened to us. A short while later she ended her relationship and started to attend a professional training centre for sewing. “There were some difficulties there as well. Not having any means of transportation, she always had to walk there, until one day she met a man who offered to give her a lift. He then started to make appointments for her in bars or hotels. “Feeling in danger, she came back to our centre to ask for help. Today she is highly regarded by all the teachers at the school she attends and is preparing for final exams.”
Anna Lisa Innocenti
Jun 13, 2019 | Non categorizzato
The apostles together with all Jesus’ disciples are sent out as “witnesses”. Each Christian when they discover through Jesus what it means to be a child of God, discovers that they too are sent. Our vocation and our identity as children of God become a reality in the mission, in reaching out towards others as brothers and sisters. The wallet I work freelance so have no fixed salary. One day, just as I was about to go to my work studio without any money, I found a wallet on the ground. I picked it up and went to work. It contained a lot of money that I could really have used, especially because I had a child who is not well. For a moment I was tempted to keep it but then decided to look for its owner. To my surprise, I discovered it belonged to a neighbour of mine. As I stood in front of his door I was once again tempted to keep the wallet but then I rang the bell. He thanked me and I went to sleep at peace. The following day, completely unexpectedly, a considerable amount of money arrived at the studio! (N. – Egypt) Alzheimer’s At first, I thought it was all just symptoms of ageing but when we received the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s I started to become really anxious. The wonderful man I had married, the invidious father of our children, had become someone to be pitied. As the disease progressed, something was destroyed in me too: it was as if everything I did for my husband disappeared in the wind. Even the children, with their families and their problems, seemed distant to me. A priest advised me not to make comparisons with the past but to start life today. Something began to stir within me and my husband seemed to become more serene which the children felt when they came to visit us. After his death, the youngest hugged me and said: “You have always been our models, but especially in the last period”. (S.Q. – Portugal) Refugees Two hundred and thirty refugees arrived in our city, some with only the clothes they were wearing. Saddened by this situation, we decided to collaborate with Caritas, investing time and energy. Little by little we made friends with them and some of the mothers started to visit our homes. One day Pasa, a Muslim, saw how worried we were about our daughter who was seriously ill and promised to pray every day to Allah for her. It all reconfirmed to us how fraternity goes beyond cultural differences and religious faith. (U.R.J. – Germany) True sociality In our country, sole-traders, pedal-operated taxi drivers, teachers and government employees, because of their low salaries, are obliged to borrow money from moneylenders at very high interest rates. One day, a group of us decided to set up a credit union to fight this economic crisis. Our house became the official headquarters. We tried to live the Gospel as our only rule, listening carefully to every member to help solve their problems. We involved very wealthy people from the surrounding area, and thanks to their help the drivers of pedal-operated taxis have been able to buy their vehicles, many young people have been able to continue their studies and sick people have been able to pay for treatment. Some families have received help to build a house, others have managed to save money to go to work abroad. The wealthiest families became aware of everyone else’s needs and the poor overcame their sense of inferiority. The Gospel really teaches us how to live as a community. (M.T. – Philippines) On the bus A group of lads were sitting on the back seats of the bus playing their rap music very loudly and bellowing at the top of their voices. The other passengers would turn and look at them disapprovingly but it only made them shout even louder. At a certain point a middle-aged woman, smiling broadly, went up to the lads and invited them to sing more clearly so that the other passengers could hear the words of the songs better. After an embarrassing silence, a choir began. The boys began to smile, the words were understood and people began to applaud. The atmosphere in the bus had completely changed. (W.K. – England)
edited by Chiara Favotti
Jun 11, 2019 | Non categorizzato
On Saturday 8 June, the President of the Focolare Movement, Maria Voce, was invited to the international conference for leaders of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. It was organised by CHARIS (Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service), the new service established by the Holy See through the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life that officially began its activity on the day of Pentecost. In her talk, Maria Voce spoke about how the Holy Spirit is seen in the Focolare Movement. Here are some extracts. Dear Friends, The Holy Spirit has always had a very important role in our history. Chiara Lubich, founder and first president of the Focolare Movement, repeatedly emphasised : “He was our Teacher”, “the key player in our history”, “the giver of our charism”. The Holy Spirit has always been the one who has illuminated, guided, supported and spread what we call “the Ideal”, that is, God, discovered and rediscovered through the spirituality of unity. An “Ideal” that, through an outpouring of light, launches us every day into an ever new divine adventure, one that is unique and wonderful. Certainly, at the beginning of our history – in the 1940s and 50s – this role of the Holy Spirit was not obvious. For a number of years, there was no mention of him and of his action regarding us, because he himself wanted it this way. As Chiara herself said at a Charismatic Renewal Convention in 2003: “He took great pains to step aside. In a certain sense, he disappeared, he annulled himself, thereby giving us a wonderful lesson we will never forget: He who is Love in person taught us what love is: living for others, giving prominence to others.” Nevertheless, from the earliest times, in the various points of the spirituality of unity that gradually emerged, we find the living imprint of the silent but active presence of the Spirit. It is enough to think of the experience during the Second World War in a “dark cellar” where, taking refuge from the bombs, Chiara opened the Gospel and had the impression that every page was illuminated with new light. It was the Holy Spirit that made her feel that the words of Jesus spoken two thousand years earlier were living Words, that can be lived always and are suited to every time and every situation. Love for the Word of God – which we still try to live month by month, to always re-evangelise ourselves – is one of the cornerstones of our spirituality. During the summer of 1949, which was characterized by a particular mystical experience Chiara had, we find the Holy Spirit as her silent companion on that journey, the one who gave her “infinitely beautiful realities” to live every day. It was in that circumstance that she understood how the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, is “all the breath of Jesus, all his Warmth, his Life”, “the air of Heaven”, the air “with which the whole of Heaven is suffused”. During that time, the Holy Spirit also revealed to her a whole new understanding of Mary , an understanding that would then be decisive for the development of the charism and for the very constitution of the Work of God, the Movement that was later given her name. On her spiritual journey, Chiara always urged her followers to be “assiduous students of this great Teacher”; to be attentive to his mysterious and delicate touches; not to let any of his inspirations fall by the wayside . It has therefore become common practice in our lives to “listen to that voice”, that is, the voice of the Spirit that dwells in us, a “voice” that speaks loudly, that inspires, that guides us, if we place ourselves in an attitude of love with regard to God and our neighbours; a “voice” that helps bring the revolution of Gospel love into the world. Among the numerous effects brought about by the Holy Spirit, one that we continually experience in our communities, in our little towns and in our meetings, whether large or small, is the “atmosphere” that is created as the fruit of a deep unity generated by the presence of the Risen Jesus amongst us (cf. Mt 18:20). But Jesus can be in our midst only if our mutual love is measured by his (“love one another as I have loved you”). That is why we need to look to him on the cross, he who even experienced being forsaken, and recognize and love him in all the sufferings we encounter, making ourselves nothing as he did. “Jesus Forsaken is nothingness, is the point and through the point (= Love reduced to the extreme, having given everything) passes only Simplicity, that is, God: Love. Only Love penetrates…” Thus we can let the Risen One live in us, and the Risen One brings his Spirit with him. We experience that when there is Jesus in our midst, the voice of the Holy Spirit is greatly enhanced, as if through a “loudspeaker” . Furthermore, we invoke the presence of the Holy Spirit in a special way through our characteristic prayer called the consenserint, in the light of Jesus’ words: “Truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” (Mt 18.19). Through this prayer we turn to the Father entrusting every need to him and how many graces, both varied and unimagined, we have obtained in this way! We also experience that the Holy Spirit enters the life and story of each person. He renews from within not only details but every human reality, to lead all humanity to the fulfilment of God’s plan for humankind and the universe. We experience that, by placing mutual love at the basis of relationships, as a reflection of Trinitarian love, the world can truly be transformed in every field, whether political, economic, cultural, artistic, educational, and so on . “I felt – Chiara told us – that I have been created as a gift for the person next to me and the person next to me has been created by God as a gift for me. As the Father in the Trinity is all for the Son and the Son is all for the Father. And this is why the relationship between us is the Holy Spirit, the same relationship that exists between the Persons of the Trinity” . We are convinced that all of us, both old and young, can be “bearers” of the Holy Spirit: to make the divine shine out not only in the Church, but also beyond it, in the world entrusted to us. We are called to embroider “patterns of light” wherever we pass, and to make our contribution to humanity around us, to find together the true meaning of our journey. I would like to conclude with a dream of Chiara, which she completely entrusted to the Holy Spirit. A dream that is mine too and I think is also yours: “I dream that the Holy Spirit will continue to enrich the Churches and strengthen the “seeds of the Word” beyond them, so that the world may continually receive new light, life, and works which He alone can is able to give. So that ever-greater numbers of men and women may set out towards straight paths, converge on their Creator, and put their hearts and souls at his disposal.”
Jun 9, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Sponsored by Focolare, a training plan extends with courses for parents and teachers The first courses began in Italy in 2014, although by the following year they had already spread worldwide. These are training courses for safeguarding minors that are sponsored by the Focolare Movement, aimed at educators and facilitators, as well as for parents and the wider community. Their objective is to build a network in order to increase the potential for prevention. “The more we are trained and aware, the more we are able to prevent situations of abuse,” says Viviana Colonnetti, a psychologist and psychotherapist who represents Focolare on the Commission for the Wellbeing and Safeguarding of Minors and one of the course coordinators. We posed her some questions. 
What vision of children inspires the movement’s training efforts? “It’s the vision that Chiara Lubich, Focolare’s founder, passed down to us: the child at the centre of our activity is another Jesus to welcome, a person to help with their wellbeing and development. It is a vision from the Gospel that leads us to recognise the dignity of everyone and promote the holistic development of a person.” What expertise is required for adults who look after minors? “They need to be emotionally balanced people who are able to listen and show empathy, manage groups of children and any eventual conflicts that arise, work as a team, and love to play and stay with the kids.” Are legal concepts regarding relating to minors also included? “There are internal regulatory norms already within the guidelines that are valid for the entire Focolare Movement, and other legal aspects that instead need to be adapted to each specific country. These rules are translated into best practices, that is, in positive and effective behaviours to be followed. We also indicate behaviours to avoid, since situations can become risky.” 
The course also covers the subject of relating to parents. What kind of relationships should be established? “We are aiming for an education pact with parents, as Pope Francis says, to work together as a team for the good of the child. This is why when we start, we propose meeting with the parents in order to structure the programme of the year together, so that the children can receive the same messages from youth leaders and facilitators that they receive at home. In addition, we propose that parents participate in some of the activities. We try to support children and teens with their difficulties, so it is important to dialogue and work together with parents.” Is the basic course the entire training? “For people in the movement who are charged with looking after children, these educative moments are part of continual training that is wider, nourished constantly with subjects that are relevant to working with minors. In addition, we have begun to work with parents and the community, after understanding that it is this fabric that guarantees the prevention of abuse. This is because, beyond the activities, it is the community that supports its members. And we have had quite positive results.” Among the movement’s representatives are also those from other agencies, associations and parishes. Have they been given a specific role? “The book Protecting childhood emerged from the experience of courses that are open to societies, associations, parishes, sports centres and organisations interested in the type of training that we offer, with our anthropological perspective. It was published last year in Argentina by Ciudad Nueva publishing. They proposed that we collect all the course material in one volume in order to reach those institutions who are not in direct contact with the Focolare. A workshop follows each presentation, which allows us to talk to professionals, educators and other people who we would not be able to reach in any other way. The book has recently come out in Brazil and will be published in Italy this coming autumn.”
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Jun 7, 2019 | Non categorizzato
To live being transferred into the Other: into our neighbour, for example, who, moment by moment, is close to us: living the other’s life in all its fullness. Just as in the Trinity – and this alone is Love – the Father lives in the Son and vice versa. And their mutual Love is the Holy Spirit. When we live transferred into our brother or sister (you must lose your life to find it again), as soon as we need to return into ourselves to respond to them, we find within ourselves a Third: the Holy Spirit, who has taken the place of our emptiness. Now, we can enter into the other in various ways: pushing ourselves in like someone big who wants to get in through a small door… and this is how someone acts who does not listen to the very end (someone who does not die totally in their brother or sister who is Paradise for the self, the Kingdom for the self) and wants to give answers gathered bit by bit in his or her own head that may be inspired but are not that breath of the Holy Spirit that will give life to the other. There are those who (passionately in love with Jesus Forsaken) more willingly die than live and who listen to their brother or sister to the very end, not worried about the reply, which will be given in the end by the Holy Spirit who summarizes in few words, or in one, all the medicine for that soul.
Chiara Lubich
Jun 5, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Learning to act as a “locomotive” within a group and when organising projects is vital at a time when a sense of authority is faltering, social media is dictating the law and politics seems to be in crisis everywhere. This has happened through initiatives of the Movement for Unity in Politics, NetOne, New Humanity, Sophia, Amu, New Families, Youth for Unity and others. At the beginning of the third millennium “leadership” has become a key word. Sometimes the term is misused and we no longer know what it means in practice. There are various reasons for this including the phenomenon of globalization and the digital revolution; another is the parallel crisis in traditional models of governance both on a small scale (parishes, associations, neighbourhoods …) and on a much larger scale (businesses, governments, administrations …). And this is happening almost everywhere. Many of the Focolare’s cultural bodies and agencies are interested in this topic, obviously looking at the problem from different perspectives and initiating processes that result in a synergy of disciplines. One example is the Co-governance Congress that took place last January in Castelgandolfo, organized by New Humanity, Unity in Politics and other cultural agencies in the Movement. Its content is still making an impact in various parts of the world. The congress did not propose a model so much as a style of governance based upon the principle of the charism of unity; in other words, based upon the prefix “co” that expresses a willingness not to give in to individualism and solipsism and to understand that, in part, “sovereignty” and “power” lie in those moments of striving together for the common good. The Sophia University Institute has also worked on the topic of leadership, approaching it from a range of different areas including human and social sciences, politics and economics. In particular, it is interested in leadership within the context of the “culture of unity”, drawing together many different perspectives. This is the logical consequence, if you like, of one of the slogans which were popular at the start of the gen movement in 1967-1968, in particular among some French people including Goffinet and Garoche. They published a brochure with the striking title: “Change yourself to change the world, change the world to change yourself.” At that time, there was already a need for leadership enlightened by the Gospel, rich in the contributions of the human and social sciences, attentive to the inspirations of the charism of unity. Some students and teachers from Sophia, New Humanity and the Movement for Unity, with the collaboration of other cultural agencies in the Movement, have set up a three-year project that focuses on Africa. The first stage of this project took place in Kenya in January 2019. More than 100 young people from seven countries in the region (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo) attended a meeting about African leadership. There were contributions from UNESCO, the Kenya National Commission, Caritas and Missio. “Together4Africa”, as it is called, proposes “African leadership” in a style free from overly western models and valuing all that local cultures have generated over the centuries regarding the management of power and authority. Another initiative worth noting is “Community Leadership in the Light of the Gospel”. It was promoted by NetOne and New Humanity Lebanon, again with Sophia and the Movement for Unity in the Middle East. In the region, there is need for formation to equip men and women, especially young people, to set up and lead groups, to solve local problems and to contribute to the common good of their city, their Church and their country. They also need to be able to relate to other local communities, both civil and religious. Houses need to be rebuilt but, above all, hearts and minds need to be restored and renewed. The project which has a base in Marsat offers useful training to bring life back to many young people and many ecclesial communities in Syria, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan and Lebanon. Obviously, different aspects of leadership are taken into account – everything from psychological, social, ecclesial, ecumenical, organisational, economic and charitable perspectives are taken into consideration. The first phase in Lebanon has been completed, the second in Aleppo, Syria is underway, while the Jordanian phase will take place between September and December 2019. The others will follow.
Michele Zanzucchi
Jun 3, 2019 | Non categorizzato
Events, that include experiences and projects, organized in various European localities. It was on 9 May 1950, when Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of the European Union and the first President of the European Parliamentary Assembly, presented the declaration that announced the plan of economic cooperation aimed at forming a future federal union. Five years earlier, on 9 May 1945, Europe finally saw the end of the deadliest war that destroyed it and brought drastic change.This date was remembered throughout Europe, and various events were organized in many cities, where many communities questioned the future that citiżens of the old continent envisage today. Thousands of citizens, members of more than 300 different religious denominations participated in conferences, seminars, moments of prayer, promoted by “Together for Europe” in cities, from Brussels, the capital of the European Union, to Prague, in countries such as Slovenia, Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy and many others.”Together for Europe” is an international body that brings together Communities and Movements that pursue shared goals, each contributing through its own specific charism. Important events took place in Rome, Palermo and Castel Gandolfo. The group of Movements and Communities in Rome warmly welcomed the invitation to follow the six-week ‘Prayer Journey’ for Europe, from March 25 to May 9, 2019. The communities of five important Basilicas linked to the Patron Saints of Europe, participated in this prayerful event which ended with an ecumenical prayer vigil at the Roman Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles. The two events held on May 8 and May 11 focussed mainly on the economic and cultural perspective. The first event took place at ‘Spazio Europa’, which is run by the Office of the European Parliament in Italy and the Commission’s representation in Italy. In his keynote speech Prof. Leonardo Becchetti spoke about migration, finance, work, sovereignism and euroscepticism. While not sparing criticism about sovereignty principles that lead many European countries to unfruitful isolation, this economist offered new prospects that consider the “School of Civil Economy” as a new wave of proposals, an alternative to the current economic model. During the cultural evening held at Castel Gandolfo on May 11, representatives of “Together for Europe” communities were present. Prof. Alberto Lo Presti spoke about “Europe’s plan according to the Bishops of Rome”; Prof. Dimitrios Keramidas spoke on “Europe and the Patriarchate of Constantinople” and Pál Tóth on “East and West in Europe”. On May 9, 1600 people attended the conference entitled “The European society rediscovers its Christian values”. It was held at Palermo and promoted by the various Christian communities of “Together for Europe”. During their sixth edition of this event, they also presented projects and experiences; individuals and groups spoke about initiatives set up in the city to help people in need, such as: welcoming migrants, supporting the unemployed, visiting prisoners. They also spoke about choosing the road of lawfulness, working in addiction prevention programmes, especially against gambling, promoting active citizenship in risky neighbourhoods and awareness of ecological responsibility. The next event will take place in Ottmaring and Ausburg, Germany from 7 to 9 November, when the 20th anniversary of “Together for Europe” will be celebrated.
Patrizia Mazzola
May 31, 2019 | Non categorizzato
A commission has been set up to prepare for the 2020 Focolare General Assembly. Indications have been given by the President Maria Voce and Co-president Jesús Morán: guarantee maximum freedom of expression for all! The indications that the President Maria Voce gave to the Commission entrusted with the preparation for the coming Focolare Movement General Assembly were brief and clear: “I expect that during the preparatory process for the next General Assembly this commission will help all members of the Movement to express themselves freely, and that a synthesis of all the material received will be compiled so that no one feels excluded. This process is to be carried out without any pre-established interests”. This commission had its first meeting at Castel Gandolfo during the weekend of 24-26 May. While preparing for the General Assembly scheduled to take place in September 2020, the commission is expected to see to the organization and to the subject-matter that will be dealt with during the Assembly. Its 18 members, who represent the Movement’s geographical areas and different branches and expressions, come from the five continents and live their call to the Movement in various forms and vocations. “The 2020 Assembly will be of particular importance,” emphasized Co-President Jesús Morán during a meeting that the Commission had with the Movement’s General Council on Sunday, May 26. After two terms of six years each, the current President Maria Voce can no longer be re-elected. A change – according to Jesús Morán – that will involve an important step further for the whole Movement. “Certainly, some crucial issues will come up for discussion,” he said. “We would like to make sure that this takes place in full freedom”. In order to guarantee this freedom, Maria Voce did not want to give any indication about the subject-matter that the 2020 Assembly will have to deal with. When asked if, on the basis of her sensitivity for the whole Movement, she has any themes to suggest, she replied: “I don’t have any and I don’t want to have any, because I would not like to impose any condition on the Movement’s present requirements”. During the coming months, the preparatory commission will have to see to various matters. It has to start a process through which it can collect the most important issues that the Movement will have to address in the coming years and on which the Assembly needs to express itself. It needs to identify people who are suitable and willing to be candidates for the roles of President, Co-President and Councillors. It has to prepare and propose a balanced programme that will enable the Assembly to work seriously and responsibly. It needs to express as much as possible all the realities of the Focolare Movement, in its most diverse cultural expressions.
Joachim Schwind
May 30, 2019 | Non categorizzato
We asked young members of the Focolare Movement from different countries to give us their own take on Pope Francis’ recent apostolic exhortation “Christus Vivit”. First we hear from Noemi Sanchez, protagonist at the preparatory meeting of the Synod of Catholic Bishops on Young People in 2018. 
Noemi (28) is from Paraguay, of Brazilian heritage, currently completing a research doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Perugia, Italy. In March 2018 she participated in the pre-synodal meeting convened by the Pope in order to listen to young people from all over the world and prepare the subsequent Synod on Youth with them and for them. The apostolic exhortation “Christus Vivit” is one of the outcomes of this intergenerational process. Many young people have already read it and spread it among their own groups and peers. – In this document, the Pope repeatedly stresses the need for the Church to listen to young people. Has this been happening? I think the whole process around the Synod of October 2018 has been a clear example of the Church’s sincere desire to listen to us and welcome us wholeheartedly. There were 300 of us at the pre-Synod, from many different countries. We were free to say whatever we thought, as the Pope himself invited us to do. The “adults” listened to us and encouraged dialogue with us. What matters now is that this two-way experience between generations should take place in different environments, in parishes and Christian communities. – More than once, the Pope refers to the restlessness so characteristic of youth. Do you believe that it’s possible to listen to the voice of God in the midst of all the sounds, voices and digital stimuli which bombard us today? The Pope coins the phrase “flying on their two feet” because actually we young people are never really still, but always looking out for something. However, we also hit limits caused by our lack of experience, for example, or the fear of making a big mistake in any decisive choice. “High speed” is not enough, we also need meaning. Encouragement from being around the generations above us is always crucial to achieve this, and never more so than today with all its “false alarms”. Having experienced it for myself, I believe that the voice of God always makes itself heard through the “amplifiers” of love. – Why do you think it is so few young people today want to embark upon a serious journey of faith? What’s lacking and what are they searching for? I think there are many reasons for this: a growing disillusionment, ignorance or even laziness. Many of us don’t have a deep knowledge of the faith, and so we young people can become victims of the “rootless” society the Pope condemns all the time. At the same time, we feel a strong desire to get involved in social causes, there is a widespread sensitivity to the arts, as well as the desire to build lasting and meaningful relationships, to live authentically for something that gives meaning to our life, looking for authentic role models. I definitely think today’s youth are searching for God, it’s just they are not always aware of it. – In your opinion, what is the real contribution the Synod on Youth and this apostolic exhortation are having on the life of the Church, and in particular on the young people in the Church? This Synod has undoubtedly brought to light something new (a novum) in the history of the Church as regards methodology and its realistic approach. What came out most, I think, was inter-religious dialogue and how essential and enriching it is for the whole life of the Church. The Exhortation is a real treasure for all young people, not only Catholics. When I read it, rather than a formal document of the Church, it seemed more like a long letter from your grandfather, or from an old friend who loves you and really knows how to get through to you. Someone who can tell you what you need in this particular moment of your life in order not to fall away but how to get up, and keep on trying again and again. To keep on believing in beauty, in good, in love, in the truest nature of humanity – which is also divine. To believe in the possibility of reaching full happiness whatever sufferings and problems are part of life. To learn how to overcome them with courage and commitment
edited by Stefania Tanesini
