No more people in need, no more hunger, starting from our own neighbourhood. This is the challenge that the Teens for Unity in Mumbai have taken on and work for. They have collected used plastics and newspapers to recycle to support a centre for women in need and families hit by HIV. What started with a few children now involves over 200 families in the surrounding neighbourhoods. https://vimeo.com/332638856
Homs is the first city visited by the President and Co-president of the Focolare Movement during their journey to Syria, and there they met the small community that chose not to abandon the city during the civil war. These people now contribute towards the rebuilding of their country. “People around us think we are weak when we respond to hatred with love; this is neither easy to bear nor to pass on to our children. But they do not know that love is the most powerful weapon”. This was the most overwhelming answer received when we asked about the great challenges these people have to face. 
And it was confirmed by a young mother from Homs, the third largest city in Syria that was amongst the worst hit during the war. Homs was the first city that Maria Voce and Jesús Moran, president and co-president of the Focolare Movement visited on their journey to this region where one can still note the scars of war, but also perceive the attempts to resurrect the city after years of conflict. On the afternoon of May 1, about fifteen members, who form part of the oldest Focolare Community in Syria, gathered at the Jesuit Centre. They were very happy to meet the president and co-president of the Movement, who went there to get to know them, to comfort them and give them hope, as Maria Voce said before leaving for Syria. But during this first meeting one could already witness a change of roles; these people, who chose to remain in Syria despite great risks, were the ones offering hope, joy and courage to the ones who were lucky to meet them. They related very clearly and authentically about the hard times they lived during the war. Many of them lost all their belongings, but they kept alive their faith in God who is Love, whilst witnessing it in a daily life shattered with bombs, destruction and death. One of them said: “Through our way of life, we try to be a living Gospel, because the Focolare spirituality has implanted in us a different seed. Those who accompany us have taken good care of this seed which seems to be bearing fruit because people around us realize that there is something different”. And it is not just a question of remaining in the same situation or of having the courage to rebuild one’s own life. Many, who are members of this small community of about fifty people, are now engaged in projects that have been set up to help their people: support to cancer patients, physiotherapeutic and psychological support to those who are victims of war trauma, ethical formation courses to primary and secondary school students. Touched by the life of this community, Maria Voce said to them: “You have kept the flame of the Gospel alive. You have understood one the most fundamental points of our spirituality; you have realized that the secret of true love lies in the love for Jesus crucified and forsaken. This meeting with you has really been a grace for us”.
Joachim Schwind
“Inside The Label” is part of United World Week giving people the chance to make a difference by choosing good quality, ethically produced goods and social responsibility. 
Note the date. 11 May, just a few days after United World Week (1-7 May 2019) is “Inside the Label” day when we can “vote as we spend”. This is one of the main actions for 2019 planned by the Focolare’s Youth for a United World, an exercise in “economic democracy”, as the Italian economist, Leonardo Becchetti, who started the day, has called it. Let’s see what it is about and how we can get involved. According to Becchetti, “Voting as you spend expresses the sovereignty of the consumer, who decides with their purchasing and saving power whether to reward or penalise companies and/or countries that act responsibly or irresponsibly from a social and environmental point of view… Many problems we face, as Pope Francis says, are due to an economic system which is no longer able to solve people’s problems and those relating to the environment. The solution is to create a new and sustainable economic model which is both inclusive and participative.” Leonardo Becchetti affirms that “the only way to do this is to build it up from the grassroots, together. Hence the idea of voting as you spend: becoming responsible consumers, conscious of the role we can play and the power we have to reward companies that make profits, without harming their employees, customers or the environment, through the items we purchase. We have the power to judge and choose companies that are leading the way in social, environmental and financial sustainability”. The young people of the Focolare want to encourage people to shop ethically and support companies that are economically and socially responsible. But how is this vote cast? Supermarkets are the “polling stations” where shoppers are invited to take part in a workshop lasting about 2 hours. Scoreboards, ballot boxes and real ballot papers are prepared. The idea is to present the “candidates”, which are a selection of products divided into 5 categories: pasta, coffee, chocolate, tinned tuna and fizzy orange drinks. An information sheet on each product gives details of the characteristics and criteria on which to judge the product such as protection of the environment, respect for workers, traceability of raw materials, etc. The workshop is set out like an election day and votes are cast by the purchase (or not) of products on the basis of their different programmes, i.e. on the basis of the information gathered. And it’s all done like a talk show, with exit polls, projections and the counting of votes. These “Inside the Label” workshops have three aims – to bridge the gap between the consumer and the hidden choices businesses have made concerning their products, so as to generate awareness; to encourage group participation by voting for the products; and finally to generate change. When consumer choices are directed towards the common good, they can influence companies to act more ethically like the companies whose goods were purchased. We will share developments on the “Inside the Label” campaign on this website and the United World Project website, and information on the “candidate” products is also available on the website for this initiative.
Stefania Tanesini
Rome, 30 april 2019 “We are at Fiumicino airport and we are waiting to take the plane leaving for Beirut. Then we will continue to Syria. We will visit these two countries and the people who are waiting for us with so much joy. Truly our joy to find them again is great because we don’t see them after a long time. The thing that I have in my heart right now is the thought that I am going to find a country in full desire for reconstruction. So a country that lives, that has so much hope, both Lebanon and Syria. And I hope that the Lebanese – they too have experienced the pain of war – that they are now in a moment of peace, are so generous as to help the Syrians who are now beginning their reconstruction. There is so much hope. We also want to contribute to bringing this hope, with our presence, with our affection, with the assurance that we are close to them with the whole world. ” Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement
It’s a shop where no money changes hands. Instead freely donated goods are passed on to those who need them. It’s one of the most recent fruits of the experience of the Diocesan Movement in Ascoli Piceno, in central Italy. 
It’s been called the “giving and reusing shop.” Here you don’t pay with cash or a credit card, but with a smile and a firm handshake. You go there to donate objects, clothes or appliances – or to receive those that you need. That’s how it works. It is located in the historic centre of Ascoli Piceno, a city in central Italy that is dotted with towers and medieval bell towers made of travertine stone. “Passamano” is the name of the shop. It means “passing from one hand to another.” It grew out of the experience of a branch of the Focolare Movement called the Diocesan Movement. Deeply rooted in six dioceses of central Italy, the Diocesan Movement operates at the service of the local church, promoting an intense life of communion within the ecclesial reality. Alessia Giammarini, a young mother of two children aged 9 and 6, has been a part of the Diocesan Movement since primary school: “I started attending meetings in the parish every Saturday afternoon when I was in third grade. Later I discovered that there was an entire community around our group, which was made up of young people and adults who took care of the little ones. I still remember the first school camp. For me it was a moment of fundamental growth, where I realized that God was calling me to make a personal commitment. For many years, in addition to running the parish youth group, I was involved in catechism and the choir. It is still a path of growth for me, and for many others. For us the parish is not only 
a place of service, but above all it’s a place of communion.” Alessia’s personal history was further enriched when this commitment was extended to the diocesan level. This is how she explains it… “Some of us entered into service as deacons or as ministers of the Eucharist. Others, like me, proposed a series of radio programmes about the local Christian community to be broadcast on the diocesan radio channel. For each episode we invited people from various movements and associations, religious communities, diocesan bodies … or the bishop himself, to present initiatives and events. Our presence as a Diocesan Movement then began to become visible at the political and institutional level. For example, Ascoli was the first city to be awarded the International Prize “Città per la Fraternità” (Cities for Fraternity). It was awarded because of an initiative we had launched involving the whole city and the mayor accepted the award on the city’s behalf. In recent years we have launched events dedicated to citizenship, such as the “Festa della Fantasia,” (Festival of the Imagination) which was included in the Ascoli Carnevale, or the “Capodanno di tutti,”(New Year for Everyone) which promoted involvement of the most disadvantaged people. ” How did you come to open the “Passamano” shop? “It was the proposal made to the diocese and to Caritas to respond to the multiple situations of poverty caused by the recent earthquake in central Italy. In this city, “Passamano” has become a clearly visible reality, a way to promote the culture of giving, the practice of reusing things and emancipation from the mentality of consumerism.”
Chiara Favott
From #zerohunger to “Into the label”: the youth of the Focolare Movement also take the plunge to work for a better present and future for all: eliminating hunger and poverty, and increasing the sense of social responsability are only some of the main objectives of these protagonists. The 2019 edition of United World Week could not happen at a better moment. It is taking place when youth from all over the world, especially the very young ones are invading squares, parliaments and the social networks with colourful expressions of a unique cry that expresses their aspiration to save the planet in order to have a better world and a better future. Things happening during these days show that Greta is just the tip of an iceberg; we may say that she is the spark that has started the fire and encouraged thousands of children to come into the open and declare why they protest and also reveal their hope. Marina, a young girl from Brazil, who is presently at the International Youth Centre of the Focolare Movement explained: “We will concentrate on giving our message from May 1 to 7, during United World Week which is organized every year. Together with the adults we want to tell the world that we are fully committed to struggle against poverty so that there will be no one in need, and we want to work to eliminate hunger”. Two initatives: #zerohunger and #intothelabel Marina continued: “There are hundreds of initiatives organized in the world; two of these are being promoted in a way to reach as many people as possible. The first one is the #zerohunger campaign through which Teens4Unity are promoting a lifestyle with commitments to eliminate hunger, such as sharing a meal with people in need or involving restaurants in accepting the idea of “prepaid meals”. This means that they allow customers to pay in advance for one or more meals that are to be distributed to those in need. Then there is “Into the LABel”, the responsible consumption laboratory, set up by a group of young people who adhere to the Economy of Communion. This consists of the possibility each one of us has to “vote with the portfolio”, because when we choose to buy a product rather than another, we are also chosing to reward the values and the production style of the company. Chiara, one of the promoting group explained that we also vote when we go to the supermarket, that through our wallets, we exercise our “purchasing power”. Prof. Leonardo Becchetti, a veteran of this concept talked of the civil responsibilty it involves; he explained: “May be we do not think about it, but it is quite clear that when we buy a product we express a preference, we reward and support the work of the company that produces it, the way it carries out its business, its declared mission, its internal processes, the relationships with its employees and suppliers, its environmental impact”. “Global” appointments Two dates have to be kept in mind for the coming United World Week. On May 5 there will be the launching of the Run4Unity, the traditional worldwide relay where teenagers and children express their commitment to build one human family so that there will be no more people in need on earth. From 9 to 16 June, there will be the “No one in Need” event at the Mariapolis Luminosa (USA), where reports about activities carried out worldwide to fight hunger and poverty will be shared.
Stefania Tanesini
Even in the most tragic and complex of situations, there is always something that we can and should do to contribute to the “common good”. Should we close the business? We were about to close the business because the serious economic crisis in our country seemed to leave us with no alternative. However, with our own children we reflected on the fact that for six of our employees and their families, the work with us was their only source of income. We decided to ask for God’s help and search for other solutions even if this meant running considerable risks. Raul was not feeling very hopeful when he went to the largest store in the town to ask if they wanted to buy the tiles we produce. To his great surprise, the managers not only placed an order with us, they also asked if we could become their exclusive suppliers. Work increased and we had to take on more employees. This experience strengthened the bond among us both in the family and in the business. (R. F. – Brazil) Refugees Two weeks before Easter, 180 refugees from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan were moved into the army barracks in my town. Most of them were Christians: many were young, in fact, some were still children. They had been stopped at the frontier with Egypt because they did not have the correct documentation and had been held in a detention centre. They were shocked and overwhelmed by the sub-human conditions in which they were forced to live. They were given only bread to eat each day and occasionally rice but, nonetheless, they still fasted because it was Lent! I felt that Jesus was asking me to love him in a concrete way in those brothers. I spoke to my friends and together we collected money, medicine and food and we began to prepare for an Easter meal for them. In a short time, we had meat, fruit and vegetables – all the things they had not eaten for so long. My father helped by using his car to transport the food we had prepared. You cannot imagine how happy they were. It was an Easter that I will never forget. (M. A. – Egypt) Rubbish Every time that I met our neighbour, we used to argue because very often she left her rubbish piled up in front of our doorway. This had gone on for years until the example set by some Christian friends convinced me that I had to be the first to love. One day the usual problem had happened with the rubbish but I immediately thought that this was my opportunity. I went out with a sweeping brush and began to clear up. She was there waiting for me to react. This time I looked at her, smiled and asked how she was. She was surprised and answered very politely. From that day onwards, every time that she sweeps and tidies the area at the front of her house, she does the same for me and we have become friends. (R.C.- Colombia)
Edited by Chiara Favotti
Rome, Italy ‘Caring for the earth and for the people who live on it. Identifying common goals and ways of making progress towards those goals.’ This is the shared purpose drawing a host of associations, professionals, civil and ecclesial institutions to Villa Borghese in the heart of Rome, from 25-29 April, to form an “Earth Village” for the fourth year running. Promoted by Earth Day Italia and the Focolare Movement, this annual event aims to support the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations 2030 Agenda and to promote the principles expressed in Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Sì – on care for our common home”. Anthonia Testa, from the Focolare Movement in Rome, explains how they linked up with Earth Day Italia. “It goes back to November 2015 when we participated in the Laudato Sì march which Earth Day had been asked to organize. At that time, we were planning our next annual Focolare gathering, the Mariapolis, hoping to hold it in the heart of Rome, as our foundress Chiara Lubich had wished. Earth Day Italia invited us to locate the Mariapolis where and when they’ve been celebrating World Earth Day for many years. It was a truly providential meeting between an organization dedicated to awaking public awareness of environmental issues and us, a people passionately committed to making change on many fronts and to promoting all that is good and beautiful in the city of Rome”. 
The Pope visited the “Village” in 2016 and he encouraged those present to remain firm in their commitment to “transform the desert into forest”. He was not only referring to the physical environment, but also to those human situations where life is under threat … “The Pope spoke about social friendship. He had before him this group of people which included immigrants, imams, ex-convicts, young people recovering from addictions – a forest which is not uniform, not neat and tidy but full of life. The phrase ‘transform the deserts into forest’ has become our mission”. How does the “Earth Village” hope to respond to the Pope’s appeal? The “Village” aims to be a model, a place where everyone can feel part of a community. A place where it’s possible to build solid relationships, which are at the root of an integrated ecological approach. A place where no-one’s contribution is considered small if it’s shared. A place which welcomes the commitment to reach sustainable goals in economic development.” Motivated by Laudato Sì and the UN’s 2030 Agenda, this year particular attention is being paid to the Amazon. What prompted this choice? “The Amazon symbolizes cultural biodiversity both environmentally and ethically. In October there will be the Synod of Catholic Bishops for the Amazon region. In the light of this, the “Village” aims to focus on these aspects and on the Church’s action in this area. Participating in the Village are the Capuchin Franciscans who have animated a Mission in the Amazon region for over 100 years, Survival International which for 50 years has worked to support indigenous tribes, and the Pontifical Council for Culture’s consultation body ‘Courtyard of the Gentiles’.” Meeting people in different environments and situations is a means of evangelization .. “It makes me think of Chiara Lubich words: ‘to lose ourselves in the crowd in order to fill it with the divine’. In the “Village” there are around 200 different associations and dozens of expert speakers, sporting personalities, artists as well as all the people passing through. You have only one ‘instrument’, your heart. And the commitment held in common to love everyone. Many times we really see deserts being transformed into forest, and we cannot but recognize God’s intervention. Personal relationships mature and the pearls of the Gospel can be sown: love in action, social engagement, care for the vulnerable, reciprocity.” Young people are very much in the front line in wanting to protect the environment. What is their role in the Earth Village? “29 April sees children and young people with their schools and universities focusing on the 17 United Nations Goals, through the ‘learning service’. This is a voluntary service launched last year with the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome. This year it welcomes participants from all the pontifical universities and also students from other countries through the support of the Fondazione Scholas Occurrentes.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
While the world is still struck and the people of Sri Lanka are tightening to mourn the victims of the terrible Easter attack, Suchith Abeyewickreme, a young activist for peace and co-founder of an inter-religious network of young people, has written a message to all the Focolare members in the world. What can we do for the people of Sri Lanka, after the horror they have experienced in the wake of the terrorist attacks last Easter? Looking at those horrible images, we ask ourselves how often we have experienced that sense of impotence towards the ongoing violence, or the impossibility to relieve the pain of those who mourn their dead. Yet there is a path: ” It challenges us to believe in God’s love and pray with faith that new hope will be reborn again and the courage to proceed on the way to peace and unity”, as the president of the Focolare Movement, Maria Voce, wrote to Suchith Abeyewickreme, a sri lankan young leader of a youth inter-religious network. On April 25, he wrote a message to all the members of the Focolare Movement in the world. We publish the whole message below: Dear Friends from Focolare, I write to you as we here, in Sri Lanka are mourning the loss of our people due to the recent attacks on Easter Sunday in our beautiful Island. We are shocked, saddened and shaken up by these unprecedented events. Our first priority has been to care and support the victims and their families. We are trying to support each other across Communities in these efforts. Following the attacks with immediate response many stepped out to donate blood, help victims and donate relief and medical supplies. We are now in the process of supporting each other in our farewells to those who we have lost. We stand together at this time understanding that these acts of terrorism aim to cause havoc and spread fear, suspicion and divisiveness through our communities. By standing together Sri Lankans of Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic and other various spiritual and cultural backgrounds, are saying to those who impose terror upon us that we will not let them succeed in their aims. We understand that in such attacks, what follows the physical destructions and death is fear, suspicion, hate and divisiveness. While there has been some reactive forces at work lashing out with hatred, majority of the Sri Lankans have been responsible for showing empathy and care towards one another. We are working hard to ensure that these acts by few extremists do not end up being used to discriminate and alienate innocent people or entire communities. These events occurred when we in Sri Lanka were about to commemorate the 10 years since the end of the 26 year long armed conflict on the 18th of May, 2019. As a society we had many wounds yet to be healed from past experiences, but we are now wounded again. But I believe that the Sri Lankan people are strong and resilient, we will work together to heal ourselves and our society over time. It is at this difficult time we must practice the virtues of compassion, love, empathy, responsibility and peace that our spiritual teachings guide us towards. We must rise above the divisiveness to acknowledge our interconnectedness and shared humanity. Our main appeal to you is not for donations. Our appeal is for your time and commitment. Time and commitment to strengthen your work in your own communities to build bridges of understanding across divides, to intensify moderate voices and to stand for non-violence. Around the world there is a lot of polarization, discriminations, hate and violence that offer ideal breeding grounds for violent extremism. We must work together to be the sensitive, empathic and responsible leaders this world needs to heal its wounds. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Thank you for your solidarity at this difficult time. May you be well, happy and peaceful. Thank you,
Suchith Suchith Abeyewickreme Peace Activist, Co-Founder – Interfaith Colombo and Interfaith Youth Network Global Council Trustee, United Religions Initiative
There have been tensions and conflict for a long time in central and northern areas of Mali between the Fulani and the Dogon ethnic groups. The recent massacre of 160 Fulani pastors is just one example of the continuing violence. The United Nations have begun to ask for urgent action to restore peace. Father E.M.S. is a member of the Focolare community in Mali: this is an excerpt from an interview with him. 
The media refers to episodes of violence between ethnic groups: what do you think is the cause of the conflict? The violence began in northern Mali in 2012 and, more recently, it has spread to central areas of the country, particularly to the Mopti region which has a high number of Dogon inhabitants. I know this area very well. Many armed groups and terrorists have moved to this part of the country and they have been welcomed by both the Fulani and Dogon communities. Gradually, the terrorists who speak the Fulani language have begun to attack the Dogon villages and, given that there is no military presence in this region, the Dogon people have begun to retaliate in defence. The terrorists have colluded with some of the Fulani and have begun to ask the Dogon to leave. In reality, this is not ethnic conflict: the terrorists are trying to make it appear as such in order to gain more land for themselves After the recent massacre, the Catholic and Evangelical Churches sent a joint message of sympathy to Mali which was read to the people as they gathered for religious services. What was the reaction to this gesture? Every nation finds consolation when other groups express their solidarity during a time of difficulty and suffering. The messages and prayers of members of the Catholic and Evangelical Churches and of the Muslim community were greatly appreciated by everyone. This is a sign that everyone longs for peace: the people of Mali want an end to violence. This is why there are many meetings and discussions in an attempt to restore calm to people on both sides of the conflict; in fact, people are uniting to overcome violence. Everyone knows that this is not just conflict between the Fulani and Dogon peoples; it is a problem involving the whole country. What is the Focolare community in Mali doing during this difficult period? In Mali, there is a really beautiful Focolare community spread across several different dioceses. All the activities are coordinated by the group in Bamako. There are no Focolare houses in Mali but we have very strong links with the houses in Bobo-Dioulasso and in Burkina Faso. In this situation, what helps us – just as it helped Chiara Lubich during the conflict she experienced – is to know that God is the only ideal that will not pass away. There are many groups that are working hard to restore peace. In my diocese, we members of the Movement are searching for every opportunity to live out fraternal love – to love one another and to love the people around us. We are praying for peace and we are asking other people to do the same: we believe that if we ask God for this gift, he will hear our cry. I would like to ask everyone to remember Mali in their prayers. What I say to the people of Mali – to the Evangelical and Catholic Christians, to the Muslims and to people of no religious faith – is that commitment to our country and to human fraternity should prevail over our differences. We should never forget that what we have in common is far greater than what divides us.
Anna Lisa Innocenti
Enhancing the educational potential of the Internet – the work of Daniela Baudino It’s not a new phenomenon, but we are not yet fully equipped to deal with it. For years now our friendships, family, professional and emotional relationships have taken place not only in our common living environments, but also on the web. Through social media, chats and online communities we can form relationships with anyone, acquaintances or strangers. This is no small thing, because even though we surf the web we have not yet learned to swim there safely. We don’t always know what rules we have to follow so we can stay afloat, and keep away from the hidden “traps” on the Internet, in order to benefit from the opportunities it offers. This applies to adults but above all to young people, who are less aware of the consequences of their actions. Young people struggle more with feelings and emotions as they develop their own personalities and need safe direction and guidance – especially to avoid the concrete risks of online abuse and bullying. Educating young people in emotional maturity today includes learning to explore the universe of digital relationships, which are not only virtual but also real – although limited in time and space. Undoubtedly, the Internet has changed the nature of social relationships. We explored the topic with Daniela Baudino, a digital education expert and tutor in the Up2Me project for emotional and relationship education for children which is promoted by the Focolare Movement in various continents: The most obvious thing is that with the digital environment we have all become “neighbours”, and therefore it is easier to enter into a relationship, even just once, with people with whom we might never have entered into a relationship in the real world. This however means that relationships often risk being quickly over and done with, and therefore more fragmented. There is a risk that this leads to superficiality and that this attitude will then spread to real life relationships. What are some of the illusions that the online environment gives us? First of all, there is the idea that it is the number, or the quantity, of friends, or “likes” that we have that tells us how much we are worth. Then there is the belief that maintaining a relationship requires very little effort, and that there is no need to really get involved. Then there is the belief that we can truly get to know another person simply through contact on a social network. How can we deal with these online relationships in a more aware, informed and positive way? We must become aware of what each of our digital actions entails, for example, in terms of our privacy, our reputation and our relationships. We have to understand that the digital environment is only one way of maintaining relationships. It can enhance the other ways, but it must not replace them. Teenagers in particular are exposed to the dangers of the web. They can become victims of cyber bullying, revenge porn and grooming by adults. What sort of media education helps young people in these situations? I believe we need to re-propose the models we already know in “real life.” We have to help young people to understand that not everyone we meet wants what’s best for us and that there are real dangers online, and that everything we do in the digital environment stays there forever. We have to teach them to think very carefully before clicking. Sexting is a common practice among young people in which they take erotic videos and photos and send them to their boyfriends or girlfriends or even just friends. It’s a game that becomes dangerous if those who receive them, either for revenge or for fun, share these images on public platforms. This puts their friend at risk: it’s called “revenge porn.” Once online, these images can bring the young people to the attention of adult criminal elements. But why do children and young people ignore these dangers? How can we educate them to have real self-respect? These dangers are ignored because they young people have no perception of the reality of the risks they are taking. They completely lack awareness that their actions on the Internet can have real consequences. We need to help them to understand that online interaction affects our whole self – and therefore the consequences of the actions we carry out are very real and lasting. We have a lot of work to do to convince young people of the significance of everything they do online. You are involved in media educational activities, including the Up2Me project promoted by the Focolare Movement. In your experience, does living online have educational potential or is it just a possible trap? I believe that the digital dimension can be a fertile ground for education, because it is a meeting place where we can find different people with different ideas, and this gives us the opportunity to grow in our own humanity. For example, this growth might mean developing a critical approach to things and the ability to question one’s own point of view, or learning to choose the right words so as not to hurt another’s feelings. These are things that adults often don’t know how to do, so it’s good when young people can become specialists in this.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
This is Jesus’ clear invitation in April 2019’s Word of life. He was the first to wash his disciple’s feet so that everyone would understand and live like this in every situation and in every social and cultural context The Missing Component I work in a company that makes computers. I’d been looking for a particular electronic component for months which would hugely reduce the cost of a product but not a single supplier had found it for me. So, I decided that I would design it myself and at the next weekly meeting, being aware of the long hours of work ahead of me, I asked that the order be postponed for another week. However, during that meeting, one of my colleagues who was going through a bit of a difficult time in his family, told us that he hadn’t managed to finish a piece of work which had been entrusted to him. The boss started to shout at him so I offered to finish his work for him. Immediately afterwards, thinking about it, I knew that I wasn’t going to have time to finish my own project and that I was going to be late home for the rest of the week. But on getting back to my office, I found a supplier waiting for me, without appointment, who had come to give me the very component I had been looking for. (M.A.Italy) The Courtyard Many young people from the area play in the courtyard of the apartment building where we live. One of these is Robert, a young guy with problems, who passes the time roaming the streets, often getting into arguments with others. We knew that his parents didn’t have time for him and that he was under the care of a psychiatrist. One day, while he was arguing again, my wife and I went down to the courtyard and invited Robert to come up to our house, where he stayed for the rest of the afternoon, playing with our two children, who were younger than him. In the days that followed, every time things became difficult for him, they brought him to us. We soon learned that Robert had told his psychiatrist how he was spending his afternoons. From the time he started coming to our house his behaviour improved, so much so that he was able to stop his medication. (D.H. USA) The Easter Egg Following a visit to my friend, who was ill, as I was leaving, his wife gave me an Easter egg for my son, Cesare. When I got home I found him playing with my young nephew who was often with us due to the difficult atmosphere in his family. With a wink to my son the egg went into the hands of his younger cousin, who was so happy. Cesare kept playing and when we were on our own I explained to him that when we give a gift we feel closer to Jesus. That afternoon his grandmother arrived with an even bigger Easter egg. Cesare was delighted and said, ‘Dad, why don’t you tell everyone this secret?’ (Z.C Italy) One Big Family After many attempts, an African immigrant which we had welcomed into our parish had managed to get his wife and children to join him from Africa but they didn’t have any of the things they needed. Their accommodation was a building site, with no electricity. So, I offered to do their laundry and others offered food and other necessities. This family, our brothers and sisters, experienced the joy of having found the large family they had thought they’d lost forever having left their own country. (F.F Belgium)
edited by Chiara Favotti
The Resurrection! John and Peter go to the empty tomb and find the linen cloths on the ground, the shroud on one side. Mary Magdalene remains there weeping and sees two angels, one where Jesus’ head had been and one where his feet had been. She talks to them and then, turning, she sees Jesus. The apostles didn’t see him, and among them was the one Jesus loved in a special way on account of his innocence as well as for other reasons. Mary, the sinner, saw the angels and Jesus. «Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.» (Mt. 5:8) Who saw the most on this occasion? Mary Magdalene. The tears which flowed continually from her eyes, and her vigil outside the tomb, were the signs of a love which believes everything and wants everything. Then later her conversation with the angels and with the person she thought was the gardener, almost as though Jesus were a person in whom she alone was interested. These two things had purified her heart perhaps more than the hearts of the others, to such a degree that she merited seeing heavenly beings and the risen Jesus. This is the meaning of the Resurrection. Redemption is completed. Death is conquered. Sin is overthrown by mercy poured out in superabundance from the tree of the Cross.
Chiara Lubich
(From: Chiara Lubich, Knowing How to Lose, New City, London, 1981, pp. 84-85)
Igino Giordani wrote many pages on Mary, on understanding her mystery. Below is one of these in which he invites us to look to Mary at the foot of the Cross, to be like Her. Let your model be Mary Desolate. After having given life to Jesus, she loved and served him, and although she felt detached from him and rejected by the crowd that was not yet Church, her faith never wavered. In the supreme trial, she did not miss the appointment at the foot of the cross. She was as the Holy Spirit had formed her: a heart in which people’s offenses were extinguished; a centre from which only love poured forth. She was complete self-giving. Dead to herself, she lived of God: Only God lived in her. (…) People leave you alone, so that you can be alone with God. Then your soul is no longer distracted or stolen from you: then, in the silence, you converse with the Eternal. You stay, with the Crucified One, on God’s level.
Igino Giordani
(Igino Giordani, Mary, the Perfect Model , New City, Rome, 1989, 131-133)
What meaning does the mystery of God dying on a cross have for the men and women of our times? In that supreme sacrifice, God took upon himself all our faults. He asks us to have the courage to live as he did, out of love for the world. From a text by Pasquale Foresi. “How could Jesus have suffered being separated, even abandoned, by the Father, if he was the Son of God, indeed God himself? Let’s try to delve, at least a little, into what could have happened to Jesus at that moment in his passion, when he felt the pain of being forsaken by his Father. In fact, Jesus personally experienced being far from God. He was able to reach that point because he was a human being, and therefore, united to all humankind. There, on the cross, all of us, each and every one of us, were present in Jesus, because of the mysterious plan of God by which he willed that all humanity be summed up in Jesus. At that moment, all our sufferings and all our faults were taken up by him and made his own. He then turned to the Father and said, “Into your hands I commend my spirit” (Lk 23:46). In that moment, everything was truly accomplished and all our sins were forgiven. Therefore, if we as Christians are called to re-live Christ, we have to live what he lived. And, in a totally unique way, Christ lived the redemption of the human race. Therefore, for us, re-living Jesus crucified and forsaken means making his sentiments our own. Indeed, it means much more. It means allowing the suffering-love that Jesus lived on the cross to live again in us, so that we too may take part in the completion of his passion and share his glory with him.”
Pasquale Foresi
God calls us (published in Citta’ Nuova magazine 1974, pp 58-61)
https://vimeo.com/330953456
Holy Thursday: this reflection on today’s solemnity is taken from a homily prepared by the bishop, philosopher and theologian, Klaus Hemmerle (1929–1994), for Holy Thursday 1993. If the disciples see in Jesus the great and powerful God on high, they will not find him. They have to bow right down, And look into the dust; Jesus is there, washing his followers feet. Self-giving, humiliation, service, taking ordinary human needs seriously, becoming small, denying self, the harshness of being exhausted, being modest, being hidden: all this, which has nothing to do with divine splendor, is the splendor of the true God, is the inner core of our worship of God, is the Eucharist.
Klaus Hemmerle
(Klaus Hemmerle, Gottes Zeit-unsere Zeit, München, 2018, p. 65 – editor’s translation)
In preparation for what would have been Chiara Lubich’s 100th birthday in January next year, a delegation from the Focolare founders’ home region of Trentino, north Italy, visited the Movement’s international centre near Rome on 16 April. “We’re not here to ‘commemorate’ Chiara Lubich, or to turn her into some kind of monument, or consign her to history. That’s not what’s needed. We’re here to relive her message, link in with her legacy and communicate with her charism today”. With these words, Alessandro Andreatta, Mayor of the city of Trent, explained the reason behind the visit of a delegation from the Trentino region, on 16 April, to the Focolare Movement’s international centre at Rocca di Papa, near Rome, in the lead-up to the celebrations of the centenary of Chiara’s birth in 2020. The delegation included the President of the Autonomous Province of Trento Maurizio Fugatti, the President of the Primiero local community administration Roberto Pradel, the Director of the Trentino Historical Museum Foundation Giuseppe Ferrandi and Maurizio Gentilini, archivist and historian at the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and author of a new biography of Chiara Lubich to be published in 2020. They were welcomed by Focolare President Maria Voce, Co-President Jesús Morán and other focolare members from different countries, together with the leaders of several local councils in the Castelli Romani area, where Chiara lived for over fifty years. The visit was an important occasion in which to consolidate the friendship and collaboration between the city of Trent, the Trentino community and the Focolare Movement. A host of events are being organised to mark the centenary year both in the city of Trent and the Primiero Valley, as well as in many other towns and cities around the world. The celebrations begin on 7 December 2019 with the inauguration of a multimedia exhibition entitled “Chiara Lubich: City-World”, a collaborative venture between of the Chiara Lubich Centre and the Trentino Historical Museum Foundation. “Through this initiative, we hope many people will get to know Chiara and her ideas,” explained Alba Sgariglia, co-director of the Chiara Lubich Centre, “as well as her spirituality, her work and her profile as a tireless promoter of a culture of unity and fraternity among peoples”. According to Giuseppe Ferrandi, organising the exhibition has been a rewarding if complex cultural challenge. “We’re trying to take the extraordinary legacy of Chiara Lubich’s life and words, and transform it into a format within the limits of our exhibition space but without limiting the communication of the content. As our title suggests, the idea of the ‘city’ is central to Chiara’s thinking and writing. For her, the city is a place where debate occurs enabling it to relate directly to the rest of the world. In this way, we are encouraged not to stay confined within the local but to open up”. Part of the exhibition will take place in the Primiero Valley where, from the 1940s onwards, Chiara Lubich and a small group of companions used to go every summer. Every year more people joined them, until several thousand people from all over the world were gathering there to share in the experience of a life centred on fraternity. After Trent and Primiero, the exhibition will be hosted by nine capital cities outside Europe. In each location, it will be further shaped by the culture of the place, in a vision opening up to the rest of the world. Throughout 2020, visitors are expected to come to Trent from all over the globe. There will be a series of national and international conventions and events taking place in the Trentino area and in other Focolare centres across all continents. The President of the Autonomous Province of Trent spoke of their pride at “Being here, today, to express this unity of intent. Trentino is a land of thoroughfares, of borders: Chiara Lubich knew what these characteristics meant and how to communicate with them. Back in June 2001, Chiara spoke to the people of Trent about fraternity from the point of view of the city. Her attitude was to respect all the different stakeholders who form a community, and she knew how to listen to them all. This is the way to interpret the interests and needs of the people for the best outcome”. In her concluding remarks, Maria Voce underlined the value of Chiara Lubich’s attention to the life of the city. “She was in the Primiero Valley when she understood God wanted her to go back to the city of Trent. Throughout her life, in cities around the world – a number of which acknowledged her as an honorary citizen – she experienced a strong sense of engagement which came from identifying particular problems and sufferings, embracing them and introducing seeds of life and love there”.
Stefania Tanesini
Continuous and long blackouts throughout the whole country paralyse basic services and business activities thus making life for people very difficult. A humanitarian drama is leading to deep social divisions. Rosa and Óscar Contreras, a family that belongs to the Focolare community relate how they manage to brave this desperate situation with faith and courage and continue to give their share towards universal brotherhood. Rosa related:“The situation continues to get worse. A few weeks ago, 105 hours of power cuts crippled our city, especially commercial and financial activities. To make matters worse, we lack also constant public services such as water supply, waste collection, telephone and internet services And then, national backouts continue to hit the country….” “In spite of everything we feel that life must go on”, Oscar said. Then he continued to explain, “We have reopened our factory, which produces wooden and acrylic goods and resumed our work. It is a great challenge to keep the business going when sales have really dropped, but we are try our best to comply with the commitment we have with suppliers and employees, without running the risk of bankruptcy. We aim at being creative and open to constant strategical change to be able to react against hyperinflation and complex fiscal policies. This led to a total change in the wage structure of our employees; we try to find new ways to improve their income, to encourage greater motivation and achieve better results. In the meantime unexpected circumstances do crop up. Until some time ago we were able to travel to visit people and be close to them, but presently we cannot do this anymore because our car has been damaged and we cannot afford the expense to repair it, besides being a long process because of power cuts. Meanwhile, our savings are running out, but God’s Providence does not abandon us; recently we have managed to buy a few necessary things to keep us going”. “We have never realized that there are so many unimaginable opportunities to live the Gospel radically”, continued Rosa. “Every day we come across so many relatives and neighbours who are in need and are desperate, that we are obliged to be attentive and share the little we have. Each time we ask what Mary, Joseph and Jesus would have done if they were instead of us. We are pleased to see that many of our neighbours have started to be more friendly. We think that this is the result of initiatives we have carried out very silently to help others and create relationships”. Oscar confided:“However, we must admit that we are really physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted, but still we are certain that the Holy Spirit is with us and that, through us, He can fill others with the joy and hope we seek to transmit. Last week, even though we had no electricity, we thought of meeting some young people from the Movement to share experiences and reflections, and watch a film together. Many say that these difficult times are a favourable opportunity to generate more communion within the families. The absence of mobile phones, TV, schools, work and other commitments is providing space for more dialogue within family circles and for addressing questions that were never dealt with before. Many come together to pray and they share what they have with others. It is interesting to note the change of attitude when people come to purchase or get something; they do not only think about its use for their own family, but they also think about its usefulness for others”.
edited by Anna Lisa Innocenti
Hearing from those who live there gives hope for the most contested city on earth; a different vision from the one in the news. https://vimeo.com/319521993
Roberto Catalano of the Focolare Movement’s Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue offered his insights into the context and geo-political events leading to the drawing up of the historic DOCUMENT ON HUMAN FRATERNITY FOR WORLD PEACE AND LIVING TOGETHER, co-signed by Pope Francis and The Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb in Abu Dhabi on 4th February this year. How can we possibly identify universal fraternity as a primary objective of today’s humanity? Are we not in an age dominated by digital bubbles, with ever more divisive personal and collective boundaries, and new forms of economic protectionism and so on? However, the declaration signed in Abu Dhabi by Pope Francis and the Imam of al-Azhar places the values of fraternity at the heart of the geo-political and media agenda. With a clear and practical approach, the declaration proposes fraternity as the guiding objective, not only for the Christian and Muslim religions, but for the entire human family. Roberto Catalano outlined the steps leading up to this important document which is being recognized as a foundation step in dialogue towards world peace. How significant is the declaration signed by Pope Francis and Imam al-Tayeb in Abu Dhabi on 4 February this year? This document on fraternity represents a significant milestone and the text will remain as a reference point for the future. It’s impossible not to see how profoundly innovative it is. Once more we find ourselves before one of Pope Francis’ “absolute firsts”! Never before in the history of the Church has a pope co-signed a shared document with the leader of another religion. This document was signed in a very precise context, a meeting between the leaders of the Catholic Church and of al-Azhar, characterized by a mutual embrace, talks, and even walking hand in hand. The agreed text addresses not only religious leaders or interested parties but all believers and in fact everyone in the world. The United Arab Emirates can be seen as a cross section of the globalized world: the Arabian Peninsula is the heart of Islam, but there are a growing number of workers from other countries and cultures…. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates and the venue for the signing of this declaration, is on the Southern Coast of the Persian Gulf. All the Gulf States are significant due to their economic and geo-political status. In only a few decades, their oil reserves have permitted a dizzying rate of progress, facilitated also by workers from countries such as the Philippines, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The Arabian Peninsula is the heart of Islam, but it also presents a true Muslim mosaic. Saudi Arabia dominates the region, as the image of Sunni Islam which identifies with Wahhabism, which on the international level supports the Salafi movement. Within this context, there is the emerging phenomenon of new Christian communities. Whereas the traditional apostolic Christian Churches of the Middle East continue to live through dramatic events which often cause them to flee the region, the area of the Emirates is becoming populated with a new set of Christians, a real cross-section of today’s Christianity. The majority of these Christians are from the Philippines and India, but also from other parts of the Middle East. We are living in a period of globalization, and the Church in the Emirates is a striking example of this. During Pope Francis’ recent visit to Morocco, the 800th anniversary of the meeting between St Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik al-Kamil was celebrated. It seems this pope has embarked upon something of a “pilgrimage of peace”. Absolutely. And the Abu Dhabi declaration fits in with this anniversary, as a sign of the desire to be a “brother who seeks peace with his brothers” and “to be instruments of peace”. The Second Vatican Council Declaration Nostra Aetate states that “in the course of centuries not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen between Christians and Moslems” and so the Council strove to urge “all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve, as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind, social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom”. In 2006, a passage from Benedict XVI’s Regensburg lecture sparked controversy in the Muslim world. Many took offence at the quotation, even though it referred not to the Quran but to the relationship between faith and reason, and between religion and violence. It led to a period of stormy relationships, during which the University of al-Azhar cut off contact with the Vatican. In the years that followed, with great patience and diplomacy, these relationships have been rebuilt, in the spirit of Evangelii Gaudium, which after defining inter-religious dialogue as a “duty for Christians as well as other religious communities” (EG 250), affirmed the importance of Christian-Muslim relations. Finally, in May 2016 Imam al-Tayeb came to the Vatican. On his arrival, he made a significant comment: “We are taking up the way of dialogue once more and we hope it will be better than before”. The invitation and welcome was soon reciprocated. In 2017, the Imam invited the Pope to Cairo for an International Peace Conference. On that occasion the Pope strongly affirmed: “Peace alone is holy and no act of violence can be perpetrated in the name of God, for it would profane his Name”. He went on to propose three basic areas which, if properly linked, can “assist in this dialogue: the duty to respect one’s own identity and that of others, the courage to accept differences, and sincerity of intentions.” From then on, a deep spiritual understanding has grown between the two religious leaders.
Interview by Stefania Tanesini
A Foundation set up in Colombia to help children who are forced to fight or work on coca plantations “We would like to create a safe haven where poor children can experience dignity, realize their dreams and grow up in an environment that promotes a mentality of peace and justice”. These were the objectives of Fr. Rito Julio Alvarez, a priest from the Ventimiglia-Sanremo diocese, when he set up the Oasis of Love and Peace Foundation in 2006, in the Catatumbo region of northeast Colombia. 
This NGO was set up in one of the poorest areas of the region where Fr. Rito was born and lived for twenty years. It aims at offering an opportunity that safeguards children in this country from being recruited by the rebels or forced to work on coca plantations. This idea matured from Fr. Rito’s personal experience, that can be read on the Foundation’s website http://www.oasisdeamorypaz.org/ – “He came to know about the guerrillas when he was a child. Very often these illegal revolutionary groups came to the village and tried to persuade children to join them. Some of his companions, even 11 or 12 years old, were enticed by the offer of these rebels, joined them and died in clashes with the regular army.This is what happened to his childhood friend who was killed at the age of 14. Nothing was known, not even about his abandoned body”. He relates: “In the 90’s, the peasants in the territory were made to believe that planting Coca would change their lives, but instead the situation got worse. In 1999, paramilitary groups came into the scene and great massacres ensued”. Rito Julio Alvarez became priest in 2000. From Italy he followed his people’s suffering owing to the war that broke out because of the control of the coca plantations, that involved paramilitary groups, government armed groups and guerrillas. In a few years, in a territory of 250,000 inhabitants there were about 13,000 deaths. Even his family members had to be evacuated and many of his friends were killed. 
The need to help these people was great. Together with his relatives at Catatumbo, he decided to set up a home for child soldiers and for those who came from the coca plantations. He recalls: “We started in 2007, in a small shack where we welcomed the first 10 boys. We had no money but we had a lot of goodwill. We prepared their beds; my sister was a mother to them and she saw to their food. My mother lent me cutlery, dishes, pots and blankets. This is how we started this adventure”. Today, the Foundation handles two projects that comprise the breeding of fish and livestock and banana and coffee plantations. Hundreds of children have been welcomed by the Foundation; some of these have become educators and NGO managers. One of them, whose relative was a drug trafficker in the area, is involved in politics. “I am so pleased when the Foundation welcomes those children whom I have seen harvesting coca leaves with their sore hands”, says Fr. Rito very emotionally, “and here they grow up and live in an environment of peace; they feel safe and can think of a different future. All this encourages me to look ahead without fear. My trust in the Lord assures me that this work can proceed”.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Amine Mohammed Sahnouni, a young Algerian sociologist, sees education as a process. “We need to give the children more responsibility, trust in them and guide them so that their leadership abilities develop from an early age.” “Children are the pillar of our work, and we dedicate ourselves to them with the aim of helping them grow up strong, since they are the future.” For an education conference promoted by the Focolare Movement in Italy on 2 March, Amine Mohammed Sahnouni, a young Algerian sociologist, spoke of her commitment to education that benefits young people. To build a better world, she said, we need to start with the children. Amine, you said that in order to get results it is important to have a vision, long-term objectives, and if possible, share them with others. What is your vision for the field of education? I believe that we sociologists are doctors for society, and as such we need to go into the field and take on social phenomenon of all kinds. With that perspective, my vision is to “make the world a better place,” not only for us, but for future generations. We all can do this, but only if we start by changing ourselves, even by starting with the small things. If we hope to build a more just society, it’s essential that we dedicate ourselves to training young people. What are the main resources, competencies and methods you propose? My parents always encourage, support and guide me. Ever since I was young, they gave me a sense of responsibility. I still remember the words of my father: “Amine, make us proud of you.” He was always saying to put “Allah,” “God,” in the first place in everything I do; only by doing so would I be able to be a successful person. So to me the first pillar of education is family. There are also various competencies to work on: we need to give the children more responsibility, trust in them and guide them so that their leadership abilities develop from an early age. We need to give them our trust, support and use positive words in a way that they can develop their self-esteem, hopes and objectives. We need to encourage critical thinking in children and teach them to share their opinions in front of others. All these competencies can be acquired by working in the field, through exchange programs where they meet young people from different countries, and by changing traditional teaching methods to make learning easy and enjoyable. Religious leaders, institutions and non-profit organisations call for safeguarding the environment, but their efforts are not enough. Meanwhile it is said that the young Swede Greta Thunberg, who called for young people marching in all of Europe, may be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Does this mean that we need young people to awaken the old? I truly admire the courage and determination of that girl, who, despite being quite young, is completely aware of environmental issues, and this is extremely rare today, even among adults. This great “battler” is sending a strong message to the world, and I have a lot of respect for her. We all need to take inspiration from her example. I believe, in fact, that great victories begin from the small things. Getting on a bicycle and crossing Algeria from the Moroccan to the Tunisian border seems a way to inspire commitment for the environment. Can you tell us how it went? We were a group of friends, passionate and motivated, hoping to inspire young people. Since 2012 our philosophy has been: if you want lasting change, start by changing yourself. In time our goals expanded, and we decided to take up a new challenge: cycling across Algeria from east to west over 15 days. It was a project aimed at raising awareness for safeguarding the environment, promoting the values of citizenship, and educating through sports. My two friends, Elhadi and Naim, and I created a video about our activity, and in just one week the video spread so quickly that people started to contact us offering their help. We received so much support during the trip itself in August 2017, and the results were incredible: two million followers on social media and television. We collaborated with more than 15 associations, children’s organisations and cycling clubs. We felt “Allah,” “God” with us each day and we asked him for courage, support and strength to complete our mission. It was a spiritual experience, and we received prayers from many Algerians and support from our families. Just in two weeks we were able to spark other awareness campaigns, and after the initiative many people followed along our same path.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
At the end of March, the Emergency Coordination Section of the Focolare Movement took action to help the communities affected by the flood in south-eastern Africa, in particular a mission to Dombe. Ildo who is responsible for this mission, sent us this message: “Here we have four houses of rehabilitation, an agricultural school and a day center, which have been completely submerged in water. We have lost everything: furniture, documents, animals, tractors. We are now housed in our small hospital, which was saved along with the church, the nuns’ house and the college. We are taking care of 1,300 people housed in two schools. We are in great need – especially of tents, food, blankets, and simple boats to cross the river. Many people have died in the area surrounding our mission, especially children. There are many more deaths than have been reported. When the water level dropped, bodies were found hanging from the trees. Yesterday I found a desperate young man on the street, who didn’t know where to go, looking for who knows who. When he told me his story I couldn’t stop myself, I just took him with me to the mission to live with us. “The waters rose suddenly,” he told me. “I took my eight-month-old baby, my wife and my two brothers and we climbed a tree. Suddenly the tree fell down and one by one I saw them being dragged away by the water. The only reason I was saved was because I was hanging on to the tree trunk. I was in the water for 30 hours – just three miles from my house.” His name is Silvestre and he is 22 years old. We hear stories like this all the time. We will stay here, determined to help these people who were already suffering before the flood. Something tells me that something great, something really good is going to happen to us. We ask you to pray so that we have enough health and strength to carry on this mission that God has entrusted to us. A big hug from all of us!” Those who wish to can contribute in the following ways: Action for a United World ONLUS (AMU) IBAN: IT58 S050 1803 2000 0001 1204 344 Banca Popolare Etica BIC: CCRTIT2T Emergency Mozambique Or: Action for New Families ONLUS (AFN) IBAN: IT55 K033 5901 6001 0000 0001 060 at Banca Prossima SWIFT / BIC code: BCITITMX Emergency Mozambique
With his profound knowledge of Asia, where he lived for almost 30 years, learning to speak several languages, Silvio Daneo who died recently, has given a unique contribution to the inter-religious dialogue of the Focolare Movement and beyond. His later years were dedicated to helping the lonely and those on the margins of society. He is buried in the cemetery at Loppiano, Italy. “It’s not easy to capture in a few lines a life as intense and full of adventure as Silvio’s. In one of his recent books, he reflected that he had lived seven lives! all “in a continual discovery of the divine treasure in each person in every encounter”. With these words, Focolare President Maria Voce recalled Silvio Daneo. He spent his life spreading the spirituality of unity in many different countries in North America and Asia: USA, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Pakistan and later Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. He embarked on the first of these journeys in 1962, at just 21 years of age. His destination, the United States, where together with two other focolarini, he launched the Movement’s first men’s centre in North America. Four years later he flew to another continent, this time to the Philippines, with Guido Mirto (also known in Focolare circles as “Cengia”). Over the course of many years in Asia, Silvio contributed to the beginnings of Focolare communities in many countries. He demonstrated unconditional love for people, he had an open mind and heart, and was totally dedicated to the wellbeing of each person he met. He would help everyone he could in a spirit of true generosity, which led people to experience and recognise divine love through his practical way of serving in the things of daily life. He was less for giving talks and more for giving practical assistance. For example, a young member of the Focolare Movement was once going to a Buddhist temple to be ordained. Silvio accompanied him, sleeping on the ground for days on end, eating whatever was offered to him by the monks, in sweltering tropical heat, under constant attack from mosquitoes. This act marked the beginnings of the movement’s inter-religious dialogue in Thailand. Silvio’s contribution was fundamental in introducing the Focolare to the country’s Buddhist monks. In 1995, he organized the first meeting between Phra Mahathongrattanathavorn and Focolare foundress Chiara Lubich, keeping in touch with developments for as long as his health permitted. Silvio knew Muslims, Hindus, Parsi, Gurus, and he knew how to identify with the good in the heart of each person he met. Silvio did a lot for me too. To him I owe the openness I find within myself towards the other great religions, and the experience of not noticing the barriers when with someone whose beliefs are different from my own. Silvio wrote in one of his books, “Again and again I must acknowledge how in every Asian country I’ve lived in – wherever I’ve tried to assimilate the culture and traditions of the place – I’ve found myself enriched by the knowledge of the various religious traditions. I’ve had many real opportunities to get to know people in the practice of very differing faiths, and from the witness of their lives, of their prayer, meditation, their coherence, dedication to others, and honesty in their daily action, I’ve gained a fascination to get to know the content of the doctrines taught by the different religions”. In Vietnam, back in 1990, I worked with Silvio on opening up a trading enterprise, which proved surprisingly successful. I also remember one particular day when we were in Bangkok, Thailand. We could not believe our eyes as we saw him down on his knees in the street outside our house. He was treating the bleeding knees of the workers who were building the road, disinfecting their wounds and applying bandages. Nothing like this had ever been seen before, and those labourers were touched to the heart. A few days later, these same workers set themselves to build a ramp linking our house to the new road, and they refused any payment! Silvio spent time with bishops, priests, Imams, Rabbis and monks, often greeting them in their own language, to their obvious delight. “Should it ever cross anyone’s mind to praise me – Silvio wrote in the introduction to his last book – they would, however unknowingly, be committing an error. I am convinced, at least I hope I am, that I’ve been nothing other than an instrument, and all too often a less than docile one at that! … All the merit and acknowledgement is due to Him, to God, the only One capable of achieving such great things”. Silvio spent his later years in Rome, and even though his health was compromised, his commitment to live life wholeheartedly never was. He dedicated his time to prisoners, to those experiencing loneliness and different forms of abandonment, collecting food and other useful goods on their behalf. About a year ago I met him when I was accompanying a group of Thai Buddhist monks to Rome. With that unmistakable smile of his, Silvio greeted us all, and his luminous countenance conveyed a sense of how he had been purified by his illness. This encounter left me with the conviction that life signifies this: to reach the end well, conserving what really counts, knowing ever more powerfully how to transform every suffering that comes our way into Love.
Luigi Butori
“What is important to God is that we are human beings and that we live in mutual love.” Interview with Claude Gamble, pioneer of the Focolare Movement in Morocco. After his apostolic journey to the United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis himself said that his trip to Morocco was another important occasion “to further develop interreligious dialogue and mutual understanding among the faithful of both religions”. Claude Gamble, who was there at the beginning of the first Focolare communities in Morocco, offers us a few brief glimpses into his experiences… What are the challenges for Christians in Morocco today? The challenge is to build bridges. Today we are going through a phase of extremism that involves everyone, Christians and Muslims. In poor neighborhoods it is very dangerous because people are being radicalized into following extreme ideas. For example, a few times in Tangiers, while we were going to mass with a group of people who share the spirit of the Focolare, stones were thrown at us in order to intimidate people outside the church. But we believe in universal brotherhood. We have to bear witness to it. It might take a long while for some people to accept our offer of friendship. In Algeria, where I lived, I found many examples of brotherhood. Every time I went to visit a family I felt at home. They were all Muslims but we were brothers. Friendship is the antidote to extremism. What is important to God is that we are all human beings and that we live mutual love between us. What can we expect from this journey on the pathway to dialogue? Dialogue is not the search for those who have the truth, because God alone has the truth. I believe that the Pope, as a representative of the Catholic Church, can show how he lives as a Christian. This is his experience and, as such, it is not something to refute or argue against. Especially since it is clear that he comes in peace. The beauty of the Arab way of being is their hospitality. Therefore they will welcome the Pope as a dear brother. The meeting between the Pope and the King is an invitation to go ahead together for the good of all humanity. In the Focolare Movement we talk about dialogue but also about “communion”. Living in communion means that I can speak as a Christian, and you can speak as a Muslim, but it is by sharing experiences that we can live together. This is something that can only be done at the level of personal relationships – because dialogue has to be one to one, face to face. How can people of different faiths and beliefs feel as if they are brothers and sisters? At the human level it is necessary to value what we have in common. In the Koran all the suras, except one, begin with the phrase, “In the name of God, the Merciful.” With the word mercy a Muslim comes very close to what we mean by love. So with Muslims we can share the word mercy, which comes from the term rahma which means the mother’s womb, the cradle of life. And God, who is mercy, reminds us of the love of a mother who takes care of her child. It’s the same with the Hebrew word rehem, which has the same semantic root as rahma, and also refers to the mother’s womb. So for the Jews, too, the mercy of God means that we must have the love of a mother for the others. For atheists it is the same: an atheist who believes in humanity, believes in motherly love for others. It was 800 years ago that St. Francis met the Sultan al-Kāmil as a sign of peace. St Francis then sent the first friars to Morocco. Since then the presence of the Franciscans in that country has always been met with great respect. It was in Morocco that the Friars Minor let them be put into prison in order to give courage to the other prisoners. Two of them were martyred. Recently the Vicar General of Tangiers rediscovered more than 160 letters in the Spanish and Moroccan libraries that had been written between the Franciscans and the Sultans of Morocco. In these letters the Sultans expressed appreciation for the work done by the Franciscans and thus a deep respect for the Catholic Church. The current King of Morocco has asked for the book in which these letters are collected in order to learn about this ancient relationship. Ultimately, what common ground can there be between Christians and Muslims? What we do have in common is God. Here is my answer to those who say that we do not have the same God. It’s like in a family where there are several children. When disciplining his first child, the father may have been fairly tough or severe. The last child may perhaps have been treated like the favorite. If you asked both of these children to describe their father, the first might describe the father as someone who inspired fear, while the second might only give examples of the father’s love. They are both describing the same father, but they have each seen him from different angles.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
After the first international meeting for those in the Movement responsible for the protection of minors, Focolare President Maria Voce and Co-president, Jesús Morán, have written to all the members of the Movement on the Focolare’s commitment in this field. “We invite all of you to commit very responsibly to this very important aim of promoting the wellbeing and protection of minors.” Focolare President Maria Voce and Co-president Jesús Morán addressed these words in their letter, sent on 27th March, to all the members of the Focolare Movement in the world after the first international meeting of those in the Movement who are responsible for the protection of minors. (See letter attached) The meeting, held from 14th – 17th March at Castel Gandolfo (Rome), was attended by 162 participants from 38 countries and all continents. It was an opportunity to take stock of the Focolare’s commitment to the wellbeing and protection of every person. This commitment has always existed in the Movement and can be seen in the many training events, initiatives and projects organised all over the world to promote child and adolescent wellbeing. Guidelines and commissions for the protection of minors In April 2014 the Movement adopted “Guidelines for the Promotion of the Wellbeing and the Protection of Minors” and in 2015 a Central Commission for the Promotion of the Wellbeing and the Protection of Minors (CO.BE.TU (in Italian)) was established. Around the world, local commissions have been created in various countries or there are well qualified people responsible for this role. Their task is “to protect, but also to promote formation activities for our members, especially those who work with minors.” The commissions also have the task of receiving reports of alleged abuse and undertaking a process of verification within the Movement. Maria Voce and Jesús Morán explain in the letter that over the years about 20 reports have been received and they communicate that, “It deeply pains us to recognise that, also in our own large family of the Focolare, some cases of abuse regarding minors caused by people who belong to the Movement, or by people who have taken part in meetings organised by us, have occurred. Most of these episodes occurred in the remote past (even over 20 years ago), but unfortunately some have occurred in the recent past. Consecrated members of the Movement were also involved in these.” The President and Co-president affirm with deep gratitude that the establishment of the Central Commission and the local commissions has helped not only to facilitate the reporting of alleged cases of abuse, but also “to understand how to do justice to the victims, how to accompany them and their families and what provisions to make within the Movement regarding the authors of the abuses, in addition of course to the judicial procedures envisaged by the laws of the respective countries.” Zero tolerance Maria Voce and Jesús Morán re-affirmed the Movement’s zero tolerance approach to any form of violence, abuse, mistreatment or bullying, carried out directly on through the Web, towards any person, with particular attention to minors and vulnerable adults. They go on to explain that, “This means reporting to the local commissions and to the Central Commission every suspicion of abuse or violence.” They consider it to be “a real temptation if anyone thinks of not reporting cases for the good of the Movement, to avoid scandal or protect someone’s good name.” In particular they add that, “Every single case represents a deep purification for the Movement. We accept it with humility and deep compassion for those who – perhaps through our lack of attention – have undergone indescribable traumas.” It is a worldwide commitment, not limited only to the members of the Focolare Movement and that, as Maria Voce and Jesús Morán observe in their conclusion to the letter, should be ever more open to the whole of humankind: “We cannot fail to make our own the cry of pain of all the children and teenagers in the world. … It is part of our vocation to go towards them. That is why we must be on the front line in defending those who are weaker, wherever they are victims of any kind of violence or abuse.” Letter Maria Voce and Jesús Morán -Protection of Minors.EN
‘Europe time to dialogue’ is an initiative of the Focolare Movement, designed to contribute to the debate leading up to the forthcoming European Parliamentary elections. You can find the page on Facebook. The choice of a social network like Facebook is significant. According to experts, recent important elections have been influenced by increased activity on social media by groups attempting to sway results – often with motives that are incompatible with democratic principles. This is why we need to become a presence on social media if we want to promote themes related to the common good, inclusion, participation and solidarity. ‘The Europe time to dialogue’ campaign will offer arguments for a more fraternal and a more cohesive Europe in these times marked by the widespread rise of new social egoisms, neo-sovereignties and nationalisms. The culture of unity that springs from the charism lived by the members of the Focolare Movement needs to be at the service of policies that encourage and promote efforts to collaborate, to share and to bring people together. After all, Chiara Lubich and Igino Giordani are included among the great proponents of a united Europe. They consistently held that a united Europe should be a promoter of world peace and global distribution of goods. In reference to “The United States of Europe for the United States of the World,” Igino Giordani, in writings dating from the 1920s, and Chiara Lubich, in the numerous instances in which she spoke to politicians from all over the world, both gave clear pictures of the European Continent’s destiny. This is why the posts in Europe: time to dialogue will have two aspects to them. They will include a message from the past, that is, a quote about a united Europe and its universal mission from leading figures such as Chiara Lubich, Igino Giordani, Pasquale Foresi, Alcide De Gasperi, Konrad Adenauer, Robert Schuman, Paul-Henri Spaak, Jean Monnet and others. They will also include commentary on current events in the light of the teachings of these leading figures. To follow us, just find Europe time to dialogue on Facebook. You can leave a comment or a reflection and then share the posts with your friends.
Alberto Lo Presti
Anna Maria, Jessica and Talat: testimony to friendship among people from the three monotheistic religions. When the walls of distrust and prejudice fall down, you experience that it’s possible to look to the future with courage and hope. https://vimeo.com/319522327
An interview with the Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, present at the Edu x Edu Conference: “We need to rebuild the bond between the one to be educated and the educator”. In an ever-changing world, it is not always feasible to find definitive solutions for certain issues. Yet, it is always necessary to be updated, to put right, to reinterpret and above all to look for solutions for the unsocial situations that grip those engaged in education today. The Church has always, but particularly in recent years, emphasised the pressing need of attention to educational emergency, considered as one of the greatest anthropological challenges we have to face in our times. Pope Francis continues to insist on this challenge because it is the root, the cause of flourishing social inequalities. Very often this is underestimated by politics, and so treated with total indifference. Msgr.Vincenzo Zani, Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, shared his views about this at the round table on “The vitality of dreams: giving a soul to education” during the international conference held recently at Castel Gandolfo, “EduxEdu”, “Be educated to educate – growing together in a relationship that educates”. This project was launched in 2016, and there are about 400 educators, young people and teachers from the Focolare Communities in different countries that participate in it. This year’s initiative was organized by the Focolare Movement together with LUMSA University, Sophia University Institute, AMU (United World Association), EdU (Education and Unity) and AFN (New Families). 
Msgr. Zani’s speech focussed mainly on the generation gap, the split between cultures, values and ideals, provoked even by the digital revolution, an extraordinary potential but often disorientating. The infosphere era, the developments in information and communication technologies are causing a change in answers to fundamental questions. In the face of such a scenario, what does Pope Francis propose? If we look at the past, we realise that education was a community task, a relational sharing. Networking, a 365 degrees dialogue among all educational agencies are key remedies that can contribute to overcome this challenge. In fact, to educate is not to remain fixed in one’s own securities, and it is neither abbandoning oneself only to challenges, but it is holding on to values and confronting one’s own views with other realities. Msgr. Zani emphasised that one of these dimensions is transcendency, the relationship with God. We are invited to build relationships, to be of service to others, to propose a kind of knowledge which is not selective but relational, one which tends to include, to re-establish the basic principles for an “educational pact”. This pact has to allot the space needed by those responsible for all educational, social activity to build a harmonious relationship among family, school, educational and civil institutions and culture. Thus, if we want to be able to answer to the challenge launched by the Pope, we definitely need to re-establish this alliance. It is precisely to relaunch the commitment towards rebuilding this educational pact that Pope Francis has entrusted the Congregation for Catholic Education with the task of promoting an international event that will be held in Rome on October 4, 2019. Msgr. Zani said: “We need to accompany men and women of the third millennium, especially the young ones, to discover the principle of fraternity, that underlies the whole reality. The significance of this principle is becoming more evident owing to planetary interdependence and the common destiny of mankind. The Pope will be proposing a “Magna charta” of principles and objectives signed by him and by others in authority that represent various vital and institutional sectors in the world. It is intended as a commitment to be accomplished through concrete projects at all levels in the field of education. Rebuilding the educational pact at a global level, educating towards universal brotherhood, means recomposing the state of social relationships damaged by individual selfishness and collective greed, while focusing on mutual respect and love to transform and improve personal and social life. Pope Francis insists that if we want to change the world we need to change education”.
Patrizia Mazzola
New relationships can be built in families or at workplaces by sharing what we have and what we are. A change of gift Our wedding anniversary was approaching, and our children were preparing a surprise for us.We have been married for 46 years and we have five children.Two days before celebrating our wedding anniversary, my husband and I were given tickets for a holiday in a hotel which our children paid for us. We were thrilled by this. However, a few minutes later the telephone rang: it was a lady I know, who sounded very sad when she shared the news that a seriously ill person needed an urgent operation but had no money to pay for it. The amount needed was precisely that of the tickets for our holiday. We didn’t think twice about giving up our holiday to help this person. The surgery took place on the same day of our anniversary. It was a success and this person is now doing well. (A. – Angola) Doing my best to keep the business going I work in the administration of a healthcare facility that in recent years has been facing financial problems. The working relationship between the managing directors has been quite a difficult one, and no one bothered to listen when I drew attention and suggested reviewing the company’s accounts. One day I felt I could no longer remain silent when faced with such mismanagement and the exorbitant fees paid to various professionals employed by our company. I spoke to one of the partners with whom I have a very trustworthy relationship and we agreed about asking for serious professional advice. This led to some small improvement, and my head of department, who was adamant about closing down the business, decided to keep it going for another year of trial. The first financial tests revealed that we employed more staff than what we could afford, so it was decided to dismiss one employee and give part-time work to another. I proposed reduced hours of work for everyone rather than losing one’s job. My proposal was accepted. There are still a number of problems, but I try to make myself available even from home to listen to everyone, to share with my colleagues their uncertainties and fears, especially the fear of losing their job. (R. G. – Italia) I started from the block of flats where I live “One Saturday afternoon I went down to the entrance hall of the block of flats where I live and placed carefully on a small table all the things that I managed to collect from my room”, related G. who is 7 years old. Some days before, G. looked for comics, magazines and shells she collected because she wanted to set up a stall to sell things to her neighbours. She continued: “I have also written a small note inviting families who live in the same block of flats to give me some of their precious time and visit my stall. For about two hours I welcomed my visitors to the stall and explained to them that the money from my sale would go towards helping some of the poorest children who are my age”. Many bought various items and she managed to collect quite a good sum of money which was contributed towards a solidarity project. (G.- Italia)
Focolare communities are among those struck by cyclone and floods in South East Africa Last week Cyclone Idai hit South East Africa bringing devastating floods to central Mozambique, as well as neighbouring countries. We are in contact with Focolare members living around Beira and Chimoio, including a team who run a mission for around 500 people. It comprises a hospital, a school, two colleges and the Fazenda da Esperança rehabilitation centre. At the moment, the entire mission compound is completely under water, cut off without drinking water, light or access to food. Fortunately none of the residents were killed by the cyclone, but many in the surrounding areas have died. Caritas and the local authorities are working to reach such isolated areas to supply food and other essentials. But an even greater challenge is about to emerge once the waters subside. According to Beira’s Bishop Dalla Zuanna: “We’ll have to start rebuilding when the emergency lights have been switched off.” The Focolare Movement’s international Emergency Coordination team has mobilized to gather funds and to support the local population as it struggles to recover. Contributions can be made through one of the following: Azione per un Mondo Unito ONLUS (AMU) IBAN: IT58 S050 1803 2000 0001 1204 344 Banca Popolare Etica BIC: CCRTIT2T Emergenza Mozambico Or: Azione per Famiglie Nuove ONLUS (AFN) IBAN: IT55 K033 5901 6001 0000 0001 060 presso Banca Prossima Codice SWIFT/BIC: BCITITMX Emergenza Mozambico
That your child has a behavioural disorder is not what any parent wants to hear. But, as this family has discovered, it can be a catalyst to deeper listening and to accompany your child with perseverance and self-giving. ‘Growth through living our child’s difficulties together as a family.’ This is the approach taken by Natalija and Damijan Obadic from Slovenia, married for 14 years with four children. Their youngest, Lovro, now aged six, was diagnosed three years ago with Attention Deficit Disorder. He was offered drugs and the standard treatments as the only options. However his parents are experiencing the effective contribution which relationships can make to his care, enabling his treatment to be more effective. This approach sometimes throws up surprising solutions. But there is no quick-fix. Every day is a fresh challenge. The unity of the family members and their union with God is what sustains their daily efforts. Natalija, how did you react to the news that your child suffers from Attention Deficiency? I’m a teacher, so I immediately thought of the children I’ve worked with who had this disorder and the many problems they faced. Immediately, that same day, Damijan and I understood that the best way of loving Lovro in his condition was for one of us to leave our job. We had a mortgage to repay and only modest salaries, so it was going to be a sacrifice. But we knew that helping to meet Lovro’s needs would require a lot of love, time and energy. It was hard, and risky for our family situation, but at the same time we were sure that God’s love for us would sustain us. What is this experience with Lovro teaching you? We’ve learned how to listen to him very attentively. When you ask him to do something, you have to check if he has really understood what you’ve said, then follow him as he does it and keep directing him back to what he’s meant to be doing. If not, he will constantly revert to playing. For him to complete a task is equivalent to climbing a high mountain. It appears too steep to him, so he rebels and refuses to do it. Sometimes, it will lead to a crisis, with uncontrollable shouting, throwing things around, kicking and punching. In these moments, calmly and gently you need to find the way to redirect him to what he’s supposed to be doing. We’ve learnt that our love for one another gives us the capacity to help him, and that our love for Lovro guides us to understand what to do for him. How do you deal with the difficulties of daily life? We pray with him every day, asking for the strength for him to overcome his difficulties. He’s aware he has this disorder, so that is a big step towards dealing with it. We rely on the love among us to help us follow the specialist’s directives well. Most of all, we’ve understood that Lovro must feel our unconditional love for him at all times. Your other children are involved in taking “special care” of Lovro. What is their relationship like? We’ve spoken with our other children about Lovro’s needs, what we can expect from him and how to keep on helping him in the right way. Because it’s such an all-consuming commitment, we decided to take turns on different days of the week. We encourage the children not to “take pity” when they ask Lovro to complete a task, because they have to help him learn that he has duties which must be finished. They really are helping him. We began to see a difference after just three months. One evening we told him to put on his pyjamas and then come to sit down at the table. For the first time ever, he actually did so without getting distracted at all. That called for a real celebration!
Interview by Claudia Di Lorenzi
We are God’s children and can be like Him by loving, welcoming and knowing how to wait for the other as He does In the bank I work in a bank and have always tried to be someone who builds and maintains unity between my colleagues, so it really hurt me one day to discover that one of my colleagues was using me to make his boss look bad. In church that evening I promised myself I would chase away every negative thought towards this colleague and welcome him as I always had. Later on, he announced his resignation having found another job. As he said goodbye he thanked me for having always been a friend to him. I really hadn’t expected this but was happy to know that my efforts had not been wasted. (F.S – Switzerland) A mature faith My husband’s memory is getting worse every day and he is finding it more and more difficult to do things. I too am finding it difficult to bend over and pick things up. There must be more to life than this I thought. When I heard Pope Francis talking to young people about the elderly, my hope was restored and had a new strength to deal with the difficulties of ageing and illness. I had always rejected faith as a remedy for every difficulty. It has taken me a lifetime to arrive at a more mature faith. (F.Z. – Poland) Two precious hours It was my turn to volunteer in the hospital today, but it was raining, and I was tired. Basically, I’m 62 years old and suffer from arthritis but thinking of all the sick people in hospital I decided to go anyway. When I arrived at the hospital, I met a patient who was depressed, undressed, paralyzed with no one to look after him. I spent two hours with him and really tried to give my life for him. And to think how useless I was feeling yesterday when I looked back on my day! (M – Italy) Alone When my husband died after just 4 years of marriage, I asked myself – how will manage to bring up my children alone? I found the answer in the Word of God, the Father of all. I just needed to live it. I experienced it so often, especially as the children got older and the problems started to become more complicated – deciding which school to go to, friends, leisure activities … There are moments when I feel the same desolation as so many other people who like me are bringing up a family on their own but as I continue to believe in the love of God, I feel great peace again which enables me to start a new dialogue with my children and discuss even the most delicate subjects. (I.C. – Italy)
The story of Marco Bertolini, a social and health educator in the province of Rome. “Even teachers have something to learn from students. It is possible to convert difficulties into opportunities.” Diagnosed when he was still young, polio did not turn out to be Marco Bertolini’s prison from which to scream out his anger at the world. Instead it became an opportunity to reflect on the richness of life and the potential within his “condition” to help many “problem” children discover their beauty and human dignity. Meeting young people from the Focolare came at a decisive moment for him. Today Marco, 59, husband and father of two, works as a social and health educator in a small hamlet in a suburb of Rome. We met with him at the recent EduxEdu education conference at the Mariapolis Center in Castelgandolfo (Italy). Marco, your story is about a difficulty transformed into an opportunity. What brought on this development? Ever since a child, I was all too aware of how different I was physically. While my sisters and friends lived at home with their families, I boarded at school. This made me angry at those who I felt were luckier than I was. I sought out conflict and tested my parents to see if they truly loved me. Then there was a turning point when I was 20. I was searching for some meaning to give to my life when I met young people from Focolare who lived the Gospel, were united and respected each other. In my small hamlet in the suburbs of Rome I had been up to all sorts of things and did not have a good reputation, yet they accepted me as I was. This made me feel like a person, and they did not look at my defects. They explained to me that they tried to love their neighbour, like the Gospel says. I was sceptical at first, thinking that the Gospel may be a good thing, but in life you need to fight for what you want. And yet, little by little, they showed me that living the Gospel is possible and can change your life. How did you become a teacher? At first I studied theology. I discovered a relationship with God and wondered whether I was called to be a priest. I entered the seminary and got involved in a number of services they offered. In Rome I collaborated with Caritas, and at the centre I mostly took care of the homeless. There I understood that my path in life was social work. I felt particularly strongly about the kids. I wanted to share with them the gift that I had received with I met the Focolare young people, so that they too could discover the deep value of life. I left the seminary and started my studies in social work and education. The approach to “problem children” seems to always be to “contain” them. Yet it’s challenging to understand the hurt that they carry – how do you take it on? Children should not be contained but listened to and understood. The approach I use is the same that God did with me: he accepted me just as I was. And so before anything else, I take them in as they are, with their language, without wanting to change anything about them, but understanding that it’s an opportunity to care for them. I begin from my experience with God and from what they’re feeling. The kids can be helped when they buy in to an idea to live differently. It’s a bit like establishing an “educative pact” with them. Can you tell us a related experience of yours? For years I’ve been part of a team that organises a working camp called “Stop’n’Go”, where teens are given an opportunity to train in the spirituality of unity. I remember a teen mother aged 19 who had a painful story. Her attitude alternated between that of an adult and a child. We asked ourselves if her presence there would be productive for her and the others. We decided to make a deal with her: she could take a turn going out with one of us adults if she respected the rules of the camp and participated in the activities. She accepted, and there was some competition among the team as to who could make her feel most welcome and not judged. I experienced how even teachers have something to learn from students. It is possible to convert difficulties into opportunities.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Exploring six themes in six years, starting with the field of “economy, work and communion” The idea of a united world is a most challenging goal, but not an impossible one if approached from many different angles. This is the mindset of the new generations of the Focolare Movement. Chiara Lubich encouraged them to embark upon the many “pathways” which could lead to a more united world, deepening their knowledge along the way in order to achieve this ambitious objective. Taking inspiration from her, they have launched what has become known as “Pathways for a United World”: a six-year rolling program exploring and acting on six big issues, one each year. Over the coming months, this platform will share life experiences on the first of these themes: economy, work and communion. 
Giving away what we don’t need – When we got married, we decided as a couple every year to share with others anything we owned that we were not using. In fact, we started doing this even when preparing our wedding and we received many gifts, including financial help. Together, we decided to make a donation to support children in need in East Timor, through an organization run by the priest who married us. We were astonished to see how, once having given this money away, afterwards we received exactly ten times the amount we had given! Also we have made a commitment every year to give a part of our income to contribute to the “communion of goods” lived by the members of the Focolare Movement. This time, the very same morning that I transferred the money, I received a gift of a beautiful coat. It’s stylish, exactly to my taste … and my measure! (S. & C. Italy) A child’s empty pocket – G. is five years old and lives in Aleppo, Syria. When she heard that a group of Focolare young people were going to visit and take food to a convent which cares for old people, she wanted to be part of it. However, the day before the visit, she fell ill and had to go to the doctor. During the appointment, she told the doctor all about the plan and asked her: “Doctor, tomorrow with my family, I want to go and visit the home for old people. I’ve already shared all the pocket money I had saved. Can I go?” The doctor replied, “Yes, you are well enough to go. But I will also give you back your medical fee, because I too want to take part in your initiative!” (G. Syria) Mobilizing a community – Many people I know are struggling to manage even the basic necessities. I felt I had to respond in some way. But how? I started talking about this problem with my colleagues at work, and spontaneously many of them began sharing. They gave me lots of items which I then distributed to families in need. As word spread, more things were given to me, so I needed more space and some help! One couple offered me the use of a shop. Another colleague – actually someone with very different ideas and beliefs to my own – joined with two more friends to offer their time to the initiative. One month later, the “Community Bazaar” was launched, in the presence of the Head of Social Services and several Regional Councillors. We soon found ourselves forming a network with the city’s social institutions, and were able to draw up a mailing list to link up people who have something to give with people who have a specific need. Since then, we find ourselves welcoming collaborators and contributions of all kinds, both from individuals and businesses. The Bazaar has also turned into a hub for people looking to find a way to be useful in society. One day I asked one of my colleagues to accompany me because I needed to go and find a washing machine urgently for a social laundry project. Afterwards she told me, “This is the first time I end the year doing something for others. And I feel so happy. Thank you for letting me know about this initiative!” (M.D.A.R. – Portugal)
The teens for unity of the Focolare Movement and the members of Prophetic Economy support «FridaysForFuture», the global initiative for environmental protection promoted by Greta Thunberg This morning in the garden of the international headquarters of the Focolare Movement in Rocca di Papa (Italy), Focolare President Maria Voce and co president Jesús Morán planted a tree (live facebook of the event) in support of the international initiative #FridaysForFuture promoted by Greta Thunberg. Greta is a sixteen year old from Sweden who has recently become a symbol of environmental activism. The world first began to notice Greta when she decided to go on strike from attending school every Friday morning at the beginning of the Northern Hemisphere’s school year last September. Her strategy was to sit in front of the Stockholm Parliament with her home made sign that said “School Strike for Climate.” She went there to protest against the failure of political leaders to take a position on what is happening to the environment. Then in late January, in the town of Davos in Switzerland, Greta became the focus of the world’s media when she spoke in front of the world’s business leaders, political leaders, economists, celebrities and journalists at the World Economic Forum. “You are destroying my future! I don’t want you to hope, I want to see you in panic,” she told them. The Teens for the Unity of the Focolare Movement, together with the groups involved in Prophetic Economy, have decided to join the international initiative scheduled for today, Friday March 15th 2019. Their goal is to demand that international conventions to safeguard the planet are respected, and that world leaders stop just talking and start acting decisively. “The positions taken by many politicians show that the top-down approach is not enough,” explains Luca Fiorani, the coordinator of EcoOne, the international Focolare network for those who work in the fields of ecology and sustainability. The UN’s major international climate conferences demonstrate how difficult it is to make decisions together about how to combat global warming. So this is where the bottom-up approaches come into play – where the people put pressure on those in power to make effective decisions to avoid climate change. These initiatives of the young people are vitally important because they are the ones who will suffer the most from the effects of climate change in the future. That’s why it’s important that these young people act globally – so they can stir up the consciences of everyone around the world. If we don’t act now, within 20 or 30 years it may be too late. Pope Francis often reminds us of this. His 2019 message for Lent is focused on ecological conversion. He encourages us to pray, fast and give alms, but always with care for creation in mind. So, too, the commitment of the Focolare children and young people to reach the “Zero Hunger” goal heads in the same direction as Greta Thunberg’s initiative.
Lorenzo Russo
Eleven years after the death of the foundress of the Focolare Movement events are taking place all over the world to remember her. In Rome, Cardinal Rylko celebrated a Mass in the presence of Maria Voce and Jesús Morán attended by many of Chiara’s “people” as well as many civil and religious authorities and friends of the Focolare. She was the initiator of new ways of living the Christian life, a woman with a profound “Marian” identity who had consecrated herself totally to God which is why God entrusted her with a gift for the Church and the world: the charism of unity. These, in brief, are the cornerstones of the life of Chiara and the Focolare Movement which Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko – former Secretary and President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity – highlighted at the Mass which was celebrated on 14 March in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome’s oldest Marian shrine, on the occasion of the eleventh anniversary of Chiara Lubich’s death. 
As well as the President of the Focolare Maria Voce, the Co-President Jesús Morán and a large group of “Chiara’s people “, civil and religious representatives from the diplomatic world and various Christian movements were present. It was a varied assembly which seemed to embrace humanity just as Chiara did. “How often did you hear Chiara say these words”, recalled Cardinal Rylko, “what counts is love. It is love that makes the world move forward, so if someone also has a mission to carry out it is all the more fruitful the more it is imbued with love”. “The challenges we face today collectively and as individuals are no less significant than those Chiara had to face when she started out”, said a girl who has just got to know the Focolare. Nothing is more relevant than her message of unity today and her vision of a world which with its diversity and its contradictions can go ahead united even in the midst of polarizations that seem to be tearing our relationships apart. In the words of Cardinal Rylko, one could sense the fraternal friendship he shared for many years 
with the foundress of the Focolare – “We travelled a long stretch of road together” – and his deep awareness of the gift that God had given her. “In the life of a Movement, it is very important to remember its origins,” he stressed. “Just as water is always clearer at the source, the beginning of a charism always presents itself in all of its fascinating beauty and newness. This is how the Movement can better discover its identity. Your most profound identity is contained in the very name of your Movement: the Work of Mary. A special presence of Mary has accompanied you right from the start. This Marian dimension characterizes the whole of your missionary commitment in the world. Pope Francis often speaks of a ‘Marian style of evangelization’ as the one best suited to our times”. He then defined the Focolare people as a “new generation” of men and women, young people and new families who are all in love with the love of God and the ideal of unity. At the end of the celebration, as she thanked all those present, Maria Voce announced that the year dedicated to the centenary of the birth of Chiara Lubich would begin on 7 December. In fact, 2020 will be marked by numerous initiatives and events of various kinds aimed at “celebrating and encountering” Chiara, as the motto of the centenary goes. As the President of the Focolare said, “We would like to celebrate the wave of new and universal life that the charism of unity has brought to our own personal stories and those of many peoples and cultures. We want to do this by giving as many people as possible all over the world the opportunity to ‘meet’ Chiara today so as to get to know her as a person and rediscover the relevance of her charism and the vision she had of the world as a family of brothers and sisters. It is a vision which goes against the current in this age of resurgent individualism and sovereignty. I am sure that a personal and collective encounter with Chiara will continue to inspire people, ideas and projects animated by the spirit of unity.” Celebrations will begin in Chiara’s hometown of Trent, on 7 December this year with the inauguration of a large multimedia exhibition dedicated to Chiara which will also be replicated in various capitals around the world. Groups of people will be visiting Trent throughout the year to learn more about Chiara and her spiritual heritage. During the year, in and around Rome there will be various events giving people the chance to discover the life and work of Chiara in everyday life from the house where she lived to the chapel at the Centre of the Movement where she was laid to rest.
Stefania Tanesini
We have to admit that eleven years after her death, and as we approach the centenary of her birth in 2020, Chiara Lubich is someone yet to be fully discovered. The best way to reach into the depths of her soul and understand the abundance of light, joy, and fruits that characterised her life, is to see her as she herself wished to be remembered: “the spouse of Jesus forsaken”, the spouse of Jesus on the cross who felt forsaken even by God. Chiara herself said this in one of the monthly conference calls in which she gathered together the focolare communities around the world as one global family. “I would like to be remembered solely as the spouse of Jesus forsaken” . She added: “The fact that it might be possible to define my life in this way (may God help me!) seemed wonderful to me, even though it is so high and even though it is still ‘what I must become’. Yet I perceived it as my vocation”. History and the Church will decide whether Chiara was right and if she reached this goal, but many signs tell us that her “marriage with Jesus forsaken” was the golden thread woven through her entire life and that gave it meaning.
Watercolor by Annemarie Baumgarten
Michel Vandeleene
A whole town and its Mayor responded to the tragedy of a mother killed by her husband by mobilizing to take care of the children and inventing “Citizens’ Adoption”. It was an act that made the Italian town a winner of the 2019 Chiara Lubich Prize for Fraternity. Alghero is a small town in Sardinia with historical Catalan roots. Here the tragic news of the murder of Michela Fiori, a forty-year-old mother of two children who was killed by her husband, set in motion the generosity and solidarity of an entire community, together with its Mayor, Mario Bruno. In the aftermath of Michela’s death, the Mayor’s phone never stopped ringing. Everyone wanted to do something for her children: from the school bus driver who said he would accompany them to school to the manager of a club that offered to organize their birthday parties. “On Christmas Day I saw the city embrace the children – the Mayor explained. About four thousand people went in procession to Michela’s house. There I felt I had to make a promise: ‘I will take care of your children’. Then it became, ‘We will take care of your children’.” Generosity on the part of so many people led to the idea whereby the Mayor established a “Citizens’ Adoption”. It was an administrative act that, besides expressing solidarity, put the tragic phenomenon of femicide in the spotlight. The “Citizens’ Adoption” means that the 44,000 inhabitants of the town will take care of the two children through a support fund. It will be possible to make donations until the boys are twenty years old, or twenty-six if they decide to go to university. The first donation was from the town council, followed by over 300 citizens. The boys, who now live with their grandmother in Genoa, as decided by the Juvenile Court, appreciate this beautiful gesture. They thanked the Mayor with the simplicity that only children have: they drew a picture of a heart with the name of the Mayor written on it and words that deeply touched the community: “Thank you for everything.” A story of this kind could not go unnoticed by the Jury of the Chiara Lubich Prize for Fraternity. The award is given to local councils that develop effective and concrete projects or community initiatives promoting solidarity. And this is why Alghero won the tenth annual prize. But … the story continues. On 7 April 2019, the Mayor of Alghero will be in Turin, in northern Italy, to keep a promise he made. A few days after the tragedy the elder boy [aged 12] said to the Mayor: “Mum promised to take me to the football match at the stadium on my birthday, April 7th. Now that she’s gone, who will take me?” Mario Bruno’s immediate answer was “I will”. And so it will be. In fact, Giovanni Malagò, president of the Italian National Olympic Committee, has already phoned the Mayor assuring him that he will provide tickets for the Juventus-Milan match. The boys will also be able to see their favourite player, Ronaldo, who has said he will be available to meet them. Of course, for the children, the Mayor is just their friend Mario. Once a shop assistant asked for their documents when he was making a payment and they exclaimed, “But doesn’t she know you’re the Mayor”?
Paolo De Maina
Mercy is a love that fills the heart. It can then be poured out for others in society around us, whether neighbours or strangers. Traveling companion I was in prison for 19 months, guilty of having added elements to the wines I was marketing. Inside, however, with the help of a priest and some people who would come and volunteer, I was able to reflect and discover a different God than the one I had been taught about. I faced this trial with a renewed soul and began to experience true freedom, which is within and comes from loving our neighbour. The relationship with my wife changed and I was even reconciled with my in-laws. Not just that: I felt ready to forgive my partner, who was also responsible for perpetuating the fraud. Now that I have served my time, even if the future looks full of uncertainty, I know that God the Father is my traveling companion. (Javier, Argentina) Words of light My wife and I were alternating between outbursts and endless silences, with both of us hurting, as well as our children. Even though some friends tried to help, each of us remained firm in our position, and it seemed the marriage was ending. Blinded by anger, I had gotten to the point of thinking that it would be better to leave or even end it for good. Luckily, in that hell, some of the words that had once enlightened me came to mind: words of forgiveness, of love. As a Christian I was truly off track! During a good half of a sleepless night spent fighting back my pride, I woke my wife to ask her to help me humbly remember the happy moments that we had shared. We embraced and asked each other for forgiveness. (A husband in Africa) Rain One evening I felt quite tired and I would have liked to say to the kids to go to their rooms to say their prayers on their own, since I wanted to go to bed right away. But John, our oldest son, proposed that we say the rosary together to ask for rain – it had not rained for some time and our corn and potato crops were at risk. So we prayed together. To my surprise, that same night it started to rain and continued through the afternoon the following day. (B. M., Uganda) In the hospital An extremely poor woman, a mother who had been in the hospital for many months, needed help to eat, but the staff could not do this as well as all their other work. We let all our parish friends know, and one at a time we went to help her. Despite the situation seeming endless, she improved a bit, began responding to medicines and smiled. When the person she shared a room with died, in their will they left her a small sum to help her family. Love is contagious… (C. C., Spain)
Peace can be built in a thousand different ways. Sometimes you also need places in which to meet – a place for dialogue, spirituality, study and formation. The Focolare’s project for Jerusalem. https://vimeo.com/319521770
Located on the border between the Jewish and Arab sections of Jerusalem, it will be a place of spirituality, study, dialogue and formation for the Holy City and for the whole world. A French historian once wrote that Jerusalem does not belong to Jerusalem, because it is a city of the world, a city where people of the whole world meet, again and again, face to face, to confront each other and to challenge each other. It is a place where some seek to practise peaceful cohabitation – while others seek war, where some strive to spread a sense of common belonging – while others try to spread hatred. In fact, it is easy to give in to the temptation to see only what the almost daily news reports tell us about the Holy City – about the violence between the Jews and the Palestinians and the unending struggle of the Christians… But is this all there is to Jerusalem? Is there still room for hope and for the prophetic role this city has for the entire world? Chiara Lubich was always convinced that there is room for hope. She went to the Holy Land for the first time in 1956 and among the holy places she visited, there was one in particular that moved her. It’s called the “Scaletta,” and it refers to the ancient Roman white stone steps, just outside the walls of the old city, next to the church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu. According to tradition, Jesus walked along those steps in the evening after the Last Supper, on his way to the garden of Gethsemane. Also according to tradition, it was on those very stones that he uttered his prayer for unity: “Father that all may be one…” Here is how Chiara Lubich described the strong impression this place had on her. In her diary she wrote: “It was here that their Teacher, whose hour of death was drawing near, prayed to the Father. His heart was full of tenderness for his disciples, who had, yes, been chosen by Heaven, but who were still weak and without understanding. Jesus prayed to the Father in his own name and in the name of all those for whom he had come and for whom he was ready to die: “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one” (Jn 17:11 NRSV). There he called upon the Father to make us his children, even though we were far from him through our own fault, and to make us brothers and sisters, in the strongest unity, that which is divine.”[1] From that moment, it was Chiara’s desire that a centre for dialogue and unity could one day be born on this tiny piece of land. In the 1980’s there came an important turn of events. A plot of land adjacent to the Roman steps became available. Slowly the project advanced and approval was granted in 2016. Recently the excavations for the building works have been carried out. The future “Centre for Unity and Peace” received a precise mandate from Chiara: it is to be a place of spirituality, study, dialogue and formation. It is to be a place open to people of different ages, cultures, beliefs and backgrounds. It must foster encounters and opportunities to learn about others and so promote authentic relationships. Another decisive moment came in February 2019, when Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement, placed a small medal of Our Lady into the soil as an important initial sign for the construction of this centre. The project is to be a multi-purpose structure, suitable for hosting events and initiatives of various kinds at both local and international levels. It is now possible to contribute in various ways to support the construction of the centre. Click here for all the necessary information.
Stefania Tanesini
[1] Chiara Lubich, Scritti Spirituali/1: L’attrattiva del tempo moderno, Citta Nuova Editrice, p.172-179
Pierre-Andre Blanc’s death has been defined “a mystery” and “a shock” by many people. Pierre was a Swiss focolarino who died after a period of deep depression. Those who knew him, however, are sure that he found peace in that God-Love to whom he gave convincing witness in many different situations. “Your departure, Pierre-André, was too sudden for us. But your word of life, taken from the book of Isaiah (43:1) ‘I have called you by name: you are mine’ gives us an intuition of the love with which we think God welcomed you into paradise.” These words concluded the address given by Denise Roth and Markus Näf, jointly responsible for the focolare town of Montet, Switzerland, at Pierre-André Blanc’s funeral. They summarized the conflicting feelings of many of those present: on the one hand, an indescribable perplexity about his death and, on the other, trust and, indeed, the certainty that he has found true life. Fifth of six children, Pierre-André was born on April 2 1962 in Sion, Switzerland and grew up in Ayent, a small village in the Valais. His family was always very loving. He trained as a specialist educator and later completed theological studies. In 1980, he went to the Genfest in Rome, an international youth event organised by the Focolare Movement and it was there that he first came into contact with the spirituality of the Movement. He was impressed “by the quality of the relationships between people and by the joy that was evident on their faces” as he would later write. When he returned home, he began to allow the words of the gospel to impact upon his everyday life. He had been accustomed to “meeting” God when he was skiing during retreats in the mountains but he then discovered a new way of relating to God as he loved the people around him in concrete and practical ways. While attending a workshop on social issues, he suddenly and unexpectedly found himself in front of someone who spoke of his total donation to God. In Pierre-André a question arose: what if God were to call me to live like this person? He later wrote, “My fears of following God in a totalitarian way were not able to withstand his intervention in my life. I simply tried to show commitment in living the gospel and God did the rest. I understood how much he wanted my happiness and, above all, that in his eyes, I had enormous value. It seemed obvious to say yes to Jesus, to follow him where I felt he was calling me – to the focolare.” In 1989, he began his formation and preparation for a life of donation to God in the focolare. Those who knew him at this time describe him as sensitive to everything that “spoke” of God. They say that was able to grasp the essential in what was happening around him and in other people. At the end of the time of formation, Pierre-André entered the focolare in Geneva, Switzerland, and in 2006 he moved to the little town of Montet. For many years he made a valuable contribution to the life of the focolare community there, assisting other people in a variety of ways but always with generosity, practicality and discretion. In the professional field, he worked as an educator, first with children with physical disabilities and then with young people with learning difficulties. He always showed a deep capacity to be close to other people who were suffering. He had a fine sense of humour and, in everything he did, Pierre-André gave unreservedly of himself. At the end of May 2018, he showed the first symptoms of depression. He immediately received medical help but, after a month, he had to be admitted to a clinic. At a certain point he was able to return to Montet at weekends. In October 2018, he left the clinic and returned to the focolare whilst remaining under the care of a specialist doctor. At this time, the other focolarini were especially attentive to him, supporting and accompanying him during this phase of life. He was continuously in donation to others and it seemed that his condition was beginning to improve. However, in the end the disease was stronger and on November 28 it ended his life in a very sudden way. In spite of the shock, Pierre-André’s funeral was an expression of great gratitude from everyone for his life and for the delicate love he showed until the very end.
Joachim Schwind
This focolare little town in Switzerland has two schools for young people: one for the formation and training of focolarini and the other for young people who wish to deepen their understanding and experience of the spirituality of unity. Dialogue and exchange between generations and cultures are distinguishing features of life in Montet. Michael, a boy from Mali, described life in this little focolare town as follows, “It is a community that works together – body and soul – to show to the whole of humanity that diversity is not a fault or failure but a grace from God to unite the world.” He was a part of a group of thirty young people from thirteen different countries who followed a year long course of human, spiritual and professional formation. Gospel teachings and Chiara Lubich’s charism of unity underpinned this time of study, work and communitarian life during which people experienced that it is possible to build deep relationships with people of different ages, cultures, traditions and ways of thinking. 
Montet began in 1981 and is situated in a peaceful location, surrounded by green hills and three beautiful lakes, Bienne, Morat and Neuchatel. It is extremely international: its population of about one hundred people comes from thirty-five different countries. About half are young people who stay for a year and the other half are adults who live there permanently and guarantee the continuity of the life of the little town. It is a meeting place for people from five continents, coming from different cultures, religions, Christian Churches and of all generations. It was in Switzerland in the 1960’s that Chiara Lubich first began to envisage and understand what would eventually become the focolare little towns. There are now twenty- five in the world and they are places of witness to the unity of the entire human family. “In Einsiedeln, looking down from the hillside at the basilica and the surrounding area, I understood that the Movement should have a town but that it should not have an abbey and guesthouses but should be made up of homes, work places, and schools like ordinary towns.” There are two formation schools for young people in Montet. One is for the focolarini who are preparing for consecrated life and the other is for young people who want to spend a year living in community and are searching for their vocation. Alejandro from Cuba said, “Being at the school in Montet with people from so many different countries is like the confirmation that, irrespective of our diversity, a united world is possible if we all want it. It means learning from each other every day and trying to build unity with love. It’s a marvellous adventure.” Andre from Brazil explained, “In the little town, young people can study ethics, sociology, theology, intercultural dialogue and deepen their understanding of the spirituality of unity. This study can form the basis of their attitudes in the work they do now but is also a preparation for professional life. It will help them show responsibility and consistency in all areas of society in the future.” He continued, “In addition, thanks to the respect between generations, you understand that no one is superior to anyone else but you are actually responsible for one another. As a consequence, older people become younger in their outlook on life and younger people become more responsible.” For Gloria from Argentina, the intercultural aspect – namely, dialogue, exchange and cultural enrichment – is the distinctive feature of the little town. “We have had to learn to do something really important with our diversity. It was difficult because it seemed that we couldn’t understand one another but by loving we came to a solution regarding practical matters and we understood one another in transcendent things. Living with other people has enabled me to discover the best in them but also what is really good in my own culture. I’ve discovered how important other people are in my life and I think we shouldn’t be afraid to open up and discover their ‘world.’” In Montet “there are the answers to the questions we ask every day” said Ivona from Serbia. The little town is “a gift from God.” And as Larissa left for Brazil, she said, “It is a multicultural, multigenerational family.”
Claudia Di Lorenzi
A Summer School offers its contribution through researchers and lecturers from nine American and European countries. Equality is one of the basic principles of democratic societies. Yet, discrimination persists in many countries of the world. We spoke about this with Paula Luengo Kanacri, a pyschologist and lecturer at the Catholic University of Chile, a scholar at the Research Centre for Conflict and Social Cohesion. You have been involved in the social exclusion issue for a number of years. What led you to become so interested? I would say it has been the history of my people and my own personal story. Chile is a country of 
great contrasts: substantial economic growth and considerable inequality. Then, my mother came from a rich family while my father’s family was a poor. I have experienced the pain of inequality. I studied pyschology, and when I met the youth of the Focolare Movement, I started to embrace the idea that a different world is possible. After my graduation, I began to nurture an interest in prosocial behaviour and empathy; both are a support to social inclusion. An experience with the homeless, in Rome, left a strong impact on me. I have touched the pain of many who are marginalized, not only through invisible situations but also through others that are made to be invisible. To understand the mechanisms that favour inclusion or deny it, one needs to look into its different perspectives, disciplines and lines of thought. This is what we tried to propose during the Summer School recently held in Chile. The theme was: “Human development for all: social sciences in dialogue for an inclusive society”. How did the idea of a Summer School come about? Student movements in Chile, active since 2011, managed to obtain a historical reform through which the most disadvantaged students are today granted free university education. But a more creative effort is also required from academics. The idea of the Summer School originated from the fact that I participate in “Psychology & Communion” and “Social One”, international networks of researchers and scholars in the fields of psychology and sociology, inspired by Chiara Lubich. The Research Centre for Conflict and Social Cohesion (COES) and the Catholic University of Chile supported the idea. Who participted? And how was it? 
The school brought together 67 young people and 21 professors involved in 8 different social subjects; they came from 9 American and European countries. Four Chilean civil society organizations participated as well. The four research lines we dealt with were: inclusion and fairness, inclusion and migration, inclusion and inequality, inclusion and violation of rights. We offered 8 workshops on survey techniques regarding the study on inclusion from a unitary point of view. Dialogue with civil society proved to be a very important item on our programme. More than half of our young participants presented research projects. We wanted the Summer School itself to be an experience of social inclusion, capable of initiating a dialogue that is scientifically oriented and that goes beyond polarization.The people who participated had different ideas and orientations, even politically. We tried to ensure that the different topics were not discussed polemically or in a polarized way; but we aimed at being together on the common path to social inclusion, thus leaving no space for discrimination and segregation of gender, race, ethnicity and class. An inclusive society needs responses that integrate the individual level with the micro, meso and macro social levels. During our next Summer School we would like to discuss the environment issue from the inclusion point of view.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
“A life for unity”: with this headline, the Schönstatt Movement announced the death of Fr Michael Johannes Marmann, their former Superior General, on the evening of 26 February 2019, at the age of 81. He has long been a key figure for this apostolic movement which had its beginnings in Germany in 1912. Michael Johannes Marmann was born in 1937 in Berlin, Germany, the oldest of three brothers. He studied Philosophy and Theology and was ordained in 1963 in Cologne. He then continued his studies in Tubinga and Ratisbona. Interestingly, in 1973 he completed his doctorate under the tutelage of a certain Professor Josef Ratzinger, who never lost contact with his student, even after becoming Pope Benedict. They continued to meet every year – often in recent years at the Focolare Mariapolis Centre in Castelgandolfo – to discuss current theological issues. At the time of his priestly ordination, Fr Marmann learned about the Schönstatt Movement and its founder, Fr Josef Kentenich, who at that time was living in exile in Milwaukee (USA) at the request of the ecclesial authorities. After a personal meeting with him, Fr Marmann decided to enter the Secular Institute of Schönstatt Fathers. He was appointed as a spiritual director for youth, and was later involved in pastoral work for priests, families and mothers. From 1983 to 1991 he was responsible for the Movement in Germany. In 1990 the Schönstatt Fathers elected him as their Superior General and Moderator of the Presiding Council. Fr Marmann’s service in these roles was characterized by his great openness to dialogue and his dedication to the quality of relationships both within the Movement and beyond. His commitment to strengthening the unity of the large and varied work founded by Fr Kentenich, led him naturally towards increased communion with other Movements, firstly within the Church in Germany and then most notably as part of the “Together for Europe” network. He was at the heart of those deep friendships and the spiritual unity which developed between representatives of different movements, including Helmut Niklas of YMCA in Munich, Germany, Andrea Riccardi of the Sant’Egidio Community and, of course Chiara Lubich. In her message of condolence, Maria Voce, Focolare Movement President, recalled the “significant steps on this journey”. One of these was the Alliance of love affirmed by Chiara Lubich, Andrea Riccardi and Fr Marmann in 1999 at the Schönstatt Shrine in front of Fr Kentenich’s tomb. Maria Voce said she was certain that “Mary, Mother Thrice Admirable, will have accompanied Fr Marmann to the joyful encounter with Christ in his reign of peace”.
Joachim Schwind
In our personal and social lives we can find ourselves in an atmosphere of growing hostility and competition. As Christians we can go against this current by initiating attempts to rebuild damaged or broken relationships. Separation After two years of marriage, our daughter and her husband decided to separate. We welcomed her back into our home. In moments of tension we tried to keep calm. With forgiveness and understanding in our hearts, we tried to maintain a relationship of openness towards her and towards her husband. We especially tried not to make judgments about anyone. After three months of continuous listening, discreet help and many prayers, they got back together – with new awareness, trust and hope. (M.L. – Malta) As a sign of forgiveness I thought I had always done my duty as a Christian, as mayor of my town and as a father. When, however, my 33-year-old son, the father of two young children, was killed during a robbery, I rebelled against God. Why had all this happened? Later, I started on a journey of true conversion, during which I understood that God himself had given his Son out of love for us. Five years later the trial began. In the courtroom I avoided even looking at the defendants. Unexpectedly, I met the eyes of the youngest of the killers. I approached him. I held out my hand to shake his, as a sign of forgiveness. (C.S. – Italy) New atmosphere in the department I am the manager of a company department and at the end of the year I have to do annual reviews of my employees. One employee had not given me much information for her evaluation, so I asked her to come in for an interview. Thanks to this, I discovered that I knew hardly anything about her. This meeting opened my eyes. It prompted me to change things, to promote various initiatives to show that we appreciate our employees – by celebrating their birthdays, and by organising parties with their families. Not only has the atmosphere in the department improved, but the output has also increased. (M.T. – Hungary) The ball We have two very lively children. One morning I saw Nathan crying and Claire holding his ball. I immediately took it and gave it back to him. Nathan stopped crying, but Claire started to cry. So I took her aside to explain to her that Jesus taught us to love and to share. Even though she is still a child, she understood and let her little brother keep the ball. There have been many situations in which I was just about to punish her, but instead I managed to find love and patience within me. Now she is always ready to help me. (J.N.J. – Philippines)
The image of a country saturated by political and ideological conflicts, widely portrayed in Brazilian media in general, tends to hide the reality of those who act for the common good. Through dialogue and tangible acts of solidarity, they are able to take on diverging opinions. Though marked by strong political and ideological polarization, Brazil is silently growing seeds of a society that is renewed and open to dialogue, solidarity, and moving towards building relationships of fraternity. This is occurring in political spheres, as well as in civil and cultural ones as well. After having covered ventures put forward by various organisations, religious or not, to promote political reflection built on dialogue – a response to the growing question of the new culture of participatory democracy – we now want to put the spotlight on the commitment of many in the field of solidarity and volunteering. Typically, political action is guided by a sense of solidarity with those who suffer. In 2016, the government of the State of Rio de Janeiro began delaying its paying public servants’ salaries. Beyond the struggles in court and the numerous political protests against such measures, a network of solidarity has arisen since then supporting those workers and their families, who suffered the most because of the situation. These gestures, both by individuals and groups, multiplied throughout the state. To help the families in difficulty, an array of organisations mobilised to collect funds, make food baskets, buy medicines and cover other elementary needs. The archdiocese and other Catholic dioceses of Rio de Janeiro, like other churches and Christian communities, worked in collaboration with Muspe, the Movimento Unficado dos Servidores Publicos Estaduais. A similar situation saw close to 40 Brazilian civil and religious agencies work together to take in refugees, mostly from Venezuela. Some of these agencies carried out emergency actions (providing food, medicine, medical and psychological help), while others helped refugees obtain Brazilian residency by preparing the necessary documentation, Portugese language courses, housing and employment. These agencies were especially active in the border region between the two countries, as well as other areas where refugee families were sent in an attempt to offer them better housing and employment opportunities. Projects of this type reflect the hopes of many Brazilians to continually reach those most in need of help. Perhaps it is this urge that supports the data from the “Other Forms of Work” survey, which was carried out in 2017 and recently published by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). According to the study, 7.4 million people volunteered that year, the equivalent of 4.4% of the 14-and-older population. The researchers define “volunteer” as any non-obligatory work that is carried out at least an hour a week, without receiving any compensation or benefit in exchange, by people who do not live in the same family and are not their family. According to this research, volunteers in Brazil are typically women who, in addition to their volunteer work, have their professional and domestic work as well. Another example that comes from the Focolare Movement is Milonga, a programme that joins non-governmental organisations, who carry out social work in seven towns, with young people who want to combine their training with volunteering, giving their time and talent. As of October 2018, 75 volunteers with the project have worked in 19 organisations in Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Paraguay, Venezuela, Uruguay, Kenya and Jordan. “I learned that the essence of life is not having, but being. Sometimes we are full of many things, but what truly counts are those things that remain for eternity in the present moment,” said Rarison Gomes, 30, originally from Manaus. The experience of volunteering coincides with young people taking up key roles, a trend that is growing among Brazilian teens who hope to progress from political deliberation to action. One significant example is the experience of the Coletivo Juventude Campo Cidade, which began more than 10 years ago with a conversation among friends in the small town of Poço Redondo, in the state of Sergipe in Northeast Brazil. Some of these young people were already active in social movements in an area called Alto Sertão Sergipano. Spurred on by the election of 2008, these young people decided to create a political training programme for other young people in the area. Despite being without funds and having little support, the group organised a course with 11 steps that lasts a year and a half. At the beginning of the project there was clear awareness: what was needed was training and getting to know the situation in order to take on social action in the region. “There was this feeling of wanting to change society, and this grew at every stage of the course,” says Damião Rodrigues Souza, part of the group who came up with the idea. At the end of the first course, the young people concluded that the experience they had begun there needed to continue, based on three pillars: training, organisation, effort. The last of these pillars took shape within a series of projects that produced effective results. The course was included on a campus of a public federal university in the region. The young people themselves built a public theatre that can hold 200 people at Poço Redondo. The federal government donated a previously unused piece of land to be used by the young people to grow organic products. These and many other examples of dialogue and political participation are isolated and spread throughout Brazil’s more than 8 million square kilometres. But just like other tangible actions that build a more just and fraternal society, they bear witness to a picture that is much healthier than the simple political polarization that the greater part of Brazilian society is being led by. For those playing a key role in these actions, hope lies in their conviction that the examples and the real results are able to attract “followers” and to give strength to their role. It will be fundamental to unite people and favour the common good, beyond any political or ideological divide.
Luís Henrique Marques
The image of Brazil in the world today, partly thanks to the media, risks being a country saturated by political and ideological disagreements. Luís Henrique Marques, editor-in-chief at Cidade Nova magazine, shows us around Brazilian society, uncovering an often-unknown truth: many there act in favour of the common good. Going by what the commercial media broadcast each day, Brazil seems immersed in political and ideological polarization, much like other areas around the globe. But what the mainstream media does not show is that the situation in Brazil is not just made up of political or ideological conflicts. The quiet actions of many “pioneers” of this still-young, inexperienced democracy show that there is the potential to make political relationships a space to dialogue and a place to build up its citizenry. Cidade Nova magazine is one of the channels committed to covering this unknown side of the Brazilian situation, which is still a bit new and limited to isolated facts. Yet altogether, it shows a Brazil beyond the political and ideological divide. Space for dialogue To start we need to recognise that despite the crisis created by polarized positions in the political and ideological debate, many experts tend to see Brazil hopefully and optimistically. The main reason for this is that many Brazilian citizens are interested in understanding and discussing political questions and those relating to governing. They are convinced they need to take on their roles as citizens, fully knowing and participating when it comes to “public stuff”. “Dialogue groups”, as they’re called, have increased and multiplied. They have been promoted by parishes or Catholic pastoral groups, groups from other Christian churches and other religions (including ecumenical and interfaith projects), nongovernmental organisations, collectives and other organisations in civil society. The goal is to promote political reflection through dialogue and an exchange of experiences. This particularly increased during the second half of 2018, following the election cycle. These are small “islands”, yet they reflect the potential of Brazil’s citizens to participate in democracy. This is definitely the case for Focolare groups throughout the various areas of Brazil. Driven by a specific issue, young people and adults of various religious and political beliefs, and from a number of social backgrounds, began a discussion on the current political situation, its hurdles and possibilities. Many of these meetings went beyond the discussion about the electoral process and opened up to practical actions promoting politics that favour the local community. The “Citizenship School”, also promoted by Focolare, is an online course whose topics respond to the wider questions of a new culture of participatory democracy. The first block of lessons covers the subject of dialogue (focolares.org.br/escoladecidadania). Another project – the “Pact for Democracy” – came out of a collaboration between various civil organisations in Brazil, including the for Movement for Politics and Policies for Unity. It began with the aim to support pluralism, tolerance and coexistence in diversity throughout society, and works in three directions. Firstly, it reaffirms dialogue as a virtuous comparison of ideas. Secondly, it defends fair elections so that they can effectively represent citizens and restore the foundations of trust and validity to the political context. Thirdly, it aims to establish wide political reform at the end of the electoral process. Finally, the traditional “fraternity campaign”, which is promoted annually by the Brazilian bishops conference during Lent, has become a space to dialogue and promote real action in parish communities concerning religious, cultural, social, economic and political issues in Brazilian society. This year, the campaign proposes the faithful reflect on the theme of “public politics and fraternity”. (continues)
Luís Henrique Marques
