![Silvana Veronesi: in the beginnings with Chiara Lubich]()
Dec 2, 2015 | Non categorizzato
Silvana Veronesi has passed away at the age of 86. She was one of the close collaborators of the founder of the Focolare, Chiara Lubich. The news of her passing was communicated by Focolare president, Maria Voce, to the worldwide Focolare Movement: “We accompany her with the certainty that there will much rejoicing in heaven.” Her first meeting with Chiara Lubich was in 1945. She was only 16 years old and in search for something great to live for. From that moment, fascinated by the spirituality of unity, she entered the initial group that gave life to the Focolare Movement. In 1949, she moved to Florence, Italy, to attend Medical School. With great simplicity she bore witness to the novelty of her new life to young men and women, giving rise to the first Focolare community in Tuscany. She then spent some time in Turin and Milan.
Silvana Veronesi with Chiara Lubich, International Gen Centre, Rome 1987
© CSC Audiovisivi
Dec 2, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
(C) CSC Audiovisivi
Dec 2, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
According to Pope Francis, the four tenets of the ecumenical undertaking are ecumenism of charity, concreteness, truth and spirituality. In his in-depth dissertation, Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Unity among Christians, delineated the objective of the total unity of the churches as the perspective of ecumenical dialogue. According to Pope Francis, in line with his predecessors “divisions are a scandal, and the ecumenical endeavour should, in short, target the common celebration of the Eucharist and reach unity always through the reconciliation of our differences.” Unity is a journey, and his deep conviction is based on the fact that: “Unity will not come about as a miracle, but as a journey during which the Holy Spirit will achieve unity.” The Pope places as first and foremost, fraternal dialogue in words and actions, inspired by charity: the encounter of Christians of different churches since “the truth is an encounter between persons. The truth is not concocted in a laboratory, but in concrete life, in the search of Jesus who will help us find it.” Theological dialogue is important but is always interpreted as an “exchange of gifts”, which is just a “mere theoretical exercise” but helps us to know the basics of mutual traditions so as to understand, and at times, also learn from them.” Above all, we can cooperate concretely by praying and working together in searching for peace, protecting creation, helping the poor, and defending our religious freedom, marriage and the family. But unity “is primarily a gift of God, which we must always pray for.” Today, many Christians are persecuted. Why does the Pope stress the importance of ecumenism of blood? “We have to be aware that in the world, 80% of those persecuted in the name of faith are Christians. There are more persecutions today than in the first centuries of Christianity. This fact should stir up a great solidarity between all the churches because the martyrs are not persecuted because they are Catholics, Armenians, Orthodox, Anglicans, Pentecostals, or Lutherans, but because they are Christians. Their blood does not divide but unites. The martyrs are already celebrating the first communion in heaven, which we need to find once again on earth. They will help us on our journey towards unity.” After 50 years of preparation, in 2016 the Pan-Orthodox Synod will take place. What effects will this have on the ecumenical movement? “If the Orthodox churches will regain a slightly stronger unity among them, this will be a great help also for ecumenism and for progress toward the joint celebration of the Eucharist between Catholics and the Orthodox. I am convinced the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is working with all his heart for this Pan-Orthodox Synod. And we, as the Catholic Church, want to help as much as possible and are praying intensely for it.” The 34th Convention of the Ecumenical Bishops of the Focolare has come to an end. How will these types of meetings contribute to unity among the churches? “The ministry of the bishops is a ministry of unity in their own Churches and unity among the churches is, likewise a big obligation for all Christians because this is what the Lord wants of us. And all the bishops want to fulfill God’s will. Meetings like this can help us build that unity, about which the various churches take on different concepts. The endeavour to reach a unified idea through dialogue is very important at this stage of ecumenism. And I am really grateful to the Focolare for its commitment in the field of ecumenism.”
By our correspondent Aurelio Molè
Dec 1, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
Today Bangui becomes the spiritual capital of the world. The Holy Year of Mercy is anticipated in this land, a land that suffers from several years of hatred and war, misunderstanding and lack of peace. But there are also all the lands that are bearing the cross of war. Bangui becomes the spiritual capital of the prayer to the Father for mercy. All of us ask for peace, mercy, reconciliation, pardon and love. For Bangui, for the Central African Republic, for the whole world, for the lands that suffer from war, we ask for peace!” These were the words of Pope Francis before the opening of the Holy Door in the Cathedral of Bangui, on November 29. Then, in a gesture charged with meaning, the Pope was the first to walk alone through that Holy Door. While the Pope is still on his return flight we have telephoned Bangui Geneviève Sanzé in Bangui. She is originally from the Central African Republic and is a member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, and lends her services to the International Centre of the Focolare in Italy. “Nobody could have imagined what happened in the people,” she told us. “He brought back joy to us, peace!” Expectations were high, both on the Christian and the Muslim side: “Now, the man of God comes,” they said. “This is the supreme opportunity that God is sending.” It was a dangerous journey for security reasons, but “even though everyone was worried and the whole world discouraged it, the Pope wished to come.” “And the people feel that he came for them, not for some task or special event, but as a father who wants to encourage,” Geneviève explained. “He went to the Christians, Catholic and Protestant, but also to the Muslims. All of us prepared for his coming with enthusiasm, Christians on one side and Muslims on the other and the Pope went to everyone. Many thought it would have been better if he cancelled the visit to the Mosque located in a quarter where no Christian can enter. But he went anyway and was outstanding.” 
At Mass in the stadium, the Pope invited the “dear Central Africans” to “look to the future and, strengthened by the distance you have already come, resolutely determine to begin a new chapter in the Christian history of your country, to set out towards new horizons and he exhorted every person to be “an artisan of human and spiritual renewal.” The day before, he recalled: “love for our enemies which guards against the temptation of revenge and against the unending spiral of reprisal,” and also that “everywhere, especially where hatred and violence reign, injustice and persecution, Christians are called to witness to the God who is Love.” With these words in her heart, Geneviève recounted an event that she witnessed with her own eyes: A Muslim man walked in during the Mass, and he was clearly visible holding a sign with the words: “God is great.” The Christians applauded him and went up to him and embraced him. They want to live what the Pope is asking, this responsibility in love and in mercy; that open door that leads us all into that grace. And they showed it with that gesture.” “When I arrived I found hardened hearts. Seeing the change that has taken place in the people in just two days has been extraordinary. The Pope’s gesture, opening the Holy Door, was not merely a gesture but a life that he himself has testified to, in the mercy with which he reached out to everyone: he brought this love from God to everyone.” The speech by the Mayor of Bangji (and president of the state of transition),” Geneviève explained “placed before the Pope all the sins of our country, and the Mayor didn’t leave out his own responsibility. He asked for God’s pardon, asking the Pope that with his blessing he would invoke pardon upon the whole nation. With all of this in mind, watching Pope Francis open the Holy Door of Mercy was truly exceptional. He didn’t say much, but he knew how to put his finger on the weak point and launch an appeal to all the nations that produce weapons of war. And he called Bangui the spiritual capital of the world. Listening to a country that has shed so much innocent blood being called spiritual capital of the world, was like seeing God coming down to meet us.
Nov 30, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
Pope Francis at Munyonyo Catholic Shrine were the first Christians were martyred.
Nov 30, 2015 | Non categorizzato
© CSC Audiovisivi – R. Meier
© CSC Audiovisivi – R. Meier
Nov 29, 2015 | Non categorizzato
“We often have the tendency, due to the language we use, to have an inexact notion of what happened in Nazareth when the angel relayed to the Holy Virgin that the Word had become flesh. An anthropomorphic mentality makes us think of God as a distant person up there in the heavens, who sends his Son to a far-off place to become man. It is not so. God is everywhere. He is in heaven, on earth and in every place. God was thus in the little room of the Virgin in Nazareth, when the angel appeared to her. He was, however, infinitely distant from mankind due to the abyss of sin and because of their natural smallness. The instant in which the Virgin pronounced her ‘fiat,’ God espoused human nature in her pure womb, espoused the creature, and undertook an unimaginable act of bridging the divinity withthe universe. Since then, he is always in our midst. That infinite distance which our imagination expressed, almost placing God far from us, above in the heavens, has been negated: he is on earth, he is our co-citizen.” Pasquale Foresi, Theology of sociality (Teologia della socialità), Città Nuova 1963, p. 66
Nov 28, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
The first part of the Ecumenical Meeting of Bishop Friends of the Focolare concluded on November 27th in the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity on Halki Island. Cardinal Francis Kriengsak evidenced how the unity amongst the different Christian Churches is at the service of the whole human family. “The diversity is a gift and a mutual enrichment,” he said “but that is possible only by listening without judgement, with the dialogue of life, with the sharing of experiences, with an acceptance that brings the different charisms into harmony.” The challenges and particularities of every church concerning pressing issues are contained in this mutual understanding. 
In the morning, Focolare co-president, Jesús Morán, identified several challenges of today’s world, including: globalisation, ultra-modernity, the advent of a piecemeal third world war; and he presented the answers that a culture of unity can give. Quoting from Bishop Klaus Hemmerle, who was a pioneer of the Meeting, he showed the necessity of a listening attitude in today’s world, “Teach me your thought,” Hemmerle would say, “so that I can learn my own proclamation again,” only in this way, claimed Morán, would it be possible to achieve an “inexcusable operation of purification from the religious incrustations” present in our churches. It is these that divide us; the world no longer allows us not only to be disunited, but not even to proclaim the message of Christ as we have up until now. After all, the first Christians did not proclaim a new religion, but a full life, the life they had found in Jesus.” In the dialogue that followed it was clear how deeply those words entered, and there was a strong desire to smooth the way for full and visible communion. Even though the world scene seems to point to the opposite, the co-president invited everyone to hope: “The world as it is today leads me to be more Christian because of this identification with Jesus crucified who permits me to live the deepest Trinitarian communion with my brothers and sisters.” The bishops learned the history of the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity during their short visit. From 1844 it was a seminary for the formation of Greek Orthodox clergy until 1971 when the Turkey Constitutional Court decided that all private institutes of high education be included in the offer of free public education. The Seminary Council was opposed and the famous school of theology where theologians from around the world studied was closed. In 127 years of activity, 950 students graduated from this school; 330 became bishops; 12 were chosen to be Ecumenical Patriarchs; 2 were elected Patriarchs of Alessandria and 3 from Antioch were ordained priests. The current Abbot of the monastery, Metropolitan Elpidophoros Lambriniadis, gave a presentation titled: “The love of mercy and communion amongst Christians,” an interesting historical reading of the path of dialogue between the Church of the East and the West with a particular mentioning of the role played by Chiara Lubich, foundress of the Focolare, in the rapprochement of the two Churches. 
At the conclusion of the first part of the Meeting, the bishops embraced the appeal of Patriarch Bartholomew I, to pray that the School of Theology might be reopened. They also called for the return of the two bishops in Syria, who were kidnapped in April 2013: Greek Orthodox Bishop of Aleppo, Paul Yazigi, and Syro-Orthodox Archbishop Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, Bishop Friend of the Focolare and faithful participant at all their gatherings. Now the evening has come and rain is falling lightly on the island. The carts are rolling down the hills carrying a much lighter cargo: brother bishops who are committed to living mutual love so that the Risen Jesus can give his light to the world again. Compiled by: Adriana Avellaneda
Nov 28, 2015 | Focolare Worldwide
“Karibu Kenya Papa” (Wel
come to Kenya, Pope). Amid festive songs and dances, the Pope landed in Nairobi in the afternoon of 25 November for the first leg in Africa. From the airport and all the way to the city, two waves of crowds accompanied the papal automobile: a simple grey car. In his first greeting Francesco expressed his love for this “young and vigorous nation, a community enriched by diversity.” “Kenya has been blessed, not only with immense beauty in its mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, savannahs and semi-deserts, but also with an abundance of natural resources.” He went on to say: “In a world that continues to exploit instead of protecting our common home,” I hope that your values inspire “the endeavours of the government in promoting models of responsible economic development.” The papal agenda is full: the meeting with the clergy, to whom he gives three key words, weep, pray, and serve; and the session with the UN representatives of Nairobi, from whom he asked for a ”change of direction” so that economy and politics could be placed at the service of the person, in order to eradicate malaria and tuberculosis, be persistent in fighting against deforestation, and target fair trade and development which takes the poor into account. The meeting with the leaders of the various Churches and Muslim and Animist communities was highly significant, and where he affirmed that ecumenical and interreligious dialogue is not a luxury or an option. He then strongly stressed that phrase which echoed throughout the world: “The holy name of God must never be used to justify hatred and violence.” 
On the 27th, the last day in Nairobi, he went to Kangemi, a very poor shanty town where conditions of human and environmental downgrade have amassed, and which had specifically pushed him to denounce this situation of Kangemi before the UN. He was met there by 100,000 people who waited to welcome him with dances and songs. And Francis did not disappoint them: “I feel at home,” he said. “I share this moment with you brothers and sisters who have a special place in my life and in my choices. I feel your sufferings deeply. I know the pain you bear. How can we not denounce the injustice suffered?” Before leaving for Uganda, he met the youth in the Kasarani stadium to answer all their questions, such as: how to overcome tribalism, corruption, and enrolment of the youth. “Overcoming tribalism – he replied – is a daily task, a job for one’s ears in listening to the others, a task for the heart in opening it to the others, and a labour of the hand in reaching out towards one another.” He added that, “Corruption is something that creeps into our hearts like sugar which is sweet, pleasant, and easy to take, but then we end up in trouble.” And how can radicalisation be overcome? “The first thing we must do to prevent the enrolment of a young person is to offer education and employment.” Each of his meetings overflows with affection, closeness and love. And the people responded with gratitude, joy, and hope. Inculturation of the Gospel is one of the most important challenges in these lands and we must take into account the aspects perceived as values that pre-existed before Christianity: the vision of the family, the role of the clans, tribes, polygamy, and that of the Muslims, etc. It is a challenge which also the Focolare has faced ever since it came to Africa in the 1960s, and which it continues to sincerely undertake with the people of the place, in the spirit of reciprocity. A journey led Chiara Lubich in 1992 to found, precisely in Nairobi, a little town of witness, where specific inculturation courses are held. The next one will be held in May 2016, with the participation also of Maria Voce and Jesús Morán, President and Co-President, respectively. Watch video of the foundation of Mariapolis Piero
Nov 27, 2015 | Non categorizzato
