Syria, the hope of young people amid the waves of violence

Oct 11, 2023 | Non categorizzato

The Middle East continues to suffer from violence, clashes and terrorist attacks. Joseph, a young Syrian from the Focolare is one of the many young people who nourish the hope of peace in a very tormented land.

The nightmare of mass killings recurs with all its terror. The Middle East continues to be shaken by wars, terrorist attacks, violence of all kinds with one result, death.

On 6^th October in Syria, drones loaded with explosives fell on a military academy in Homs during a festive ceremony. The death toll was about a hundred, of which about thirty were women and children. The next day there was another similar attack during the funeral celebrations, fortunately this time it was neutralized in time.

There was an immediate response from Syria, with a rain of bombs in Idlib, an area outside the control of the government. This escalation of violence caused the United Nations special envoy to Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, to respond by calling for an immediate ceasefire, protection for civilians and the instigation of peace negotiations.

In this scenario of war, as violence continues to intensify and there seems to be no hope for a future of peace, some young Syrians belonging to the Focolare Movement met for their annual congress.

Joseph Moawwad, 24, was there. He wrote to us to share his personal experience. “I’ve been living through a very difficult period lately, a sense of half-heartedness and no enthusiasm; even for this congress, perhaps because of the strong tensions that all of us young Syrians are experiencing. For over 13 years, war and all its consequences persist with the most recent attack a few days ago in Homs. We heard about it right at the beginning of the congress. Despite this, my great surprise was to meet 90 young Focolare people from all Syrian regions. It was as if a storm had removed the ashes that covered the embers of my heart and so the “fire” burst out in me. Experiences of communion, sharing, fraternity between us and that effort to live mutual love in order to have the presence of Jesus among us (cit. “Where two or more are united in my name, I am in their midst”, Mt 18:15 -20) erased everything I felt before and made that flame had been enkindled in me again, become stronger.

At the end of the day, when we were praying together, I felt that I wanted to make a decision: to protect that “flame” that had reignited, to make it grow, to give it to the weakest and most discouraged people. I discovered that unity with the other young people of the Focolare and the mutual love that binds us, are the solution to all this hatred and the evil around us. And then the presence of Jesus in us and among us: it is he who gives us strength and will give us hope for a better future”.

Lorenzo Russo

Margaret Karram: rediscovering the path of respect for human rights through dialogue and reconciliation

Oct 8, 2023 | Non categorizzato

The statement by the President of the Focolare Movement following the outbreak of serious violence in the Holy Land on 7 October 2023: “Justice, dialogue and reconciliation, indispensable tools for building peace”.

There are no words that can express the infinite suffering that I have in my heart for the peoples of Israel and Palestine, a suffering, brought about by this recent outburst of violence in my country. I am thinking of those who have died, the people who have been wounded, of those who are being held hostage, of those who are missing and their families. In deep faith and together with all the Focolare Movement, I am united to the appeal of Pope Francis and that of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and to the words of peace spoken both  by those who are responsible for various Christian Churches and by the leaders of the Religions -especially those from the Israeli-Palestinian region – in asking for there to be an end to arms. And as Pope Francis said at the Angelus today -that people can understand that terrorism and war don’t solve anything, but every war is a defeat. In praying to the God of Peace and of Justice, I am also united to all the people throughout the world who are offering prayers, sufferings and actions, so that peace can be victorious over hatred and terror. I want to express a special thanks to those who have written to me from places that are in conflict, like Ukraine, expressing their offerings and closeness, in spite of the tragic situation in which they themselves have been living for over a year. Let us commit ourselves to building a world of fraternity and to do all that is possible so that these peoples and all the others who are in the same conditions of instability and violence, can rediscover the pathway of respect for human rights, where justice, dialogue and reconciliation are the indispensable instruments for building peace.

8 October 2023

Margaret Karram                                     President of the Focolare Movement

Churches in prayer for the Synod

Oct 6, 2023 | Non categorizzato

The 16th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops currently taking place in the Vatican opened, on 30 September 2023, with an ecumenical prayer vigil entitled “Together – Gathering of the People of God”. Promoted by the Taizé Community in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, the Vicariate of Rome, the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity and the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, the Assembly was conceived and realised by representatives of various Christian Churches. We asked to three of the Bishops present: Charles May – Anglican Church of South Africa; Bertram Meier – Catholic Bishop of Augsburg (Germany); Chrysostomos of Kyrenia, Orthodox Church of Cyprus. Activate English subtitles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va9sdPxfovI&list=PLKhiBjTNojHqtFwgi5TYI3T7zRvAuOZiD

Synod: transforming the journey into a permanent reality

Sep 29, 2023 | Non categorizzato

The Synod on Synodality will start on  October 4th in the Vatican up to the end of the month. Among the special guests is Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement. We are on the threshold of the universal stage of the 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality. On Saturday, September 30th 2023, St. Peter’s Square in Rome (Italy) will gather thousands of people from various Christian Churches for the Ecumenical Vigil, “Together – Gathering of the People of God”, promoted by the Taizé Community in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, the Vicariate of Rome, the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity and the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. The protagonists of this event will be young people. At the end of this moment of prayer and celebration, the 464 participants in the synodal assembly will move to Sacrofano, near Rome, for a spiritual retreat until  October 3rd. They will return to the Vatican for the solemn opening of the Synod with the Mass celebrated by Pope Francis on Wednesday, October 4th. Immediately afterwards, the cardinals, bishops, religious and laity who will participate in the Synod will begin their work in the Paul VI Hall. For four weeks, the members will participate in plenary assemblies, minor circles, a pilgrimage and moments of prayer and liturgy until  October 29th. The President of the Focolare Movement, Margaret Karram, who is among the 9 invited guests, sent a message to all the members of the Movement in the world, expressing what she was thinking about this historic milestone in the Catholic Church: “I cannot hide my feelings from you; above all, my happiness at being able to participate in person in this moment of grace. I am aware that I am taking with me each and every one of you from the Focolare Movement and this is also a great responsibility”. “I am sure – she continues – that many of you have already participated in a stage of the synodal journey in your local churches and have already experienced some of the fruits of the journey. You will have lived them as new opportunities for a dialogue that leads to deeper and broader communion and participation. (…) In this coming session of the Synod we are called even more to ‘walk together’ as the ‘people of God’, so that this may become a permanent and daily reality in our lives for the good of the Church and of humanity”. “This has put in my heart– she says – a great desire: that we should commit ourselves – as the Focolare Movement – to improve, to go one step further, to strengthen and refine our relationships of unity, and to be builders of fraternity in every environment in which we live or work”. And she concludes by inviting everyone to accompany “this new and promising season of the Church” with prayer: “Finally, I ask you for the most important thing: to pray! ‘Without prayer there will be no Synod, said Pope Francis, as does the Secretary General, Cardinal Grech, encouraging everyone to pray with faith and seriousness. It means listeninng to God with the kind of recollection that gives space to Him and allows our hearts and minds to be illuminated by His light. (…) also as part of all the people around the world who are praying and offering , so that the Synod – whose protagonist is the Holy Spirit – may bear the greatest fruit for humanity today and in the future”.

Carlos Mana

“Recontres Méditerranéennes”: Marseille a mosaic of hope

Sep 28, 2023 | Non categorizzato

Marseille (France), a city which is a mosaic of peoples and cultures, was the backdrop to the recent “Recontres Méditerranéennes”. It was an event that, through dialogue, traced new pathways of hope for the future. At the General Audience of 27^th September 2023, Pope Francis focused his meditation on his recent Apostolic Journey to Marseille, for the conclusion of the “Rencontres Méditerranéennes” (Mediterranean Meetings) that took place from 17^th-24^th September 2023. He said:

Foto: © Chiara Barbaccia

Foto: © Chiara Barbaccia

Maria Grazia Berretta

Living the Gospel: Become contagious

Sep 25, 2023 | Non categorizzato

Looking at the gestures of love performed by others sometimes generates a pull, like magnets, attracts us, softens our hearts and awakens in us a desire to “join in,” to do the same. It is something that does not go unnoticed, capable of truly impacting many. Poems for mother With my mother, there had never been an easy relationship. She used to criticize my faith, calling me deluded. After leaving home, I maintained a relationship more with my father, who wisely knew how to balance the situation. One day he called me: my mother was in the hospital for a serious illness. As I went to visit her, I thought of what could give her joy. I knew she loved the poems of Attila József, so I got one of his audiobooks. My mother was no longer herself, transformed by her sorrow. But as soon as she began to listen to those poems, her eyes became as bright as if she was dreaming. My subsequent visits thus became a discovery or rediscovery of our national poet, but it was a great joy for me to see that she had involved other sick people in reading or listening to the poems. Because of this act of her charity toward them, I felt as if I was getting acquainted with another person: “You taught me that you have to love everyone,” she commented. And me? I was by her when she breathed her last serene and hopeful breath. (L.M.L. – Hungary) Three times a day In the usual expenditures of our family budget, we had included a sum to be made available to those in need. Only that a particular day we could not get it out because there were many expenses. It was a real disappointment for us. At this point our two little sons came with their wallets and, in front of us, poured the entire contents, all their savings, onto the table. The episode was followed up when Grandma came to visit us and the children told her what they had done. And she, looking at us puzzled, “But how, you help others when you are also in need?” Before we could react, clearing the air was the youngest who said, “But Grandma, we eat three times a day!” With that sentence, serenity returned, and a few days later Grandma also returned with an envelope in her hand: “This is my contribution that I put together with yours… After all, I too eat three times a day!” (L.R. – Italy)

Edited by Maria Grazia Berretta

(taken from The Gospel of the Day, Città Nuova, Year IX – No. 1 September-October 2023)

Sportmeet for a United World: at the roots of authentic values

Sep 22, 2023 | Non categorizzato

The 10th International Congress of Sportmeet for a United World was recently held in São Sebastião, Brazil – 20 years after its inception.  It continues to promote a culture and practice of sport that can contribute to peace, development and universal fraternity. A worldwide network of sportspersons, sports operators and professionals, men and women of all ages, cultures, ethnicities, languages and religions who see physical and sports activities as important and positive realities for the integral growth of the human person and the community; people animated by the desire to contribute, through sport, to development, peace and building a more united world. This is the mission of Sportmeet for a United World, an expression in the world of sport of that spiritual and social renewal that the Focolare Movement wants to contribute to implementing. With a representation at the United Nations by New Humanity, an NGO accredited to UNESCO, this reality celebrated its 20th anniversary a month ago in São Sebastião, Brazil, where the 10th International Congress of Sportmeet for a United World was held. Federica Comazzi, president and international coordinator, told us all about it. Federica, who took part in this meeting and how were the activities divided out? What were the objectives and topics covered? The conference was built in collaboration with Ecoone, MPpU (the Political Movement for Unity) and the municipality of São Sebastião (Brazil) which provided the municipal theatre, accommodation and transport through its Department for Sport,. In collaborating with Ecoone and MPpU, Sportmeet felt supported by these realities that enriched the programme with their contributions, took care of relations with political and academic authorities, and offered an important contribution towards drafting the final manifesto signed at the end of the event. The objective was to initiate a process of rethinking sport with a socio-environmental perspective, starting from a reflection on the lights and shadows of contemporary sport, enlightened by a principle common to different peoples from different parts of the world, that of Well Being (Teko Porã in Guarani, the language of the indigenous peoples present in the territory of São Sebastião and other parts of South America). The congress was attended by around one hundred people from eight institutions that are active in the fields of education, recovery from addiction, and social integration in the suburbs of large metropolises and cities in Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia. The programme was developed around the presentation of several papers. Each afternoon there was room for practical activities and an in-depth study of the local culture. “Can sport, which helps build fraternity between people, also contribute to improving human existence from a socio-environmental point of view?” was one of the questions at the centre of the congress. After looking at nature and the local reality in Brazil, what was the answer to this question? It became abundantly clear that the fight against poverty and a new economic paradigm not based exclusively on the quantitative parameters of growth stand out not only as a necessity, but also as an emergency. In this context it was made very clear how play and sport constitute an irreplaceable force with enormous potential in terms of human development and the spread of a culture of sharing resources, basic elements for an integral ecology that can save humanity from environmental disasters. The definition of Well-Being helps us understand how universal fraternity and respect for nature are connected. Although it is not a closed and well-defined principle, since it is enriched by the gaze of so many peoples of the earth, Well Being is defined starting from three harmonies: with oneself, with others and with nature. Sport today, the official sport promoted by the Olympic Movement, too often has an approach based on the exploitation of natural and human resources for a single purpose: money. There is an imbalance between these harmonies, and it is clear how this has led this great container to be emptied of its values. We need to return to a sense of play, as conceived prior to the Olympic Movement itself and experienced in indigenous communities. It carries with it a deeper, symbolic value that leads us to a deeper understanding of who we are. We need to rethink a game and a sport that does not have as its primary objective the interest of the individual and therefore does not exploit resources, but permits encounter between people, nature and souls. In celebrating these 20 years of Sportmeet’s journey, what are your hopes for the future? The event in Brazil was the first international meeting after the pandemic and it highlighted and confirmed two features of Sportmeet’s mission. Firstly, the academic dimension, to be carried out with a nucleus of professors from different Universities and Institutions scattered across the different continents who found resonance in the values and experiences of Sportmeet with respect to their work. Secondly, a sphere, which is not disconnected from the first, of action for socio-cultural change in sport and through sport, with the challenge of forming a network of people from the different organisations that have expressed an interest and recognise how useful it is to have a common space – also to avoid the risk of self-referential isolation. The story of Sportmeet has highlighted a fundamental element: that culture and life must go hand in hand and that they can enrich and nourish each other.

Maria Grazia Berretta

https://youtu.be/NtwiaVAYPdY

Synodality Training Course: Called to Mission

Sep 20, 2023 | Non categorizzato

The second year of the Synodal Training Course, which began in 2022, has been launched. The Course is organized by the Sophia University Institute’s Evangelii Gaudium Centre (CEG), with the collaboration of the General Secretariat of the Synod. The second year of the Synodality Training Course will focus on being “missionary disciples” at the service of universal fraternity. The 2023/2024 Course was inaugurated on 12^th September: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0set08JiKY Initiated by the “Evangelii Gaudium” Centre (CEG), a theological-pastoral training centre present within the Sophia University Institute in Loppiano (Italy), with the valuable collaboration of the General Secretariat of the Synod, the lessons will begin on 6^th November. To learn more about it, we interviewed Prof. Vincenzo Di Pilato, Professor of Fundamental Theology at the Pugliese Theological Faculty in Italy and Coordinator of the CEG. Professor Di Pilato, what was your experience last year and what were the results? The first year of the Online Course on Synodality, which ended last May, was very rich and, I would say, exciting. The 248 participants came from the English-speaking world (Canada, Ireland, UK, and USA), Latin America (Brazil and almost all Spanish-speaking countries), Asia (India, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore), Africa (Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa) and almost all European countries. There were many representatives of diocesan or national churches engaged in the synodal process, including priests, religious and lay people. The majority were Catholics of all vocations: priests, nuns, consecrated persons, lay people, even a Bishop. There were also representatives of other sister Churches. Although the videos and texts of the lessons were available on a web platform (especially for those who for whom the time was inconvenient), there were students from Asia who connected live, at three in the morning (local time). It was a strong experience. Then in June, at the end of the Course, we held the fourth and final module in a face-to-face workshop, at the “Vinea mea” Spirituality Centre in Loppiano (Italy). 130 people participated. We focussed on themes such as: clericalism, participatory processes and community discernment. It is now clear that the Course, which will open for the second consecutive year, represents an attempt to respond to the call that the Holy Spirit, since the days of the first Pentecost, addresses to us to “go out”.  Among the many letters received, one was from a person in charge of the diocesan level of the synodal journey in Malaysia: “Thank you very much for the wonderful sessions. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to learn so much about the origins of the synodal Church and synodality.  It really opened my eyes to the great wisdom and suggestions offered by the Holy Spirit who guides the Church. Honestly, while listening to the sessions of the first module, I felt so poor, but at the same time enriched. And that’s why I’ll be signing up for the next year. ” What issues will be addressed in this new year? First of all, we will try to be in tune with what will emerge from the Synodal Assembly next October. When we looked at the basic text (Instrumentum laboris) on which the members of the Ordinary General Assembly of the October Synod will work and which is the outcome of the community discernment during the listening phase, we realized that some issues seemed more urgent than others, such as: ministry, places and method of participation, formation to become “missionary disciples” at the service of universal fraternity. Each 3-hour lesson will take place via internet from 6.00 to 9.00 pm (Italian time) on Mondays from November 2023 – May 2024. The course will be in Italian with translations into English, Portuguese and Spanish. This year too, we will conclude with a face-to-face residential meeting here in Italy, again using a workshop methodology. You can register for the Course at this link: https://www.sophiauniversity.org/en/centro-evangelii-gaudium/. The active support of the General Secretariat of the Synod in these two years encourages us to move forward in being builders of unity in the Church and in the world, according to that synodal form with which Jesus lived his human-divine existence with the Apostles and with all his disciples. The “going out” to which the Holy Spirit impels us, through the clear voice of Pope Francis, is not, in fact, equivalent to dispersing, to fragmenting, but is to lead our individual spiritual life to that of the Forsaken and Risen Jesus who embraces everything and everyone. As the title of the Working Document for the continental stage of the Synod stated, it is a matter of “widening the space of our tent” (cf. Is 54.2). You have just edited a book entitled, “Synodality and Participation, the ecclesial subject of mission”, (published by Città Nuova). It is a collection of interventions of experts from the ecclesiastical and theological world. What is the contribution of this text in the light of the documents which have emerged from the various stages of the Synodal Path and on the verge of the new universal stage? The book is a collection of the inputs of a research seminar organized by the CEG, on 24^th June, 2023 at the “Vinea mea” Spirituality Centre in Loppiano (Italy). The seminar was entitled: “Participate/preside/decide. Sacramental root and communal dynamic in the journey of the people of God on mission”. Over thirty scholars participated, including theologians and canon lawyers engaged in responding to the invitation expressed in the Instrumentum laboris, to rebalance the relationship between two fundamental ecclesiological principles: that of “authority”, strongly affirmed in the current Code of Canon Law, and that of “participation”, which the current Synod is relaunching as an ordinary practice of the life of the Church. We asked the experts present at the Seminar how we can effectively enable the active participation of each member of the people of God (faithful and pastors) within our communities? Will such participation remain at an advisory level or will it have authority? Will it be a matter of negotiating for a legal “concession” or rather of “recognizing” the decision-making capacity of the collective subject of ecclesial action as it emerges from the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council? And will an update of the Code of Canon Law be necessary? As Card. Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod, said, the synodal journey has entered a new phase: it is called to become a generating, dynamic event and not simply to be reduced to a solemn celebratory transient moment. How can the Church listen to the Holy Spirit without listening to the entire holy people of God? As Card. Francesco Coccopalmerio, Severino Dianich, Alphonse Borras and P. Coda, in their dense interventions contained in the book say, the answer to this question has an impact on pastoral practice (think of the various parish, diocesan councils, etc.) and on formation, as well as on theology and canon law. (https://edizionicittanuova.it/prodotto/sinodalita-e-partecipazione/).

Maria Grazia Berretta

Living the Gospel: “I want to bless you every day, to praise your name forever and ever” (Ps. 145 [144], 2)

Sep 15, 2023 | Non categorizzato

Allow our lives to be a continual praise of God by acknowledging His love and the greatness of His works in our lives. This is what this Psalm invites us to do. It is the foundation of every prayer, especially when, by loving the brothers and sisters we meet, we understand the fullness of gratitude. Concrete help for far and near The war in Ukraine brought us apprehension and fear. In response to this wave of evil, when winter arrived last year, we and other friends of the parish worked to procure heavy clothing and generators and flashlights to supplement the lack of electricity, to be sent to our neighbours close to our border. But one thing led to another and looking around, we then extended this solidarity action to the poor of our town. Without realizing it, a division had arisen in our society that we hadn’t paid enough attention to before. Someone pointed out that it took the war in Ukraine to open our eyes. Today, in addition to continuing the collections for the victims of war, we also work for those closest to us who are in need. (J.M. – Hungary) Hope In the waiting room of a bus station, I noticed a young, beautiful, elegant lady. Her face displayed signs of grim suffering. We got on the same bus. Then, at the train station, we bought tickets for the same destination. I made a bit of innocent conversation as we headed to our platform. Unfortunately, our train had just left; we had two hours of waiting ahead of us. I invited the lady to sit in the waiting room. Looking at her tense face, I put aside my problems and tiredness and decided to listen to her. While she talked to me about the trauma she had been experiencing for months, I found myself reliving an awful situation. I told her about it. Later, on the journey, our conversation was so intense that we didn’t realize that we had reached our destination. I tried to say goodbye, but she wanted to accompany me to the place where I had to go, so as not to interrupt our conversation. Her face had relaxed, her burden lightened. Then the goodbyes. Maybe I won’t see her again, but I’m sure that hope was born in her heart. (RA – England) Smiles help you keep going I am a palliative care doctor. In the morning, it is nice to be greeted with a smile and the relaxed faces of those who the night before were afraid of how they would spend the night because of the pain: yes, everything went well, and I feel better too. It couldn’t be taken for granted: opiates are still feared drugs because they are little known and needed to be discussed in a transparent doctor-patient dialogue. I observed another sick woman, whose communication was limited to movements of the eyes. I asked her, “Are you in pain?” Closing her eyelids meant yes. I wondered: how did I not notice before? I proposed a treatment which she accepted. Her frown relaxed, her eyes smiled. When I find myself facing my limits every day, I stop smiling. In those moments, others (a colleague, a family member, a worker) are like my “mirror” and help me to look inside myself. I need a good dose of humility to learn to accept myself. But then I laugh at myself and, having passed through the cloud, I see the possibility of starting to love again. (Paola – Italy)

Compiled by Maria Grazia Berretta

(taken from The Gospel of the Day, Città Nuova, year IX – no.1 September-October 2023)