Economy of Francesco: young people for a new economy

Oct 17, 2022 | Non categorizzato

More than 1000 young people from all over the world met in Assisi (Italy). Their aim: to redesign the economy together, giving it a soul, making it more sustainable, inclusive and attentive to the least. Pope Francis met them and enthusiastically signed a ‘pact’ with them, inviting them to transform their ideals into concrete actions. Copyright 2022 © CSC Audiovisuals – All rights reserved. (2661M)

60 years after Vatican II: back to the dream

Oct 13, 2022 | Non categorizzato

The Second Vatican Council opened on 11^th October, 1962.Sixty years later, we reflect on this historic and exceptional event in the life of the Church. “The Council now beginning rises in the Church like daybreak, a forerunner of the most splendid light. It is now only dawn. And already at the first announcement of the rising day, how much sweetness fills out heart.” These are the words spoken by Pope John XXIII on 11^th October, 1962 at the conclusion of the solemn celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica, which ushered in a new era. Sixty years have passed since the opening of the Second Vatican Council, an ecumenical Council, that was universal, and a moment of great communion to face, in the light of the Gospel, the new questions posed by history and to respond to the needs of the world. The work of the Council, subsequently continued by Paul VI, lasted until December 1965. Just a month before the closure of this conciliar event Chiara Lubich, Founder of the Focolare Movement, wrote: “Oh! Holy Spirit, through what you have already suggested in the Council, make us become, a living Church: this is our only desire and everything else serves for this”[1]. These words are the fruit of the growing fervour that already animated the Movements and the new pre-conciliar Ecclesial Communities; an indelible sign of that “hermeneutical circularity which, by virtue of the action of the Holy Spirit in the mission of the Church, is established between the magisterium of a Council like Vatican II and the inspiration of a charism, like that of unity”[2]. But today, how should we view this anniversary? Vincenzo Di Pilato, Professor of Fundamental Theology at the Faculty of Theology of Puglia (Italy), tells us about it. Professor Di Pilato, what dreams inspired the desire to hold this Council? On 25^th January, 1959, the last day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, starting from the firm decision to convene a universal Council, Pope John XXIII tried to explain his intentions using terms that have become highly significant today, such as: updating, signs of the times, reform, mercy, unity. In the months before the opening of the Council, the Pope expected it to be an epiphany of the Lord (cf. Ex. ap. Sacrae Laudis, 6^th January, 1962), which would lead Rome to become a new Bethlehem. As the Magi once did, the Bishops of the whole world would come to worship Jesus in the midst of his Church. Roncalli dreamed of a synodal Church, a Church leaving “the closed enclosure of its Upper Room” (10^th June, 1962); a “Church of all, especially of the poor” (11^th September, 1962) because the “purpose” of the Council coincided with that of the Incarnation and Redemption, or “the union of heaven and earth… in all forms of social life” (4^th October, 1962). Why pause to reflect on this recurrence today? It is not an event like any other, but an indispensable occasion for a renewed awareness before a time of special graces. The Church, perhaps a little overburdened by her two thousand years, is encouraged to return to “dreaming”, that is, to relive that event again today, in the Spirit of the Risen One, with the certainty that He is here and will be “until the end of the world” (Mt 28: 20). What could the synodal process undertaken by Pope Francis mean other than to perpetuate Pentecost at all times and in all places? Moreover, in the period before and, above all, after the Council, the growing vitality of new Movements, such as the Focolare Movement and other aggregations of the faithful and Ecclesial Communities, have fostered a greater understanding of the principle of co-essentiality between the institutional dimension and the charismatic dimension of the Church. It is important to remember this synergy of the Spirit which ensures that the Church is never left alone in the face of the immense challenges that arise from time to time on the journey of history. In a word: the Church is the place of fraternity where the Kingdom of God begins, whose boundaries go far beyond those of the Church herself. Is the “co-responsibility” of the laity in the Church, a word attributable to the Council, still an open path… Yes, it is certainly a discourse in the making and is equivalent to recognizing the fundamental equality of all the baptized; to reviewing the relationship between priests and laity; to appreciating the circularity of vocations; to putting in place all the structures of communion and forms of synodality that are already possible; to focusing on episcopal collegiality and in the presbytery itself (between the clergy and the bishop); to discovering the co-essentiality of ministries and charisms; to promoting full reciprocity between men and women in the Church; to engaging in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue; to opening up an authentic relationship of dialogue with the surrounding world, with culture and cultures, to valuing capacity and willingness to listen, that familiarity with Christ gives us and refines in us; to promoting new attempts to give life to small lively local communities. In a word: to allowing Christ to emerge not only in what we say, but in the relationships we build with each other and at all levels.

Maria Grazia Berretta

[1][1] C. Lubich, Una nuova Pentecoste, from her diary, 11 November 1965, in La Chiesa, edited by B. Leahy and H. Blaumeiser, Città Nuova, Rome 2018, p. 69. [2]Piero Coda, on the occasion of the Convention “The Second Vatican Council and the Charism of Unity of Chiara Lubich”, Florence, 11-12^th  March 2022.

Peru: waiting with uncertainty but also with confidence

Sep 30, 2022 | Non categorizzato

The experience of Jenny López, director of the Chiara Lubich Centre for the Elderly, in Lámud in the Peruvian Amazon. The story of her meeting with L.  One morning, I was  working in my office in the Council Buildings when I received a file asking for help in authorising the admission of an elderly woman to our centre. The file only carried the name of the person, L., and the document number. I asked for a more complete report and an updated diagnosis of the person’s state of health. I was told that that the elderly woman had been a victim of domestic violence and physical abuse caused by members of her family. She, a vulnerable person, had bruised arms, was unable to move and was in a state of total abandonment. It was prudent that she be removed from her home and country. I was the person in charge of  Casa Hogar, that is the ‘Chiara Lubich’ Centre, and I asked the local authorities to speed up the paperwork for this case because I felt it was  urgent. The court needed to make a ruling to permit the elderly lady to leave her home but the judge was on holiday. At that point, I decided to assume all reponsibility for the case and to offer to admit the lady immediately. It took us seven hours to reach her on the bumpy roads. We found her alone in her little house, asleep, almost dying. I approached her and called her name but she did not answer. I immediately signed the document that allowed us to move her from her home.  We spent that night in a hostel. I could not sleep, my mind and soul were focused on what might happen. I got up early and offered all my fears to God in prayer. The next day I asked for the assistance of a social worker to take over from me so that I could return home to my husband, my children and my elderly parents, but no one was available at that time. It was difficult to decide what to do but I felt inside that I should not give up. L.’s life, hanging by a thread, depended entirely upon our little efforts.. And so another day passed. I whispered to L.: ‘You are suffering like Jesus on the cross and I am here with you. If you have to go to heaven, you will not be alone, I will accompany you’. I spent the night with her, then, the next morning, the doctors arrived.  They took care of her and gave her fluids: only then could we transfer her to the Hogar where everyone welcomed her with great affection. However, 23 doses of a very strong medicine were needed. I made the rounds of many pharmacies and, finally, one seemed to have some but the assistant doubted that they had sufficient. However, when he looked in the box, there were indeed 23. He was very surprised: ‘That’s how it is when you walk with God,’ I told him happily. After that long journey, L. was able to rest. A few days ago God called her to himself, surrounded by the love and prayers of us all, and having received the anointing of the sick. Inspite of the sadness we feel,  everyone is left with a sense of joy because they have loved  this dear old lady who suffered so much, but who leaves a trail of love and prayers from people all over the world. Her brief presence among us came as a gift that we felt we needed to approach “on tiptoe” but also with a renewed trust in God. Jenny López Arévalo (Lámud, Amazon, Perù)

Interviewed by Gustavo E. Clariá

Communion in action: a lifestyle of sharing

Sep 29, 2022 | Non categorizzato

The Focolare Movement has published a Mission Report of ‘Communion in action’ for the period 2020-2021, an information tool to communicate the main actions and interventions of this reality around the world. It is a detailed document that is useful for everyone to live and walk together towards unity and fraternity becoming a reality. For the first time ever, the Focolare Movement is publishing a Mission Report and has decided to do so in the light of this period of crisis and uncertainty that bears the aftermath of the pandemic and the open wounds of the many conflicts around the world. But it is precisely when the greatest and most common problems appear that a feeling of true fraternity and solidarity seems to emerge between people. Therefore, rather than being a simple report, this Mission Report aims to give the reader an explanatory narrative of the actions and interventions of the Focolare Movement, highlighting what unites and what still needs to be improved. The Mission Report places particular emphasis on the key element that is evident from the name itself: communion. The lifestyle proposed by the Movement, in fact, is based on the choice of putting love into practice which is rooted in the Gospel. A love that – as the founder of the Focolare Movement Chiara Lubich (1920-2008) said – means loving everyone, being the first to love, “getting into the skin of the other”, in such a way that this love extends until it becomes reciprocal, until it reached the point of becoming communion. In this perspective, the document aims to highlight the effects of communion itself, of what one has and is, in a voluntary and free sharing. At the same time it seeks to make of itself an instrument that opens up dialogue and communion, as President Margaret Karram said in her introductory speech: “It is with these sentiments that I wish to offer it to you all so that it too can become an instrument of dialogue, to build bridges and spread a culture and the practice of fraternity. It is so close to my heart that we may learn to live this communion, this exchange better and better, in a relationship of reciprocity that makes us sisters and brothers and promotes an authentic family where diversity enriches us and binds us in a harmonious unity”.

Stefania Tanesini

To read the Mission Report of Communion in action click here  

The Living Gospel: For though I am free with respect to all, I made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them

Sep 23, 2022 | Non categorizzato

Drawing closer to another person means diminishing the distance between us and them: it means losing that space that is ours alone. It means putting aside what we have to do and embracing the other person’s life. It also means choosing the last place in order to serve. A demanding patient On the ward where I was working as a nurse, there was  a lady in a single room who constantly demanded attention for every every little need. I could see that she was suffering: perhaps she felt the end was approaching. One day, after rudely sending away the priest who, as a chaplain,  was visiting the patients, she had a notice written on the door: she did not want visitors, especially priests. Every morning, as I started my shift, I felt I wanted to love Jesus who was suffering in that lady and so I tried to satisfy all her wishes: I straightened her pillows, I brought her glasses of water, I opened the window more and then I closed it, etc. One day she asked me: ‘How can you be so patient with me?’ I pointed to the crucifix hanging on the wall: ‘He is the one I follow: he sets the example’. From then onwards, the relationship between us grew. One night, she was very unwell, she insisted that the nurse on duty should phone the parish and ask a priest to come immediately. Shortly afterwards she went to confession and received Communion. When I arrived at work, she was quiet. At ten o’clock she passed away. (Vreni – Switzerland) Making the world smile Mohammed is not yet 22 years old. He is Kurdish from Iraq and has already lived in Sweden for a few years. Now he has come to Italy because he needs to attend to his documents. His eyes are clear and bright. I ask him to sit down in the office and begin to explain how the Caritas dormitory where he will be staying temporarily works. Thanks to English, we manage to understand each other. I try to take an interest in him and his family, in his reasons for leaving his homeland and his short but already intense past.  I forget about  the painful situations that I had encountered before his arrival. When he came in, he seemed tired and tense, now I see him slowly relax. He often smiles. At the end  he tells me: “In six years, I have never met a person who welcomed me like you did this morning. You made my stress go away.” And he thanks me.  He asked me to write my name on a piece of paper, but at the end of the interview, he greets me and calls me ‘Dad’. (S.U. – Italy)

Edited by Maria Grazia Berretta

(from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, VIII, no.2, Sept-Oct 2022)

Unity as “ecumenism of the heart”

Sep 20, 2022 | Non categorizzato

In an atmosphere of joy, peace and fraternity, the 11th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches concluded a few days ago in Karlsruhe, Germany. Following is from the Centro Uno team, Focolare’s international secretariat for ecumenism, who were present at the event. “The love of Christ moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” This was the Christological theme for the 11th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches that took place in Karlsruhe, Germany, from August 31 to September 8. Present were representatives of some 350 churches, WCC member delegates and leaders, leaders of other faith communities cooperating with the Council for the Unity of Humanity, as well as a delegation from both the Ukrainian and Russian churches. It was a strong sign and tangible testimony to how this council is truly a platform perpetually open to dialogue. Participants from all continents brought with them the living image of all humanity, in its diversity, suffering and richness. They told of their stories, their great love for Christ, their struggles for peace, and their desire to aim for unity. It is a project that needs not just any love to be realised, but the love that comes from the heart of the Trinity, found only in contact with God. This was expressed in the special importance and care given to prayer. Each day, in fact, began and ended by praying inside a spacious and bright tent set up in memory of the place of the covenant, where the Jewish people met with Moses. The diversity of liturgies, languages, music, songs and customs fuelled the joy and awe of the richness of one common faith, expressed in an infinite number of ways. The delegations came to Karlsruhe as pilgrims aiming to accompany and support each other, chart new directions and witness together to God’s love. Leading the delegation from the Catholic Church was Cardinal Kurt Koch, who at the opening of the event made a gift of some of Pope Francis’ words written for the occasion, encouraging the participants to grow in fraternal communion in the name of Christ, to be credible as an outgoing church and to comfort the world in a time of division and war. The Focolare’s contribution fit as a piece in this large mosaic, with attendance of more than 30 people, Catholic and from various churches, including bishop friends of the Focolare, focolarini, Gen (the movement’s youth), Volunteers of God and a Muslim friend. Being present together with so many people from the various churches was a unique experience for each of us and a precious opportunity to feel one in the love of Christ. The assembly concluded with deliberating on a report that referred to three significant challenges of our time: climate justice, racial justice, and equality between men and women. It emphasised how the churches can address these and was accepted by a majority vote. These elements not only set us on the path, but as we read in a few lines of the final document, reveal a similarity with the goals and spirit that guides the Focolare Movement. “One can define the search for unity, which is inspired by love and rooted in a deep and reciprical relationship, as an ‘ecumenism of the heart.’ It is Christian love that impels us to walk honestly and wholeheartedly alongside one another, to try to see the world through each other’s eyes and feel compassion for one another.”

Centro Uno

Floods in Pakistan: networking for concrete action

Sep 13, 2022 | Non categorizzato

An exceptional wave of monsoon rains, five times greater than average, has caused one of the most disastrous floods in Pakistan in recent decades. A real catastrophe but one which, despite the enormous difficulties, has not dampened the desire of many people on the ground to take concrete action for their neighbour. A fund-raising campaign has also been launched by the Focolare Movement’s Emergency Coordination Team. What Pakistan is currently experiencing is a real humanitarian and health emergency. The monsoon rains which began as early as mid-June 2022 and are also caused by climate change have brought a third of the country to its knees.  Some 33 million people, 15% of the entire population, have been displaced, more than 1,500 people have died and more than 700,000 homes destroyed. The threat of diseases such as typhoid, cholera and dengue fever grows day by day, and the needs are becoming increasingly urgent. The megalopolis of Karachi, one of the places where the Focolare Movement has been present for some time, has not been hit as hard as other centres such as the provinces of Sindh, southern Punjab and Balucistan which even under normal conditions are already difficult to reach. However, “the displaced people are also coming here and we are mobilising to organise help in the reception camps,” said some members of the Focolare. In addition, many Focolare members of various ages and vocations are doing all they can to respond as a community to the most pressing needs, with some people even opening the doors of their homes, if necessary, as did Abid, a young father of a family, who took in sixteen Muslims who had lost everything on the first floor of his house. The largest city affected by the flood is Hyderabad. Matthew, a Gen, one of the young people of the local Focolare Movement, wrote: “The city centre is now safe, but the neighbourhoods near the Indus river are still in danger and some parts have been evacuated. The next two weeks will be very difficult.” In these days, fear is mixed with a lucid awareness which is generating an inner, instinctive force that looks to the other and, with renewed courage, mobilises and networks. “As Youth for a United World a few months ago we set up a group called ‘The spirit of giving’.  We are Catholics and Anglicans from the Anglican Church of Pakistan,” continued Mathew’s brother, Hanan. “We met together to make a plan, to work out what we could do to help and how. You could think that we can’t do much or that it’s too little, but we said to one another everyone can give something, we need to move hearts”. And so it was that by knocking on all the doors in their neighbourhood and going into shops, these young people collected about 5000 rupees while another 2000 rupees arrived providentially in response to a flyer shared on social media. A desire to donate which from an experience of dialogue turned into service and action. Among the many people in need, we cannot forget that one of the groups most at risk in these parts are the nomadic Hindu communities: “Our families’ tents were on a plain. With the floods  people sought refuge on a raised part of the land that is now surrounded by water.  Now it is as if they are on an island which they can’t leave,” recounted some young people belonging to these communities. To rally around those affected and initiate targeted relief and support initiatives, especially there where resources are scarce, is more than just a wish.  It is a real priority for everyone. In response to all this suffering in Karachi, in a rather poor neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city, a small group of Gen immediately stepped into action: “We set up a collection point where lots of people passed by.  Some brought food, water or clothes.  Some left money in a box placed at the entrance,” says Rizwan. “I noticed there weren’t many clothes for the children,” says Soiana, “so I started sewing for them using fabric I had left over from my work”. To contribute to the Focolare Movement Emergency Coordination Team’s fundraising campaign for Pakistan you can donate to:

Maria Grazia Berretta