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Towards the 2026 General Assembly

Towards the 2026 General Assembly

20 Oct 2025 | Centro internazionale, Non categorizzato

Nostra Aetate: 60 years of journeying in Interreligious Dialogue

Nostra Aetate: 60 years of journeying in Interreligious Dialogue

18 Oct 2025 | Chiesa, Dialogo Interreligioso

“May religions not be used as weapons or walls, but rather lived as bridges and prophecy: making the dream of the common good credible, accompanying life, sustaining hope and being the yeast of unity in a fragmented world.”

These are the closing words of Pope Leo XIV in the video message for the prayer intention of October 2025, dedicated specifically to “collaboration between different religious traditions”. In the month that marks the 60th anniversary of the conciliar document, Nostra Aetate (In Our Time), on the relationship between the Church and non-Christian religions, the Pontiff, in urging us to recognize ourselves “as brothers and sisters, called to live, pray, work and dream together”, perfectly captures the central points of this declaration, a child of Vatican II, revealing its great importance and continuing relevance.

The spirit of conciliar renewal has opened unknown paths, offered new perspectives on many things and in these six decades Nostra Aetate has certainly guided and inspired steps along the path of dialogue, fostering first mutual understanding and then acceptance between the various religions.

For this reason, the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue has issued an open invitation to a commemorative Celebration to reflect on the legacy of “Nostra Aetate” on 28th October, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Italian time) in the Paul VI Hall (Vatican City), in the presence of the Holy Father. The event can be followed through Vatican Media channels.

The document states that, the Church “in her task of promoting unity and love among men, indeed among nations, she considers above all in this declaration what men have in common and what draws them to fellowship. One is the community of all peoples”.

Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, very much welcomed this revelation, to live as “one human family”. The Movement, founded on a deep spirituality centred on unity among all people, is engaged in various forms of dialogue, including interreligious dialogue. For over five decades, through its Centre for Interreligious Dialogue and local centres around the world, it has established strong and fraternal relationships with thousands of believers and with numerous institutions, associations, movements and organizations of different religions. It does so in the conviction that friendship between people of different faiths is a vital force for building universal brotherhood.

We share here a short video that presents Chiara Lubich’s intuition and the path taken to develop dialogue.

Maria Grazia Berretta
Photo: Session Concilio Vaticano II

The freedom that comes from facing up to your own history

The freedom that comes from facing up to your own history

16 Oct 2025 | Centro internazionale, Chiesa

During the second half of September 2025, the General Council of the Focolare Movement met with the Delegates from its 15 geographical regions of the world at the Mariapolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo (Rome). “Exploring our History” was the title of a session in which, among other contributions and moments of sharing, participants heard the powerful and deeply moving experience of the Regnum Christi Movement through the testimony of Eugenia Álvarez, a consecrated member and a current member of its General Council. Eugenia offered an interpretation, in the light of the Gospel, of some particularly troubled periods of their movement’s journey and of the subsequent path of healing that led to a renewed momentum and a revival of vocations.

“In order to discover how we are called to live the present,” she said, “we need to connect with our deepest aspirations, read the history through which God has shaped us and recognise the concrete reality in which we find ourselves: the people we are and the circumstances in which we live.” These words referred to discernment of the present reality, a process born from a balance between hopes and history.

After her presentation, we had the opportunity to interview her. Here is what she shared with us:

Activate English subtitles – The original is in Spanish

Eugenia Álvarez is from Venezuela and has been a consecrated member of Regnum Christi since 1999. She holds degrees in Education and Development from the Anáhuac University (Mexico) and in Religious Sciences from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum (Rome). She has studied Spiritual Theology at the Sèvres Centre in Paris and has completed courses in Spain to become a “Specialist in Spiritual Exercises” and in the “Theology of Consecrated Life”. She currently serves as General Councillor of the Society of Apostolic Life “Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi.”

Photo © https://regnumchristi.org/

Dilexi te: love for the poor, the foundation of Revelation

Dilexi te: love for the poor, the foundation of Revelation

13 Oct 2025 | Chiesa, Sociale

Dilexi te, “ti ho amato” (Ap 3,9) è la dichiarazione d’amore che il Signore fa a una comunità cristiana che, a differenza di altre, non aveva alcuna risorsa, particolarmente disprezzata e esposta alla violenza ed è, al contempo, la citazione che dà il titolo alla prima Esortazione apostolica di Papa Leone XIV, firmata il 4 ottobre, festa del Santo d’Assisi. Il documento rimanda al tema approfondito da Papa Francesco nell’Enciclica Dilexit nos sull’amore divino e umano del Cuore di Cristo ed è un progetto che  l’attuale Pontefice ha fatto suo, condividendo con il Predecessore il desiderio di far comprendere e conoscere il vincolo tra quella che è la nostra fede e il servizio ai vulnerabili; il legame indissolubile tra l’amore di Cristo e la sua chiamata a farci vicini ai poveri.

Alla conferenza stampa di presentazione della “Dilexi te” sono intervenuti (da sinistra): Fr. Frédéric-Marie Le Méhauté, Provinciale dei Frati Minori di Francia/Belgio, dottore in teologia; Em.mo Card. Konrad Krajewski, Prefetto del Dicastero per il Servizio della Carità; Em.mo Card. Michael Czerny S.J., Prefetto del Dicastero per il Servizio dello Sviluppo Umano Integrale; p.s. Clémence, Piccola Sorella di Gesù della Fraternità delle Tre Fontane di Roma (Italia).

The 121 points of the text show that being aware of the “experience” of poverty goes far beyond philanthropy. The Augustinian Pope affirms, “This is not a matter of mere human kindness but a revelation: contact with those who are lowly and powerless is a fundamental way of encountering the Lord of history. In the poor, he continues to speak to us.” (5)

Leo XIV invites us to reflect on the many faces of poverty: that of “those who lack material means of subsistence”, of “those who are socially marginalized”; “moral”, “spiritual” and “cultural” poverty; the poverty “of those who have no rights, no space, no freedom” (9). But no poor person, he continues, is “there by chance or by blind and cruel fate” (14), love for the poor “is the evangelical hallmark of a Church faithful to the heart of God” (103).

Prof. Luigino Bruni, economist and historian of economic thought, Professor of Political Economy at Lumsa University (Rome) and scientific director of the “Economy of Francis”, explained, “Let’s say right away that it is not easy for the Church or for Popes, to talk about poverty because, in the first place, the manner and substance of the poverty of the Church are not those of the UN or of States. The word ‘poverty has a very broad spectrum in Christianity, ranging from a “bad” poverty that is unchosen and endured, to an “evangelical” poverty, that of the poor whom Jesus called ‘blessed’. The Church must move within this broad spectrum because, if it leaves out either form of poverty, it steps outside the Gospel”.

In particular, the document denounces the lack of equality, defining it as the root of social ills (94), as well as the actions of unjust political-economic systems. The dignity of every human person must be respected today, not tomorrow (92) and, not surprisingly, during the press conference, held in the Vatican on 9th October, Card. Michael Czerny S.J., Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, reflected extensively on what are called the ‘structures of sin’: “selfishness and indifference are consolidated in economic and cultural systems. The economy that kills (3) measures human worth in terms of productivity, consumption and profit. This dominant mind-set ’makes the rejection of the weak and unproductive acceptable and therefore deserves the label of ‘social sin ’”.

Prof. Bruni continues, “This is an old theme of the Church’s social doctrine – – and, even earlier, of the Fathers of the Church and of many social charisms, not least the Franciscans. In these passages you can intuit the hand of Pope Francis and the spirit of Saint Francis (64), but also of the most recent charisms, it was Don Oreste Benzi who first spoke of the “structures of sin”, up to the Economy of Communion and the Economy of Francis. The reference to meritocracy, again in full continuity with Pope Francis, is also important. It is defined as a “false vision” (14). Meritocracy is a false vision, because first it attributes many forms of poverty to the poor’s own lack of merit and then labels those same ‘unworthy poor’ as guilty. Meritocratic ideology is one of the main “structures of sin” (nos. 90 et seq.) that generate exclusion and then try to justify it ethically. The structures of sin are material (institutions, laws …) and immaterial such as ideas and ideologies”.

Prof. Luigino Bruni

The document naturally takes a look at the theme of migration. Robert Prevost makes his own the famous “four verbs” of Pope Francis: welcome, protect, promote and integrate, not forgetting women, among the first victims of violence and exclusion. He stresses the importance of education for the promotion of integral human development, highlights the witness and link with the “poverty” of many saints, blesseds and religious orders and proposes a return to almsgiving as a way to truly touch “the suffering flesh of the poor” (119).

In Dilexi te Pope Leo “urges” us to change course, to think of the poor not as a problem of society nor merely as “the objects of our compassion” (79) but as real actors to whom we can give voice and as “teachers of the Gospel”. We need to let ourselves be evangelized by the poor. The Pope writes, “the are part of our family”. They are “one of us”, therefore, “our relationship to the poor cannot be reduced to merely another ecclesial activity or function” (104).

Luigino Bruni adds, “To take evangelical poverty seriously means changing our point of view, in the deeply transformative way, the metanoia of the first Christians. And then, today, trying to answer some radical questions: how can we call the poor “blessed” when we see them as victims of misery, abused by the powerful, dying at sea, searching for food in our waste? What beatitude do they know? For this reason, the first and most severe critics of this first beatitude have often been and still are, those who spend their lives next to the poor, sitting with them, seeking to free them from their misery. The greatest friends of the poor often end up, paradoxically, becoming the greatest enemies of the first beatitude. We must try to understand them and thank them for being scandalized. And then try to advance the discourse into new and daring terrains which are always paradoxical. And how many “rich gluttons” have found in the beatitude of the poor an alibi to leave Lazarus (ref. Luke 16:19 -31) ‘blessed’ in his condition of deprivation and misery, perhaps even calling themselves “poor in spirit” because they gave some crumbs to the poor! There must be something wonderful in that “blessed are the poor”. We don’t understand it but at least let’s not reduce its paradoxical and mysterious prophecy.
Pope Leo has tried to indicate some dimensions of this paradoxical beauty of poverty, especially in the long paragraphs dedicated to its biblical and evangelical foundation, but there is still much to discover and to say. I hope that future papal documents will also include the secular magisterium on poverty, which for at least 50 years has been given to us by people such as Amartya Sen, Muhammed Yunus and Ester Duflo, laureates of the Nobel Economics Prize. These and many other scholars have taught us that poverty is not a lack of money or income (flows) but a lack of capital (stocks): health, education, social, family, capabilities which later manifests as low income. It is only by working on these forms of capital today can we help the poor escape the poverty traps tomorrow. As Sen explained to us, poverty is the objective impossibility “to lead the life we would like to live” and is therefore a lack of freedom. Charisms have always intuited this, in missions, in Europe and everywhere, they filled the world with schools and hospitals, to improve the ‘capital’ of the poor. Even almsgiving, of which Pope Leo speaks at the end of the document (nos. 76 et seq.), should be directed towards ‘capital accounts’ and not dispersed in monetary aid that often increases the very poverty it intends to reduce.
The Dilexi te is a starting point, for a long journey still ahead for Christians in the still partly unknown terrain of poverty, both the ugly kind to be reduced and the beautiful Gospel kind to be multiplied.

Maria Grazia Berretta

The first important step towards peace

The first important step towards peace

9 Oct 2025 | Centro internazionale, Margaret Karram, Sociale

In the light of the recent positive news regarding the agreement for the Gaza Strip, I want to express my sincere hope that this represents a first step toward a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace.

There is certainly still a long way to go, yet in this moment my thoughts are with the hostages, the Palestinian prisoners and the residents of Gaza. We trust that they may begin again to glimpse a renewed hope for a life worthy of its name.

We also hope that those entrusted with the fate of nations will continue to make decisions guided by the highest good we possess: life itself.

We commit to joining our efforts, both practically and spiritually, with all those who are working tirelessly for a better world. In this spirit, we want to unite to the Day of Prayer for Peace proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV, to be held on the 11th of October.

Margaret Karram
Image © Pixabay

New publication: “A Magnificent Garden”

New publication: “A Magnificent Garden”

8 Oct 2025 | Chiesa, Cultura, Non categorizzato, Spiritualità

The Focolare Movement and religious men and women share a bond that originated at the beginning of the Movement’s history: a thick web of relationships between Chiara Lubich, founder of Focolare and consecrated people of various religious families. An array of women and men dedicated to God through the most varied spiritualities that inspired and supported Chiara in the early years of the Movement. All this is revealed in the book entitled A Magnificent Garden. Chiara Lubich and the Religious (1943-1960) edited by Father Fabio Ciardi and Elena Del Nero.

Let’s start with the title: “A magnificent garden”. Can you explain it to us?

Elena Del Nero holds a PhD in History and Philosophical and Social Sciences from the “Tor Vergata” University of Rome. She works at the historical section of the Chiara Lubich Centre in Rocca di Papa (Italy). She is the author of essays and books on the history of the Focolare Movement.

Elena Del Nero: “The evocative image, used by Chiara Lubich as early as 1950, refers to the Church, in which, over the course of history, charisms have flourished. Each of them is precious in its own particular beauty, rooted in the Gospel word that inspired it and yet, together, they compose a harmony of shades, which enriches and illuminates the Church”.

The book consists of a historical reconstruction and a theological-ecclesial reflection. What do they cover?

Elena Del Nero: “The historical reconstruction focuses on only two decades, from the birth of the Focolare in 1943 to 1960. These years are particularly rich in documents and material relevant to the theme under study. The theological-ecclesial reading, on the other hand, ranges in a more extensive temporal dimension, extending its remit to the most recent magisterium reflections. In this way, we believe the panorama offered is wider and more complete “.

The presence of religious has always been part of the Work of Mary, from the very beginning. What is the meaning of the presence of religious in the Movement?

Father Fabio Ciardi: “To rekindle unity in the Church, in response to Jesus’ prayer ‘That all may be one’ (Jn 17:21), was the ideal to which Chiara Lubich felt called. Her Movement continues this great mission of fostering communion and unity among all. But what kind of unity would it be if religious were missing? They express the Church’s charismatic richness and keep alive the experience of the great saints. Chiara wanted to involve them in her ‘divine adventure,’ as she wanted to involve all people, of all vocations”.

What benefit did religious and their orders gain through dialogue with Chiara Lubich and the spirituality of unity of the Focolare?

Father Fabio Ciardi is an Oblate of Mary Immaculate, emeritus Professor at the Pontifical Institute of Theology of Consecrated Life (Claretianum) in Rome; he is the author of numerous publications; since 1995 he has served as a Consultant of the Vatican Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Society of Apostolic Life and since 2022 as Consultant to the Vatican Dicastery for the Clergy.

Father Fabio Ciardi: “From the beginning, religious of different orders were attracted by the evangelical freshness witnessed by Chiara and the first members of the nascent Movement, which brought them back to the radicality of their original choice: they felt a new love for their vocation, they understood it in a deeper way, they felt involved in a communion that reminded them of the first Christian community described in the Acts of the Apostles”.

What effect has the closeness of the religious had on Chiara Lubich from the beginning of the Movement?

Father Fabio Ciardi: “Their presence proved providential for Chiara, because it allowed her to engage with the great Christian spiritualities that emerged throughout history. This encounter helped her to understand her own vocation more profoundly, enriching it through the communion of the saints. Thinking of the saints of whom the religious are witnesses, she wrote, “It seems that they have approached our Work to encourage it, enlighten it and help it.” On the one hand, the relationship with the saints confirmed certain aspects of the life of the Work of Mary. On the other hand, the comparison with their lives and their works highlighted the full originality of this new and contemporary work of God”.

Is the presence of religious in ecclesial movements a source of mutual enrichment? Or does it risk bringing confusion and loss of identity?

Father Fabio Ciardi: “There is no interference in the life of religious families. Chiara Lubich wrote that she approached them ‘on tiptoe‘, in the awareness that they are ‘works of God’ and with that deep love that led her to discover in each of them ‘the beauty and that something ever new that they safeguard. At the same time, she was aware of the contribution she was called to make: ‘We must only help circulate Love among the different Orders. They must understand, know, and love each other as the Persons of the Trinity love one another. Among them there is a relationship like that of the Holy Spirit who binds them together, because each is an expression of God, of the Holy Spirit. It is in this circulation of charity that every religious deepens their identity and can make a specific contribution to unity”.

In conclusion, why read this book? Who would you recommend it to?

“Because it recounts a wonderful page of history that helps us to understand the beauty of the Church. It is not a book for religious only. It is a book for those who want to discover a Church that is completely charismatic”.

Lorenzo Russo

With strong commitments made, Raising Hope concluded

With strong commitments made, Raising Hope concluded

5 Oct 2025 | Centro internazionale, Cultura, Dialogo Interreligioso, Ecology, Sociale

The third and final day of the Raising Hope Conference unfolded with new keynote addresses, moments of reflection, prayer, music, and a defining moment: participants’ contributions and commitments, presented as key pillars for climate justice action.

On the website raisinghope.earth/action/ conference participants, both in person and online, were invited to share their own commitments: How will you respond to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor? These People-Determined Contributions (PDCs) are a bold global civil society initiative to present the pledges of individuals and grassroots communities towards ecological transformation.

Raising Hope water will reach COP30

The moving opening ceremony led by Pope Leo XIV last Wednesday, 1 October—when he blessed a block of ice from Greenland—reached its culmination this afternoon as participants collected the melted water to take to their homes and communities.

Dr. Lorna Gold, Executive Director of the Laudato Si’ Movement, expressed with emotion: “A block of ice blessed by the Pope has gone viral these days. Now this blessed water will become something very powerful, because it will be carried to COP30 in Brazil.”

Each participant was able to take a bowl containing some of this blessed water—partly from the glacial ice, mixed with water from rivers across the world that had been offered by representatives at the start of the conference. This was not just a gift, but a sign of the urgency of the climate crisis, marked by the hope carried through the Pope’s blessing.

Returning to the heart and raising our voices

Another highlight of the closing day came when Dr. Lorna Gold presented some of the commitments made by participants. Among the most significant were the power of collaboration, the importance of alliances, the call to return to the heart, and the promotion of the Laudato Si’ Animator Program developed by the LSM.

She emphasized the importance of implementation: “We cannot wait for others to act. We must implement the changes that are within our hands,” Dr. Lorna affirmed. She encouraged participants to raise their voices together in Belém, Brazil (next COP), where a new alliance for the non-proliferation of fossil fuels will also be launched.

Giving thanks for 10 years of the LSM

A deeply moving moment came as participants gave thanks for the ten-year history of the Laudato Si’ Movement, founded in January 2015. Dr. Lorna Gold recalled meeting co-founder Tomás Insua in that same year and being struck by his passion and energy to spread the values of the encyclical.

“The most extraordinary thing about our movement is joy,” she declared, urging everyone to “bring this joy to COP30.” She recalled Pope Francis’s words inviting us to “sing along the way,” because “our concern must not take away our joy or our hope.”

Yeb Saño, Chair of the Board of the Laudato Si’ Movement, urged participants to engrave into memory what had been lived during the conference so that “all these reasons push us out of bed every morning.” “We have a lot of work ahead, but Pope Leo is on our side. It’s not about rushing forward, but about moving together.”

Laudato Si’ for courageous communities

The morning opened with a keynote by Kumi Naidoo, Chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, who described himself as a “prisoner of hope.” He stressed that we must care for our environment because “there are no jobs or humans on a dead planet.”

“Catholic communities, through Laudato Si’, have shown courage,” Naidoo said, encouraging all to act with wisdom and faith, with a sense of urgency. “Hope is not love; hope is resilience, hope is a mission.”

The resilience of peoples

The next panel, titled “Faith and Shared Mission for a Resilient Planet,” was moderated by Josianne Gauthier, Secretary General of CIDSE (Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité). Key topics included financing for developing countries and resilience as the driving force to move forward.

Dr. Maina Vakafua Talia, Minister of the Interior, Climate Change and Environment of Tuvalu, noted that while her native language has no word for resilience, her people have learned to “move from vulnerability to strength” after enduring multiple climate catastrophes. She also emphasized the importance of spirituality in building a resilient future.

Dr. Svitlana Romanko, founder and director of Razom We Stand, spoke of her country, Ukraine, and how fossil fuel dependency as a consequence of war has devastated its people. She stressed that resilience is what keeps them standing today, together with renewable energy and green economies, proving that living on clean energy is possible.

Mons. Robert Vitillo, from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, contributed with a reflection from the Gospel: “We are taught about solidarity, and we must shift perspective to translate it into action in our commitments.”

Listening to the peripheries

In the afternoon, the final panel was moderated by Bianca Pitt, founder of the Women’s Environment Network and co-founder of SHE Changes Climate. It revolved around what our hearts tell us about the experience of these past days.

Catherine Coleman Flowers, MacArthur Fellow and advocate for environmental health, member of the boards of the Natural Resources Defense Council, shared how people on the margins are the ones who suffer the most and are least heard.

Bishop Ricardo Hoepers, Secretary General of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, reflected on his country’s diversity and how it is necessary to step out of our comfort zones to broaden our horizons: “My dream for Brazil is to unite Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti; and for nature and human beings to hold the same importance: nature is the space God has given us to live as brothers and sisters.”

And Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, stated: “I am convinced that the only way to bring about lasting change is to embrace love as the guiding principle of our ecological action. In Laudato Si’, the word love appears seventy times! A powerful indication of a path on which everyone and all of us are invited to walk. An invitation to journey from an authentic human fraternity — such as we have experienced in these days — toward a cosmic fraternity .”

Before concluding, participants joined in a final session of prayer and reflection, led by members of Trócaire. After presenting a video summary of the three-day journey, all were invited to recall the most significant moments and to solemnly commit to continuing the path, advocating for our common home.

By the Raising Hope Press Office
Photo: © Javier García-CSC Audiovisivi

Chiara Lubich at Genfest 1990

Chiara Lubich at Genfest 1990

3 Oct 2025 | Chiara Lubich, Nuove Generazioni, Sociale

Let’s take a look at some scenes that are typical of today’s world. …

We can observe … in countries that have experienced recent changes, people who are rejoicing in their newfound freedom. Alongside them are people who are fearful, disappointed and depressed because they have seen their ideals collapse. …

And what if we were to see scenes of racial strife with massacres and human rights violations … Or unending conflicts like those in the Middle East, with the destruction of homes, people wounded and dying and the continuous falling of deadly bombs or other lethal weapons? … … Let us ask ourselves again: what would Jesus say in the face of such tragedies? ‘I told you to love one another. Love one another as I have loved you’.

Yes, that is what he would say looking upon these and the most dire situations of the world today.

But his words are not merely regret for what has not been done. He really and truly is repeating them to us today. For he died, but he rose again and, as he promised, he is with us every day until the end of the world.

And what he says is of immense importance. Because this sentence ‘Love one another as I have loved you’ is the true key to solve of every problem. It is the fundamental answer to overcome every human evil. … …

Jesus defined the commandment of love as ‘mine’ and ‘new’. It is typically his, having given it a unique and very new content. He said, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you.’ And he gave his life for us.

Our life is therefore at stake if we love like this. And a love ready to give our life for our brothers and sisters/neighbours is what He is also asking of us

Friendship or kindness towards others is not enough for Him; neither is philanthropy nor solidarity alone. The kind of love He asks for is not limited to non-violence.

It is something active, very active. It asks us no longer to live for ourselves, but for others. And that requires sacrifice, effort. It asks everyone to become … like little daily “heroes” who, day after day, are at the service of their brothers and sisters/neighbours, ready to give even their lives for them. …

This mutual love among you will indeed produce fruits of infinite value, because where there is love, God is there and as Jesus said: ‘Where two or three are gathered in my name (that is, in his love), I am there among them’ …

Jesus himself will work with you in your countries, because in a certain way, he will return into the world, wherever you meet, and you will make him present by your mutual love, by your unity.

And he will enlighten you about all that needs to be done, he will guide you, he will support you, he will be your strength, your ardour, your joy. …

So, keep love among you and sow love in many corners of the earth among individuals, among groups, among nations, using every means, so that the invasion of love, which we often speak of, may become a reality, and so that the civilisation of love we are all longing for, may take root, thanks also to your contribution.

This is what you are called to do. And you will see great things happen.

Chiara Lubich
Photo © Archivio CSC Audiovisivi

Pope Leo XIV opens the Raising Hope Conference: What remains to be done after Laudato Si’?

Pope Leo XIV opens the Raising Hope Conference: What remains to be done after Laudato Si’?

1 Oct 2025 | Centro internazionale, Cultura, Dialogo Interreligioso, Ecology, Sociale

In the afternoon of October 1, at the Focolare Movement’s International Mariapolis Center in Castel Gandolfo, Rome, the Raising Hope Conference was inaugurated with the participation of His Holiness Leo XIV, alongside notable figures such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Governor of California, and the Hon. Marina Silva, Brazil’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

The session combined testimonies, spiritual and artistic moments, in thanksgiving for the 10th anniversary of the encyclical Laudato Si’. Representing the Laudato Si’ Movement, Associate Director Christina Leaño and Brazil Director Igor Bastos presided over the day’s opening.

A symbolic moment came when Pope Leo XIV touched and blessed a block of ice more than 20,000 years old, broken off due to climate change from a glacier in Greenland, as well as water brought from around the world—gestures embodying compassion and concern for the cry of the Earth and the poor.

Laudato Si’: What remains to be done?

“This Encyclical has profoundly inspired the Catholic Church and many people of goodwill,” Pope Leo began in his speech on Laudato Si’, “it opened strong dialogue, reflection groups, and academic programs.” The Pope noted how his predecessor’s encyclical spread “to international summits, to ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, to economic and business circles, to theological and bioethical studies.”

Giving thanks to the Heavenly Father “for this gift we have inherited from Pope Francis,” Leo stressed that today environmental and social challenges are even more urgent. On this anniversary we must ask ourselves: “What remains to be done? What must we do now to ensure that caring for our common home and listening to the cry of the earth and the poor do not appear as passing trends or, worse still, are seen and felt as divisive issues?” he asked.

Return to the heart: from data collection to care

“Today more than ever it is necessary to return to the heart, the place of freedom and authentic decisions,” affirmed the Pontiff, because although it “includes reason,” it also “transcends and transforms it.” “The heart is where external reality has the greatest impact, where the deepest search takes place, where the most authentic desires are discovered, where one’s ultimate identity is found, and where decisions are forged.”

In this regard, he stressed that “only by returning to the heart can a true ecological conversion take place.” “We must move from collecting data to caring; and from environmental discourse to an ecological conversion that transforms both personal and community lifestyles.”

Leo reminded those present that this experience of conversion orients us toward the living God: “We cannot love God, whom we do not see, while despising His creatures. Nor can we call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ without sharing His vision of creation and His care for all that is fragile and wounded.”

No room for indifference or resignation

Before concluding, the Pope looked with hope to the upcoming international summits —COP30 in 2025, the World Food Security Committee session, and the 2026 Water Conference— “so that they may listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”

He also encouraged young people, parents, and those working in administrations and institutions to contribute to “finding solutions to today’s cultural, spiritual, and educational challenges, always striving tenaciously for the common good.”

Finally, he reflected: “God will ask us if we have cultivated and cared for the world He created and for our brothers and sisters. What will our answer be?”

1.5 billion Catholics can get involved

Actor and former Governor of California, founder of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute and the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative, Arnold Schwarzenegger, began his address by congratulating the Holy Father for installing solar panels on the roofs of the Vatican: “I am standing next to a hero,” he declared.

“There are 1.5 billion Catholics — that power and strength must be used to get involved in the climate movement,” Schwarzenegger said, urging more focus on talking about pollution: “The average person doesn’t understand when we talk about net zero or rising temperatures. Instead of speaking to the head, we must speak to the heart. We can end pollution if we work together, because God put us on this Earth to make it a better place.”

Toward the COP of hope

Next came the Hon. Marina Silva, Brazil’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, co-chair of COP30. In her address, she expressed being inspired by Christian values in taking part in the conference.

Confidently, she stated: “I am certain that the Pope will make a great contribution so that COP30 goes down in history and becomes, as we all ardently hope, the COP of hope, to preserve and cultivate all forms of life that are part of the beautiful garden God has given us.”

From tears to hope

On stage, the Pope was joined by Dr. Lorna Gold, Executive Director of the Laudato Si’ Movement and President of the Conference Organizing Committee; theologian Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement; Fr. Jesús Morán; and Yeb Saño, Chair of the Board of the Laudato Si’ Movement, who shared his own story of facing climate catastrophes in the Philippines and introduced the testimonies.

A symbolic spiritual moment followed when representatives from East Timor, Ireland, Brazil, Zambia, and Mexico brought water from their homelands, poured into a common bowl on stage. They embodied the cry of indigenous peoples, wildlife, ecosystems, future generations, migrants, the poor, and the Earth itself.

From tears to hope, with the audience on their feet, Pope Leo approached the glacial ice and proclaimed a blessing over the water and all present: “May we work for the flourishing of all creation.” Musical performances by Adenike, Gen Verde, and the Pacific Artists for Climate Justice brought joy and energy to the encounter.

A block of Greenland’s ice

The ice traveled more than 5,000 kilometers from the fjords of Nuuk, Greenland, to Castel Gandolfo, Rome. Artist Olafur Eliasson organized the transfer with the support of geologist Minik Rosing. Collected from the Nuup Kangerlua fjord, the block of ice had detached from the Greenland ice sheet due to climate change and was melting into the ocean.
Greenland’s vast ice sheet is one of Earth’s most important climate regulators. Formed from compacted snow over tens of thousands of years, it contains layers more than 100,000 years old with ancient air bubbles recording the history of our atmosphere. NASA’s Earth Observatory estimates Greenland’s ice sheet is losing about 270 billion tons per year due to climate change.
As the ice releases meltwater into the ocean, it reminds us that our global relationship with ice sheets is existential: they connect us to the past, shape our present climate, and —depending on our care or neglect— will determine our common future. If the ice melts completely, NASA predicts sea levels could rise by about seven meters (23 feet), reshaping coastlines and displacing millions worldwide.

By the Raising Hope Press Office
Photo: © Javier García-CSC Audiovisivi

‘My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.’ (Ps 121 [120]:2)

‘My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.’ (Ps 121 [120]:2)

1 Oct 2025 | Word of Life

Is there anyone who, at certain times of their life, has not felt that they simply could no longer cope?

The author of Psalm 121 felt like this when facing great difficulties and wondered where the help needed could be found.

The answer is an affirmation of faith in God, in whom he or she trusts. The conviction with which the author speaks of the Lord, who watches over and protects each individual and all peoples, expresses a certainty that seems to arise from deep personal experience.

‘My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.’

The rest of the psalm, in effect, is a proclamation of a powerful and loving God, who created all that exists and guards it day and night. The Lord ‘will not let your foot falter, will not let your keeper fall asleep,[1], says the psalmist, eager to convince the reader.

Although surrounded by difficulties, the author has looked up,[2] sought a foothold outside and beyond their immediate sphere and found an answer.

The psalmist firmly believes in this God who watches over everyone day and night: he or she is ‘the keeper of Israel’iv and therefore, this belief must be communicated to others.[3].

The psalmist firmly believes in this God who watches over everyone day and night: he or she is ‘the keeper of Israel’[4] and therefore, this belief must be communicated to others.

‘My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.’

Chiara Lubich says, ‘In times of uncertainty, anguish and delay, God wants us to believe in his love and asks us to trust… He wants us to take advantage of these painful circumstances to show him that we believe in his love. And that means to have faith that he is our father who does not abandon us. That means casting all our worries onto him, loading everything on to him.[5]

But how does God‘s help actually reach each one of us?

Scripture recounts many episodes when this comes about through the actions of men and women, such as Moses, Elijah, Elisha or Esther, who were called to be instruments of divine care and concern for a particular person or for whole nations.

We too, if we ‘look up,’ will recognize the action of people who, consciously or not, come to our aid and we will be grateful to God from whom all goodness ultimately comes, for it is he who created each person’s heart. We will be able to witness this goodness to other people.

It is difficult to do this if we are closed in on ourselves and rely solely on our own strength to solve problems during challenging times.

Instead, when we are more open and our eyes are raised and see around us, we also discover that we can be instruments of God who provides for his children. We sense the concerns of others and can give them much needed help.

‘My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.’

Roger, from Costa Rica, recounts. ‘A priest I knew told me that someone was coming to the social help centre to collect some incontinence pads for a parishioner who needed them. While I was waiting for him, I saw a neighbour passing by who I knew was living in a very difficult situation and I gave her some food including the last seven eggs I had. She was surprised by what I did and revealed that she had nothing in her home that she, her husband or her children could eat. I reminded her that Jesus’ said, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Mt 7:7), emphasizing that he is aware of our needs. She returned home happy and grateful to God.

In the afternoon the person sent by the priest arrived. I offered him coffee. He was a truck driver and, while chatting, I asked him what he was transporting. “Eggs,” he replied, and he wanted to give me thirty-two!’

Edited by Silvano Malini & the Word of Life Team

[1]Sal 121 [120], 3
[2]Cf. Id., v 1.
[3]Cf. Id., v. 8.
[4]Id., v. 4.
[5] C. Lubich, Conversations, Rome 2019, p. 279.

Foto – ©Louis-Hansel-Unsplash

Silent Help

Silent Help

1 Oct 2025 | Idea of the Month, Non categorizzato

Who, at one point or another during their life time, has not felt that they simply could not cope?

These are times of confusion and great vulnerability when we become aware of our own limitations and it seems clear that we cannot face all of life’s challenges alone.

When we feel like this, we need to lift our gaze, shift our focus away from our difficulties and open up to a broader reality. By making this subtle yet decisive change from within, we become aware of an invisible “web”. This is like a delicate fabric of intertwining people, experiences, and circumstances that envelop, accompany, sustain and fill us with understanding.

This help does not always manifest explicitly; it comes from life itself with its mysterious ability to regenerate, heal, and set us on our way once again. This happens not through spectacular events but through discreet actions that are filled with human and symbolic meaning. They may be a silent presence in times of mourning, healing hands, an attentive gaze, a kind word, an unexpected phone call that breaks into our isolation or a gesture of trust when self-esteem falters.

How many people around us have believed in us before we ourselves had the courage to do so? And how often did we find the strength to resume our journey thanks to the faith and trust we have encountered?

Even our inner self that is so often worn down by doubt, despondency or fatigue can be renewed thanks to a meaningful encounter or a gratuitous gesture that makes us feel welcomed, recognized, and loved.

Then, driven by deep and sincere gratitude, we want to reciprocate and tell others about our transformative experience. And so, what we have received becomes a gift and, in a very humble way, we can become a gift for others.

Photo: ©Marcin Chilli Minio – Unsplash

THE IDEA OF THE MONTH is currently produced by the Focolare Movement’s “Centre for Dialogue with People of Non religious Beliefs”. It is an initiative that began in 2014 in Uruguay to share with non-believing friends the values of the Word of Life, i.e. the phrase from Scripture that members of the Movement strive to put into practice in their daily lives. Currently, THE IDEA OF THE MONTH is translated into 12 languages and distributed in more than 25 countries, with adaptations of the text according to different cultural sensitivities. www. dialogue4unity.focolare.org

Our commitment to peace

Our commitment to peace

27 Sep 2025 | Centro internazionale, Cultura, Sociale

Castel Gandolfo (Rome), 27 September 2025

To all those who belong to the Focolare Movement in the world

We, the leadership of the Focolare Movement, gathered in Rome, representing those who belong to the Movement in 140 countries where it is present, express how much we are suffering at the continuing escalation of armed conflicts that are devastating the Middle East and many other parts of the world.

We express our firm and unwavering closeness to the people and nations who are suffering, and we condemn all forms of violence, injustice and oppression.

Aware that peace begins with our daily actions, we would like to invite everyone to embrace and endorse the following commitments with their lives:

• to be ‘artisans of peace’, prepared to overcome ideologies and divisions,

• to promote and support networks of solidarity in order to provide material, psychological and spiritual support to the victims of all wars,

• to ensure that each of our communities becomes a ‘home of peace’, where we learn to defuse hostility through dialogue and mutual understanding, where justice is practised and forgiveness is fostered,

• to promote educational programmes to develop a culture of peace, inclusion and non-violence, especially among the new generations,

• to encourage all local and global initiatives that generate encounters and interreligious and intercultural dialogue, which are fundamental for reconciliation.

We commit ourselves to ensure that forgiveness, dialogue and fraternity are not mere words but become real pathways that open up the future and prevent violence from having the last word.

May an unceasing and confident prayer rise from every corner of the earth to the God of peace, so that he may enlighten the hearts of those who have the power to act so as to put an end to every conflict.

Download the PDF with the Declaration and Prayer for Peace in the World

Audience with Pope Leo XIV

Audience with Pope Leo XIV

26 Sep 2025 | Centro internazionale, Chiesa

“We went to the Pope this morning to share with him the life of the Movement and to listen to what he had to say to us,” said Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán, President and Co-President of the Focolare Movement at the end of a private audience with Pope Leo XIV. “It was a meaningful, personal and fraternal meeting. He was interested to hear about our work for peace, for ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, for the dialogue with cultures and, especially, for communion between ecclesial movements. He encouraged us to continue spreading the charism throughout the world.”
“At the end,” says Margaret Karram, “I asked him if we could bring his blessing to all those belonging to the Movement. ‘Certainly!’ he replied.”
If you would like to follow Margaret and Jesús’s “live coverage” of this event, tune in tomorrow at 6 p.m. Italian time for the Link-up (the worldwide video conference call).

Photo © Vatican Media

United States: Focolare Media and Focolare Foundation

United States: Focolare Media and Focolare Foundation

24 Sep 2025 | Cultura, Focolari nel Mondo, Sociale

Focolare Media brings together the media network (New City Press publishing house, Living City magazine, social media and communications) of the Focolare Movement in North America. Focolare Foundation was created in response to Chiara Lubich’s appeal to the Movement in North America for greater sharing and redistribution of financial resources.

During their visit to the United States in May 2025, Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán (President and Co-President of the Focolare Movement) met with the two Boards of Directors.

Peace for Gaza

Peace for Gaza

22 Sep 2025 | Chiesa, Non categorizzato, Sociale

The event will take place on Monday, 22 September 2025 at 7.30 p.m. (Italian time) in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome (Italy). A video link from Jerusalem with Cardinal Pizzaballa is also planned. Follow the live broadcast here.

United States: finding unity in a polarized world

United States: finding unity in a polarized world

19 Sep 2025 | Cultura, Sociale, Testimonianze di Vita

Violence – even verbal violence – seems to be increasingly characteristic of our age. On social media, divisions go viral and create even more hatred, accentuate polarization and shut the door on dialogue. It is not easy to break out of this cycle. Phil lives in Tucson, Arizona, and Laura is from Boston. Politically, they are on opposite sides, but they share the charism of unity and a commitment to living the Gospel every day. Here they recount how they have experienced that not only words, but also sincere listening can open gaps in the walls of the most stubborn convictions.

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