Nov 12, 2021 | Non categorizzato
What do heads of state have in common with Serbian young people? They are all looking for solutions to a common problem: protecting our suffering planet. While Earth’s most powerful are gathered in the UK for COP26, some young Serbian people tell us about an ecological day they had. “Is this how our story should end? The tale of the smartest species doomed by being too human to be able to see the global landscape and by wanting to pursue short-term goals.” In a grave and powerful voice, David Attenborough, 95-year-old naturalist and science populariser, spoke those words in front of Earth’s most powerful during COP26. The “Conference of the Parties,” organized by the United Nations and most recently begun on October 31, is focused as always on the theme of climate change. This year in particular is perceived by many as the great opportunity to make important decisions on the theme of ecology and integral ecology. According to many experts, if no decisive action is taken now, it will be too late. The heads of state gathered in Glasgow have great decision-making power, but it is also true that there is a need for a change that sees everyone taking a lead role. It is a change based, on the one hand, on collaboration between states, and on the other, on tangible actions at the local level involving each of us. Precisely during this second week of international agreements and negotiations, we decided to let you know about a short story, sent to us by some young people from the Focolare Movement in Serbia. During an ecological day organized a few weeks ago, these very young people set to work to find intelligent solutions to concrete problems, while respecting Creation. “We are the greatest problem solvers that have ever existed on Earth,” continued Attenborough in his COP address, “and nature is our greatest ally.” These young people in Serbia have come up with new ways to solve the problems they live with, striving to be green, sustainable and renewable. On one of the first days of work at COP26, Pope Francis tweeted: “There is no more time to wait; there are too many human faces suffering from this climate crisis now. We must act with urgency, courage and responsibility to prepare a future in which humanity is able to take care of itself and nature.” Each of us can do our part, some within an international conference, some through a change in our daily routine. The important thing is to start, now, and together. Here is the video of the ecological day in Serbia. Activate English or Italian subtitles!:
Laura Salerno
An ecological day_in Serbia
Nov 11, 2021 | Non categorizzato
On 8 May 2021 at a traffic light in the city of Porto Alegre (Brazil), Lorenzo, aged 24, and his mother, Themis, saw a poor man with a sign: “I’m hungry, help me”. This is how the project “Troque-a-fome-por-flor” (Swap hunger for a flower) began. The result is a network of florists and volunteers that now employs more than 70 people and is also spreading to other cities in Brazil. https://vimeo.com/619912229
Nov 9, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Statement by the Focolare Movement on the publication of the book “La Setta Divina” (The Divine Sect) by Ferruccio Pinotti (PIEMME Editions) The Focolare Movement has learned of the publication of the book “La setta divina” (The Divine Sect) by the journalist Ferruccio Pinotti (PIEMME Ed.), released today in Italian bookshops. The book comes at a difficult and crucial time in the history of the Focolare Movement: the transition from the founding period to the post-foundational phase. Throughout the history of the Church, this is a time that has often put to the test religious orders, movements and communities born of charismatic inspiration. Ferruccio Pinotti’s book wants to show that, even in the Focolare Movement, the initial zeal has sometimes led to misinterpretations of Chiara Lubich’s charism and/or to misleading actions. From the documents that Pinotti has obtained and published in the book regarding some of the internal debates within the Focolare Movement, there emerges, nevertheless, a growing awareness among the members of these and other inconsistencies in its history and the need to remedy them. However, the book does not seem to offer an objective and well-considered presentation of this charism, which is recognised by the Catholic Church. It does not take into account the commitment of many thousands of people who, inspired by the life and teachings of the foundress, devote themselves daily and generously throughout the world to creating relationships, healing wounds and overcoming rifts in every sphere of ecclesial and social life, in order to build a more fraternal and united world. We accept without reserve the fact that so much pain has been caused to the people who, in these pages, tell their stories of great suffering, disappointment, deception and abuse endured, and of those who did not wish to make their testimonies public. The Focolare Movement, in the persons of President Margaret Karram and Co-President Jesús Morán, expresses once again its shame and sorrow towards the victims and all those who have been wronged, its closeness and its desire to continue or begin a path of dialogue with them. It reaffirms its commitment to combat all forms of abuse and continue to improve its protection of children and vulnerable adults through ongoing formation of its members and leaders. It repeats its invitation to all those who have facts or stories of abuse to report them to the Commission for the Welfare and Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults (CO.BE.TU.) or to their respective Church bodies. Despite the partial, one-sided, sometimes inaccurate or reductive reading of the history, spirituality and activity of the Movement, we see this book as a further incentive in continuing the ongoing processes of conversion and renewal, remaining faithful to the founding charism and to the development of an open, free and critical dialogue within the Movement and with anyone who wishes to fully understand the Movement as it is today and collaborate with it.
Stefania Tanesini
Nov 8, 2021 | Non categorizzato
The Word of Life for November 2021 invites us to be peacemakers. In this text, Chiara Lubich explains how to become one. Do you know who the peacemakers are that Jesus is talking about? They are not people we call “peaceful,” who only want a quiet life, who don’t like arguments. They might seem naturally inclined to get along with others, but frequently they secretly would rather not be disturbed or have any trouble. Nor are peacemakers those good people who, trusting in God, do not react when they are provoked or insulted. Peacemakers are those who love peace so much that they are not afraid to intervene in a conflict to bring peace to those involved. Only those who possess peace can be bearers of peace. First of all, we have to be bearers of peace by the way we behave in each moment, living in harmony with God and his will. Peacemakers strive to create bonds, to establish relationships among people, to resolve tensions, to alleviate the atmosphere of “cold war” that can often prevail in some family situations, at work, in school, during sporting events, between nations, and so on.
Chiara Lubich
(Chiara Lubich, in Parole di Vita, [Words of Life] edited by Fabio Ciardi, Opere di Chiara Lubich, Città Nuova, 2017, p. 196)
Nov 7, 2021 | Non categorizzato
15 experts in law, formation and psychology, from different geographical and cultural areas. An independent team that collaborates and supervises both the safeguarding and protection of young people and cases of abuse of power within the Focolare Movement. This team took office on September 17 and its coordinator is the Italian lawyer Orazio Moscatello, a criminal and civil lawyer, expert in Family and Juvenile Law. The Commission for the Safeguarding and Protection of Young People and Vulnerable Adults (CO.BE.TU.) has been expanded and strengthened in order to offer an increasingly competent and comprehensive service to those who have suffered or are suffering abuse within the Focolare Movement and to those who wish to report that this is or has taken place. The new members will be able to intervene and make a professional contribution in two specific areas:
- training and prevention
- management of reports of abuse, both sexual abuse of young people and abuse of power.
“The issue of abuse was one of the priorities dealt with by the Focolare General Assembly last January,” Orazio Moscatello explains. “The Assembly is aware of what has been done and is being done now in this field, but it has called for a renewed commitment to prevent abuse on the part of all members of the Movement, as stated in the final working document.“ In fact, point 2 of the text presents the conclusions and commitment of the Focolare for the next 5 years by stating: “We commit ourselves to strengthen what is already in place to prevent all forms of abuse – physical, sexual or abuse of power or conscience. We ask the victims for forgiveness and assure them of our complete support; with great sorrow, we recognize, all those situations in which we have not been able to protect them. We are committed to an even greater fostering of a culture of safeguarding and protection for all people, providing appropriate training and using clear communication.” Shortly after this declaration was drafted, Focolare President Margaret Karram arranged for the Commission for the Safegarding of Young People and the Independent Commission for the Protection of Adults to be unified into a single entity. In addition, to ensure the full independence of the commission, its members will not have roles of responsibility in the central or dispersed instruments of governance of the Movement,during their three-year term of office.
Stefania Tanesini
For further information or to report situations of abuse, contact: cobetu@focolare.org
Nov 6, 2021 | Non categorizzato
181 bishops, friends of the Focolare Movement, from 45 countries of the world and from 70 Churches and ecclesial communities participated in the conference “Dare to be one. The gift of unity in a divided world” that took place from 23 to 25 September 2021. The background and meaning of this meeting through interviews with five of the participating Bishops. https://vimeo.com/620771973
Nov 5, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Sophia Web Academy (SWA) constitutes an original way of providing training in the culture of unity; it is an experiment that IUS (Sophia University Institute) has begun and it aims to respond to the needs that many people are experiencing now. The course provides an advanced level of training and consists of two specific elements – culture and leadership of unity. It targets both people who already know the Focolare Movement and others who do not. Michele Zanzucchi, professor of communication at Sophia and coordinator of SWA, tells us about it. What is the mission of Sophia Web Academy? Sophia Web Academy (SWA) proposes to investigate and present the main conceptual and practical expressions of the charism of unity. It explicitly attempts to examine and compare the work of all those who have initiated cultural reflection that has developed from the mystical intuition of Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement. How did this idea come about? It came about during the pandemic. There was an increase in the requests for formation on the foundations of the charism of unity and it became obvious that it was possible to give satisfactory training online. In the Focolare Movement, there is a need for a twofold formation course for people who have leadership roles, both at central and local levels. These courses should offer participants adequate preparation for the challenges of our times so that they can correspond appropriately bearing in mind the great gift of the charism of unity they have received. The courses should also equip some of members as “managers” of groups of varying numbers of people. How is it structured? The first year of the online specialist course consists of a total of 700 hours – 180 lectures, 60 hours of work under the guidance of tutors or in dialogue with teachers, and 460 of personal study – corresponding to about 30 academic credits, spread over 8 months, from 28 November 2021 to 3 July 2022. Starting from a common base of about 44 hours of teacher centred education, the following 120 hours will be divided into two areas: “culture of unity” and “dialogical leadership”. Then, during the last “three days”, there will be 16 hous of interdisciplinary teaching and learning. What are the entry requirements? You can enrol in the course as a student or as an auditor. Students need to have a degree, participate in the lessons, are entitled to a tutor, sit the exams and will receive a university certificate. Auditors, on the other hand, can enrol without any special qualifications, attend courses, are not entitled to a tutor, do not sit exams and will receive a university extension certificate of attendance. As auditors it is possible to enrol in individual modules. The full course of study can be completed in one or two years. One of the two areas of study that SWA offers concerns the “culture of unity”. What are the goals to be achieved? One of the qualities of a leader in a rapidly changing world is wisdom. The specific task of Sophia, according to Chiara Lubich, is precisely that of ‘teaching wisdom’, which is also acquired by listening to the voices – and entering into dialogue with them – of those who have sought the truth throughout the centuries. For a leader, this means acquiring the ability to see far ahead and also to think strategically about the processes to be put in place today to prepare a more humane tomorrow. An essential part of the course is dedicated to Chiara Lubich’s experience and thought in the context of the Focolare Movement, a very valid contribution to the integral formation of leaders. How can the topic of “leadership” be linked to the notion of unity? SWA offers a space to know and learn about leadership which is strongly characterised by dialogue and service, attention to the least, communion, active involvement and flexibility. This will lead to an increased capacity for strategic decision-making and choice, team work and communication. The leadership course is based on 5 didactic units that complement each other in an organic way, combining theoretical and practical aspects. “Fundamentals of leadership”, “Group management”, “Personal development”, “Flexible Work”, “Types and models of leadership” form the basic elements of this innovative and engaging course. For registration and further information, contact: https://swa.sophiauniversity.org
Maria Grazia Berretta
Nov 4, 2021 | Non categorizzato
New academic year of the University Institute inaugurated in Focolare’s little town of Loppiano (Italy) with integral ecology and its implications for the university being the central theme. The Sophia University Institute has one ambition: to reintroduce the pedagogical model used by Greek philosophers before Christ, like Gymnasium or Lyceum, into the university system where coexistence between teachers and students formed the fundamental educational impetus, but adding Christian values of the person and communion. This is no mean feat in a place of research and “integral ecology”. As Federico Rovea, a former student of Sophia, now a teacher, said: “Sophia means doing university, seeking the truth in an atmosphere of friendship”. This was experienced on 29 October 2021, at the Sophia University Institute in Loppiano (Italy), during the inauguration ceremony of the 2021-2022 academic year. Theme: “What are the implications for the university in an age of integral ecology?”. 
The President of the Focolare Movement, Margaret Karram, who is vice-grand chancellor of the Institute, reiterated in her address that “the objectives that Sophia proposes are high and engaging. They require everyone to give the best of themselves in a continuous openness to dialogue and listening, a place where intellectual commitment always looks for new ways to respond to the cultural needs of our time”. Speaking with some emotion the new rector, Giuseppe Argiolas, recalled the great challenges linked to the pandemic: “We have accomplished what in the past we imagined we would do over several years: 1) complete the 2019/20 academic year via Internet; 2) create the conditions for a high-level offer, with a professional platform; 3) offer a specific diploma for those who would like to study at Sophia but don’t have the means to come to Loppiano. This is Sophia Web Academy: Culture of Unity and Leadership through dialogue”. In a well-received speech, Valeria Garré, representing the students, emphasised three words: journey, commitment and openness: “Sophia is my home every time I realise that ecology is truly integral, also when it is not easy, and includes relationship, care for our environment and being faithful to completing a task”. Finally, Cardinal Giuseppe Betori, Archbishop of Florence (Italy) and Grand Chancellor of Sophia, focused on the meeting due to take place in February in Florence of a number of Bishops and Mayors from Mediterranean countries. “Our Churches feel the need to rediscover their own identity. Starting from the fact that we have the Mediterranean in common, every local Church and every government can adopt an attitude of listening to and welcoming the cry of humanity without being afraid of recognising the cry of Christ, his ‘Why?’ in this cry which has a political, religious, social, cultural, economic and ecological nature, a cry also for health, food and water”. The focus of the ceremony was therefore integral ecology. Professor Sergio Rondinara wanted to take up the ecological challenge by linking it to a deeper and more invasive anthropological challenge: “In the recent past the relationship between humanity and nature was balanced and often collaborative (we need only think of the agricultural and farming society). Today it has taken on a critical configuration which we commonly call the ‘environmental crisis’”. He explained how to get out of such a crisis, working on four levels: “the cultural anthropological level, the level of thought, the ethical level and the religious level, all pathways on a personal and social educational journey”. In the discussion, Prof. Mario Taccolini, from the Catholic University of Milan (Italy), highlighted his university’s experience of focusing on the need for an integral ecology, while Prof. Stefania Papa, from the Vanvitelli University of Campania (Italy), emphasised the need for university programmes to be driven by this vital culture. What remains is the conviction that integral ecology is not just a scientific or political objective, but a way of “being in the world”.
Michele Zanzucchi
Nov 1, 2021 | Non categorizzato
On the feast of All Saints, Chiara Lubich invites us to seek holiness together in order to bear witness to mutual love even beyond the limits of our earthly life. We understood that we have been called to love our neighbours, but we can love a little or we can love a lot. People who love a little are those who limit themselves to loving their neighbours only in their own lifetime. People who love a lot are those who find the way to love their neighbours even after this life, for years and centuries afterwards. Since Christ was living in them, they remain here on earth as models that many can imitate. This is what the saints did. People are still meditating on their lives, their writings and their works even many centuries after their “departure” from this earth. Following their example, we can do the same. We can become saints out of love for our contemporaries and for those who will come in the future, to give them light and encouragement along their path in life for a very long time, and to fill their hearts with the flame of love. Therefore, we should strive towards holiness, certainly not for our own benefit but – as well as for the glory of God – for the sake of our neighbours.
Chiara Lubich
(Chiara Lubich, in Conversazioni in collegamento telefonico, [Telephone conversations] edited by Michel Vandeleene, Opere di Chiara Lubich, Città Nuova, 2019, pag. 430-431)
Oct 29, 2021 | Non categorizzato
“Family Love: A Vocation and a Path to Holiness” is the theme of the Tenth World Meeting of Families promoted by the Catholic Church, to take place June 22-26, in 2022. Two married Focolarini, Marcelo Chávez and Pia Noria who coordinate the New Families Movement in part of South America (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay) share their own story and the build up to this event. “As a child I felt God calling me to follow Him, even though I didn’t know what way I should take. After a time of discernment I understood marriage would be my way”, explains Marcelo Chávez, husband to Pia and father to three wonderful daughters. With Pia he found a vocation born from long years of friendship in which they shared the same ideal of life, leading to a a beautiful engagement journey and the great adventure of matrimony. They form a family which hopes to be a “living Church” alongside many other protagonists of the tenth World Meting of Families in Rome, Italy, from 22 to 26 June, 2022. The theme: “Family Love: A Vocation and a Path to Holiness” How are you preparing for this event which, in his introductory message Pope Francis has described as, due to the pandemic, bearing a “multicentered and widespread format”? When Pope Francis inaugurated the Year of Amoris Laetitia Family in March 2021 and announced that there would be a concluding World Meeting of Families in Rome, we immediately felt called to be present at this event. Then in July 2021, the Pope invited everyone to participate using a new format with all dioceses gathering families together for a local experience. In this, we saw how Rome was opening wide its arms to the world, towards all families no matter how far away, so no-one need be excluded. We realised we could experience this miracle of unity among families as protagonists and not as distant observers. So we’ll now participate in the Meeting in our own place, supporting the initiatives of our Archdiocese of Santiago del Cile, together with other ecclesial movements. As a family, what does it mean to follow a way towards holiness? On 6 September 2021 we celebrated 18 years of marriage. And we’ve never had any doubts, not even in the hardest of times. Our calling is and always will be to love one another as God wants. God has taken our “yes” at our word, and He helps us to go ahead. We see this way towards holiness in marriage as a shared journey, something we do together, united, both of us contributing to the sanctification of each other. How does Jesus support you in your life and what role does prayer have, particularly in this period of the Covid pandemic? Day by day, throughout the past 18 years, we’ve come to realise that the measure of married love is truly to give our lives for one another. Making ourselves available for this, with Christ’s grace, has allowed us to discover how our very differences can take on a new dimension. Naturally, there’ve been plenty of situations when we found it more or less difficult to resolve our differences. But whenever we found ourselves in conflict, we experienced a strong desire to be faithful to the sacrament of marriage and to continue to love Jesus in these challenges. We need courage and great strength of will, entrusting ourselves to God, to the Holy Family, in order to face all the complex situations life can and does present. Prayer has always sustained us and keeps on sustaining us along the journey. It gives us strength and conviction that everything is the Love of God. Throughout the pandemic, in particular, praying as a family has been so important, as well as praying with the Focolare community and with other families. Even if we’ve been unable to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we’ve understood that we still meet Him and His love can manifest itself among us. In the press conference to launch the Meeting, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life said “Families are the seed to be sown in the world in order to make it fertile with real and credible witnesses of the beauty of family love.” How can this witness reach beyond the walls of the family home? We look to the Holy Family of Nazareth. The greatness and importance of being a family today is still to be found there: to become the place where Jesus can be born and be given to the world. We experience how the love of God manifest in our lives can never remain within our own families, but must radiate outwards as the basis for meeting other families, other married and engaged couples. Everything is an opportunity to love and to give God’s love. Journeying together with other families means building community, sharing goods, needs, worries and taking care of the needs of all.
Maria Grazia Berretta
