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Jun 17, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
The feast of Pentecost is past, once again bringing the gift of unity that is felt even among different charisms, such as those developed through the centuries by many Christian churches. In order to emphasize the spirit of Pentecost, which unites Christians, the churches in the southern hemisphere celebrate at this time of year the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In Porto Alegre, for example, conferences have given way to art: a musical evening called “An Ecumenical Musical Evening” brought together various groups in the city, both as audience and as musicians. Intense correspondence over a two-month period meant that all those who in previous years had participated in ecumenical initiatives were invited. And finally the much-expected date arrived: June 4, 2014. There were approximately 300 people, to listen to a performance of violins, with children from different schools, the choir of Porto Alegre, with people from all over the city, not belonging to any particular church, and other artistic pieces. The recitation of the Lord’s Prayer was an important moment, to seal real relationships as brothers and sisters who seek to bear witness to the one faith in Christ. How to live this witness? Joan Patricia Back (Centro Uno of the Focolare Movement), in a reflection during the Week of Prayer in the northern hemisphere (January 2014) in Modena, Italy had said, “The exhortation to unity is contradicted by the actual situation: for centuries Christians have been divided, and the divisions are the anomaly with which they present themselves to the world that does not know Christ. But Jesus said that the world would recognize him by the unity of those who follow him: how can we live today so that the world may see Christ in us? We are called to live a life of communion in Christ, which is the foundation of unity: if we base our lives on Him, we live as he taught us, we are his people, then we will be one. And he invites us to love one another as he has loved us, because from this people will recognize us as disciples. And we can love each other even though we belong to different churches.”
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Jun 16, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
“After a year of intense collaboration and mutual understanding with our Muslim friends of the mosque in Harlem – some members of the Focolare community in New York write – on 29th May last, we held a meeting called: ‘Our Journey towards the Excellence of the Human Family’.” Before telling the 200 participants about the journey travelled together all these years, the young Muslims and members of the Focolare Movement recited the covenant of respect, brotherhood and mutual love, which is the basis of this walking together. “It was very powerful – Lumi tells us – to see the conviction of these young people who took the assignment to build universal brotherhood with responsibility and seriousness, referring to the pact made by Chiara Lubich and WD Mohammed.” In fact, a new page in relations between Christians and Muslims was opened in May 1997 in the United States. Chiara Lubich, a Christian woman, had been invited by Imam WD Mohammed, the charismatic leader of African-American Muslims, to address her message to the faithful gathered in the Historic Malcolm Shabazz Mosque, in Harlem. At the end of that special day, the Imam said: “Today, here in Harlem, New York, a page of history has been written.” That was when the two leaders had made that pact of fraternity. 
Watching the images showing the history of the path followed up to today, for someone it was like “reliving the power of that extraordinary meeting of ’97 in my mosque; my hope is that together we can keep this flame burning and give light to many … “. For many, on the other hand, it was a discovery to get to know the origins, but also the development of this unique experience of fraternity among African-American Muslims and American Christians. The comments of the participants speak for themselves: “I was struck by the atmosphere of family and reconciliation among some Muslims of different communities.” “We must continue to work together, because this is not a superficial relationship and leads to hope.” “We had the distinct impression that the words of Chiara and the Imam were more alive than ever, the prophecy of a miracle that continues!” Father McWeeney, Director of Interreligious Dialogue of the Archdiocese of New York, bringing the greeting of Cardinal Dolan pointed out that Chiara and the Imam WD had made that covenant “forever”, inviting us to pass on this experience to young people. Today in the U.S., there are more than 40 mosques and Focolare communities involved holding regular meetings of Christian and Muslim communities, whites and blacks, which aim to build fraternity; a spirit of brotherhood that has a practical expression in various initiatives for the benefit of their own cities and neighbourhoods.
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Jun 14, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
www.focolare.org/collegamentoch
https://vimeo.com/96706325
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Jun 13, 2014 | Non categorizzato
“If it is true that at the end of this World Cup, only one team will raise the Winner’s Cup, we must learn the lessons that sport teaches us: then we will all be winners strengthening the ties that bind us together,” Pope Francis said in his video message on the occasion of the World Cup 2014. A culture of defeat for a new culture of victory, was also the provocative title of a gathering of Sportmeet, a worldwide network of sportspeople and sports operators, to whom Chiara Lubich addressed these words: 
“In the Christian mentality, the one who loses knows the value of suffering and defeat because the Son of God has given them value. This person can still experience the deeper joy that comes from having given; given of him or herself during training, or in the relationships established in building up the team, in doing his or her very best in front of the crowds. True inner joy is born only from self-giving, from love. It is a more limpid, pure joy for those who win (if they have striven and won out of love) and for those who lose (if they too have striven and lost out of love). Then sport retains its authentic seal and will be elevated to its true social status. It can then contribute to regenerating humanity in our over-stressed world, to being an element that brings people together, one of brotherhood and peace among peoples and nations. In ancient Greece, during the Olympics, a moratorium was declared on all wars. Let’s not lag behind in comparison to then!” Chiara Lubich, 10 September 2005, message to the Third International Sportmeet Congress
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Jun 12, 2014 | Non categorizzato
Burundi. “This area experienced dramatic events in 1994 – the AMU workers tell us -: The population was caught up in killings, reprisals, robberies, wholesale destruction of homes and goods. Living and hygiene conditions are still deplorable, and the worst effected are women and children. The vulnerable families of these towns are very numerous and many of the children don’t go to school; often they are brought up by single women with children, weakened by years of war and hardships, and they don’t have resources of any kind, without any hope of improvement.” In 2014 a new project was set up in the metropolitan area of Bujumbura together with a partner association CASOBU , in collaboration with the Associazione Uomo Mondo of Treviso (Italy) and with co-funding from the Veneto Regional Council in Italy. In the working through of the project, in dialogue with the beneficiaries, the institutions and the staff of CASOBU, certain needs were identified as priorities. An attempt to address these needs will be made through a series of activities aimed to help 250 vulnerable families, totalling 1,500 people altogether. 
Camerun. The construction of the water well at Nega (Cameroon) has been completed, and it has become a place of meeting and sharing. “We can say that everyone – adults, children and the elderly – have helped build the well – (AMU Notizie n. 4/2013) – through physical labour and the transport of stones and sand. A small annual fee for maintenance is also asked of each family according to the possibilities of each, thanks to the sale of cocoa and other produce grown. This direct involvement makes everyone feel the well as his or her own: an asset to protect. ” Prior to the construction, the villagers had been informed and trained, through community meetings, on how to take care of the well and use water responsibly. The well, also, was built at a transit point, so travellers can use it too. Fr Simon Pierre, a priest of the parish, writes: “Without exaggeration, we can say that the construction of the well has brought visible benefits to the village. Everyone now has drinking water so there is an improvement in terms of health; for example, there are fewer people with abdominal pains. The well has become a place of meeting and sharing between people and this helps to unite the community.” Source: AMU Notizie n. 2/2014
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Jun 11, 2014 | Non categorizzato
In the early 1960’s, Sicily was far from Trent and seemed inaccessible. Yet since that time, through the first group of the Focolare Movement, the spirituality of unity spread in many towns of this island in the far south of Italy. Among these Scicli, which has 25 thousand inhabitants, is a town which is a jewel of the baroque period and has been declared a World Heritage Site. It overlooks the Strait of Sicily and has found itself at the centre of the new migrant influx of these times, like Agrigento, Pozzallo and others that we often hear mentioned as places where migrants from north Africa come to land. By nature, the people are welcoming, but Jesus’ invitation “That all may be one” (John 17:21) and the suggestions of Chiara Lubich about the way to follow for those who wish to conquer their own city for God, over the years have motivated the Scicli Focolare community to seize every opportunity to reach out to many people: a dialogue with Christians of different churches, support for immigrant youth, a New Year’s Eve initiative not to leave anyone alone, Italian lessons, a day care centre animated by children for children, a meals service which turned into a project (“One family, one table”), and more. 
“There are members of the Methodist Church living in our city,” says Ignatius Ventura from Scicli. Already in the 1990’s a deep dialogue of communion and sharing of ideas started with them. Together we decided to run a weekly canteen for the many immigrants in our city.” “Hichem and Samia are a young Tunisian couple who recently came to Scicli. We supported them as they tried to sort out their modest house. Worried about their precarious financial situation, they told us that they were expecting a baby. It was the concrete love of many that reassured to go ahead with the pregnancy. After the first few moments of joy, the birth of their child, Deyssem, turned into an alarming race against time. Due to an abnormality: an operation was needed within a few hours! We were with them in this delicate moment. We had to arrange the transfer to Rome. One of our community offered to accompany the child and his dad. The operation was completely successful and the child was saved.” Around that time, together with other institutions, the Scicli community founded an intercultural reception centre named “The Source” and responded to an appeal launched by the City Council for Italian language lessons for migrant youth which were given three times a week, for two consecutive years. The result was a performance in which North African and Scicli youth gave the best of themselves. 
Inspired by the ‘Manifesto’ that Chiara gave to the new generations, “One city is not enough”, since 2005 the “Teens for Unity” look after children in a day care centre which some Religious Sisters run. Here children from difficult situations have lunch and spend the afternoon. A rota was organized for playing with them and for helping them with their homework. The social worker and the psychologist have said that the presence of the “Teens for Unity” is very important for children. In 2006 the families of the Focolare were asked to contribute to the formation of the families of the children of the Centre. These were Albanian families, from a different religion and culture, families which were separated and some of which had parents in prison or under house arrest … “Our support to the centre and to the Sisters gave us many opportunities to establish relationships of mutual help and assistance, even when all we could do was to listen and try to understand their suffering. This was how the “One family, one table” project started: a meal organized for sixty people, one Sunday a month. Ignatius concludes, “We are experiencing that the spirit of family spirit exists beyond cultural barriers. It’s really true that by giving ourselves to others we experience peace in our souls and the freedom of being children of God.
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Jun 10, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
Margaret is an Arab Christian born in Israel. She received the Mount Zion 2013 prize, together with Yisca Harani, a Jew, for “the important contribution to the development of dialogue amongst religions and cultures in the Holy Land and to understanding between Jews, Christians and Muslims”. Margaret Karram, former member of the Episcopal Commission for Interreligious Dialogue of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of the Holy Land and collaborator with the directorate of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI), is now at the International Centre of the Focolare Movement and it was she who read the prayer of St Francis in the Christian section of the invocation for peace instigated by the Bishop of Rome with Shimon Peres and Abu Mazen, with the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew 1 also present. We report parts of the interview she gave to Victoria Gomez of Citta Nuova. What are your impressions of this meeting? “The first was that of finding myself in an oasis of peace. I am very aware of the differences which prevent it, and yet in those two hours spent together praying, it seemed to me that while we were asking God for the gift of peace, he was given the way to see ‘from above’, so to speak, the result of human efforts. The design is obviously not yet complete, but it seemed to me like the embroidery of a rug: on the back the knots that we must untie, but the one looking at the embroidery was God and he could see the pattern. While one prayer followed the other in Hebrew and in Arabic I thought to myself: ‘God knows these prayers and understands them. He knows how to act in history.’ I could see the power of prayer and I understood that only God is capable of changing man’s heart. Our part is to have the patience of the skilled artisan. Your story is like a passport that prepared you to participate in this event … Since I was young I have always dreamed of peace. As children we asked ourselves: ‘Which is my country, where is my place, who am I?’ Now, at 50, I can’t see that dream of a fatherland any closer, but we have sown the seed and lots of them! We must continue doing so. It’s our duty to the future generations. We must pass on the certainty of a possible future, without losing hope or giving up because of the fatigue. Then yesterday was also the feast of Pentecost and the action of the Holy Spirit ‘waters that which is dry, heals that which is wounded and bends that which is inflexible …’. You were representing the Focolare Movement with a personal invitation from Pope Francis … 
Many people, from the President Maria Voce to my friends in Bethlehem and Jerusalem assured me of their support. I heard many joyful words from several Christian, Jewish and Muslim dignitaries whom I met in the Vatican Gardens. I had the impression that the Pope gave us a new encouragement to commit ourselves to peace with greater courage. I felt it also directed to us as members of the Focolare Movement: to be more present, more active, more courageous actors in undoing the ‘knots’ that we find everywhere. The Pope’s personal greeting confirmed this for me, as did other authorities I met. You were the only woman to read a prayer. How did that feel? I tried to read that prayer as a representative of humanity that believes, suffers and hopes. As women we have an important role to play for peace. One of the participants said to me: ‘It is so important that you are here. I know the rich contribution a woman can make!’ As we listened to those beautiful prayers and music I recalled the words of the Pope at the Angelus, just a few hours before: the Mother Church and the Mother Mary are ‘both mothers, both women’. And in the certainly not always harmonious emotions that vibrated in those present, you could feel the need of a mother. How do you feel the people you know in the Holy Land saw all of this? There were great expectations and now there is great hope. Obviously there will always be sceptics. Both Palestinians and Israelis say that this meeting marked a turning point that we can look to from now on and continue to do so in the future. As well as that, it was a strong sign that the Church takes on board the sufferings and hopes of all peoples. And it was a demonstration that the Holy Land has not been forgotten and that the Pope does not leave these two peoples by themselves and will walk alongside them. The event must be seen in the long term. In the meantime we must continue to weave, untying the knots committing ourselves at all levels possible, with courage and tactfulness. Many think of a long road, but we really don’t know how God acts in history. There is always hope.” Source: Città Nuova online
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Jun 9, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
In synthesis this is the aim of Centro Rincon de Luz, now into its third year, managed by the local Association of Unisol, in collaboration with AMU (Azione Mondo Unito) and AFN (Azione per Famiglie Nuove). To see how the project is going and to plan new developments, Anna Marenchino, from AMU’s Project section, visited Cochabamba in Bolivia. The new Principal of the centre, Mari Cruz, is one of the many people she met during the trip. Mari Cruz attended the centre herself when she was young, though it wasn’t as developed or as welcoming as it is today. She managed to finish her studies thanks to the support of ‘Help at a Distance’, a project organised by the New Families Movement. Seeing her in charge of all the studies today is a real encouragement to all the children and their families to believe that a better life is possible. “I’ve had to suffer a lot in my life,” Mari Cruz explains, “When I was small my father drank a lot and seeing him like that upset me very much. He wasn’t violent with us but he was very severe. I remember one of his punishments was to walk around the outside of the house from four in the morning until seven when it was time to go to school. The Centre was a reference point for me. They helped me with the subjects I was struggling with at school, and it happened once, would you believe it, that I was one of the best in the class! They also helped me financially to stay on at school and finish my studies. A few years later we moved house and were far from the Centre. My father was a bit better, and every weekend we would all work together with him to fix up the house. It was hard at first because we had nothing: except for light, water and a bathroom. But we didn’t complain. We would look at our father and in a reassuring tone say: ‘Don’t worry, just go to work so that tomorrow we can eat chicken!’ 
When times were hard I found the courage to start again, thanks to some people of the Focolare Movement who, besides having helped me at the Centre, gave me great support and helped me to trust again in myself and in others. I have been teaching at the Rincon de Luz Centre for a number of years now, but I just couldn’t believe it last December when they asked me to be the Principal. Did they really mean me? I said yes immediately, because I really want to help to give these children a chance, just like I was given. And now I am very happy because everything I’ve experienced, whether beautiful or sad, has made me stronger and has helped me understand other people more deeply, because I have felt their sufferings in my heart. Now I can say to the children and their families: ‘Be brave – we can all change!’ “ Source: Amu Newsletter No.2/2014 – www.amu-it.eu
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Jun 8, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
“Deep in her heart, Chiara Lubich had a dream,” said Mark Tecilla, known to history as the “first” focolarino, to an audience of several hundred people from 50 countries, representing the local communities of the Focolare Movement around the world. It was spontaneous look at the life of the city of Trent, where the charism of unity took its first steps, so as to have a light for such a gathering. “Looking from her window that overlooked the city of Trent, Chiara would have liked to solve the social problems of the city. But we weren’t strong enough for that yet. Then, in December 1947 she called everyone to the Cardinal Massaia hall to tell us something. She had noticed that within our community there were people forced to live in dire financial straits. And this was inconceivable for her. In the early Christian communities which arose in Jerusalem in the early days of the Church, – as we are told in the Acts of the Apostles – “everything was shared and there were no needy among them” because the Gospel was lived to the letter. Chiara had decided to talk about the community of goods and present all of us who formed that first community of Trent with that challenge which was both the same and different to that of the early Christians.” Did everyone have to sell all their possessions? “No. While reaching the same aim of the Christian community, each person was not asked to sell what they had and give it to the community, but to give that ‘everything’ they had and which they could do without, without harm to themselves or to their family”. 
How did this form of ‘organized’ charity work? “Each one brought any extra they had, especially in money, and pledged to donate a fixed amount established by themselves, month by month. The donor and the pledge remained secret. With the money received, Chiara asked a focolarina to help needy families in the community, monthly and secretly, guiding this delicate task with extreme charity and discretion. The aim was: to reach the point that among us there was no longer anyone in need, but everyone had enough to live on. The result of the amount donated and of the monthly pledge was totally unexpected and already in the first month was enough to help thirty families.” What did Chiara think about this? “Looking at this world of ours”, she said, “It seems impossible that nowadays it is so greedy and selfish … and yet it is so. Faced with these facts, touched and grateful, we shout out: Charity is God! And God is the Almighty. In the spirit of charity and unity (which is not mere almsgiving, but the total gift of self to the will of God) everyone could find something to give. But it is necessary, before asking people to give, to form hearts, because – unlike the early Christians – there is too much spirit of worldliness among us and disunity and indifference reign. Only a strong and deep evangelical formation can keep alive an ideal society living fraternal charity. This will certainly exist among us, because as long as we are united, Christ is in our midst, and what he builds, remains. “In fact, what was very prominent in the early days of the Focolare Movement was the importance of living the gospel.” This experience of the communion of goods did not stop at the first community of Trent, but continued over the years, both in the lifestyle choices of the members of the Focolare Movement, and in concrete actions including some in which things are circulated in a way that resembles the ancient idea of barter, with a strong dose of solidarity and social justice.
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Jun 7, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
Put together 21 young women from 13 countries around the world and add some sound talent, cultural richness and desire to to spread a positive Gospel message. It was an extraordinary experience for our city, a grand occasion for the young people who are passionate about music and the Christian message. It was a double appointment: Friday, May 30th a workshop with young people; and Sunday, June 1st an evening concert on the square in front of the Madonna delle Grazie Shrine, at the Nazareth Oasis. The 21 women animated by the charism of the Focolare Movement sang about this passionate love, and they did it through music, modern-day music, rich in sound, echo, expressed by many nationalities and with the words of the Gospel. In these times of “ho un dono, ve lo dono” (suor Cristina at The Voice), these young women did not hesitate to live out the Gospel command to love others in the Lord and to share the invitation to follow the Master with the sounds of their guitar, drums, bass and violins. “The music is a vehicle. We can’t claim to have great talent, but we can place our talents together and see them multiply,” the young women said. 
During the workshop, they shared about some moments from their lives – some, moments of difficulty; others, uncomplicated moments of great simplicity – in which words like unity, fraternity and sharing went from being abstract theories to pleasant ongoing realities. “Every morning before beginning the day,” they explained, “we renew the pact of reciprocal love. This also means loving the other person’s idea, which might be different from mine, welcoming the creative spark in the other as we share our ideas freely. It means beginning again, giving priority to our relationships and then to our art. Whenever I’m able to put aside my idea to open myself to someone else’s idea, a whole new world of opportunities opens.” The “Start Now” project that was performed on stage in Corato, Italy, was conceived during a trip in the Holy Land where Jews, Muslims and Christians live with each other, but often without any dialogue. “It occured to us that the Arts could be a vehicle of dialogue. Mutual acceptance of one another’s talents is a way of communicating. We hold theatre workshops in the international town of Loppiano, Italy, where we live. At these workshops, which also involve song and dance, young people from all over the world are invited to share their talents through diaolgue, and experience the values of unity and brotherhood.” 
One priest remarked: “Having dealings with these women,” one priest commented, “doesn’t leave you indifferent. Many of us realised this, both Friday and Saturday. Gen Verde wished to talk in front of many young people, telling them about ordinary moments in their lives that were rendered extraordinary by an encounter with the love of the Risen Lord who came to dwell in many episodes of their lives, not always rosey episodes. He transfigured them and made them beautiful and extraordinary, to the point that they could no longer keep it to themselves.” One song refrain says: “There’s a light in me that never goes away .” Antonella D’Introno, communications director of the event on behalf of the Youth Ministry of the city, commented: “And these women revealed to us the secret for discovering again and again the enthusiasm for what we do. You always need to fix on one person in life: Jesus on the Cross who loves us immensely.” Source: Coratolive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qy-pyzk5bY
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Jun 6, 2014 | Senza categoria
Pope Francis’ invitation on 25 May to the presidents of the State of Palestine and the State of Israel to “raise together a heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace”, offering his home in the Vatican as a venue, has given hope to the world, and brought about a real leap forward in the belief that peace is something that needs to be built and needs to be prayed for. From that moment the prayers of all those who aspire to the ideal of unity of the Focolare Movement have intensified. People from different religions and cultures, who, with different words, with the redoubling of acts of peace by young and old and with a renewed commitment to the daily Timeout at midday in each time zone, offer everything for peace in the whole world. The news that the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew 1 will join Pope Francis and presidents Peres and Abu Mazen in this “plea for peace” in the Vatican on Sunday was also met with great joy. Another encouragement to quicken the pace towards the fulfilment of Jesus’ prayer “that all may be one so that the world may believe”, more than ever relevant today. The Focolare Movement, therefore, responds to the heartfelt appeal of the Pope “not to leave us alone”; and people from all the continents, especially in the places of greatest suffering, will unite with the prayer in the Vatican “that the Lord may grant us peace in that blessed Land!”
Jun 5, 2014 | Non categorizzato
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Jun 5, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
Everything began twenty years ago from one of the members of the parish, who was visited by a group of Romani children who insistently asked him to go and see the image of the Madonna in their neighbourhood that, according to them, cried. This was the first contact with the Rom community, and which led to some of the parishioners gathering together everyday to pray in this square together with the children. Despite a series of initiatives started together successfully, after two years the prayer group was dissolved; and it took ten years so that they could start the journey together once again. It was the Prayer and Mission Group “Ceferino Jiménez Malla” that gave the go signal, to meet every Monday to pray at the Grotto of Our Lady of the Valley, at the center of the square of the Rom neighborhood. «We had to overcome fear, prejudices, indifference, a refusal that was born from a wrong relationship with them,” Maria Teresa Sosa, volunteer of the Focolare Movement, shared, “but then the barriers fell, and we discovered that the Rom love to listen to the Word of God since, most of them are illiterate.” Then other members of the Focolare joined our group. “The experience would like to create a relationship through simple gestures of reciprocity, continued Maria Teresa, “to get to know each other by name, look at each other in the eyes, listen to one another, making ourselves one with the other. For example, to celebrate the birth of a child, or to visit patients in hospital. One of them was administered with the Sacrament of the Sick”. We also look for ways of inculturation, translating into prayers such as the Our Father, Hail Mary, or the Glory be into the Roma language. “When they listen to us pray the children say: ‘You are like the Rom’.” Another important step was that of celebrating together the International Romani Day, which they didn’t know about, so as to give visibility to the community. A journey continues, on the 8th of April every year also thanks to the media: the Rom community will participate regularly in a transmission on Radio Maria wherein they will share about their customs, a newspaper published a page on the experiences of the Rom Mission. The visibility that they gained allowed them to start a project to provide literacy in collaboration with an Teaching Institute of formation. 
But the bridge must also be created also on the side of the Argentinian community: in a secondary school that is found near the gypsies and with whom they have no relationship at all, a teacher tackled the topic of prejudice towards ethnic minorities, while some journalism students made a report entitled “Creoles and Rom, the start of a dialogue” (in this context the term “creoles” refers to the Argentinians). In March, at the start of the school year, a project began to save seats in the classroom for Romani children, who are often discriminated, and group participated in the day of their welcome into the school. There are many initiatives, from sewing lessons for the girls to catechism for the children, and it would be impossible to name all of them that are being done in this place. “Our desire,” she concluded, “is to create a national network of bridge.” On June 5 and 6, Maria Teresa is in Rome for the worldwide Meeting of the episcopal promoters and the national directors of Pastoral work among the gypsies, upon th einvitation of Cardinal Vegliò, president of the Pontifical Council of Itinerants and Migrants.
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Jun 4, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
The first thing Giorgio La Pira did in the morning was to buy the newspaper. Then, back in his office, he would open the Gospel next to the day’s news. For the ‘Saintly Mayor’ of Florence the two texts weren’t distant from each other – in fact the opposite was true. His work was that of applying the Gospel concretely to human and social affairs, with far seeing and creative actions that responded to the questions of the existential peripheries of his city, and then of the whole world. A job that is repeated today in the many social projects that bear his name. One of these, which has just blown out 35 candles on its birthday cake, is the Giorgio La Pira International Student Centre, which on 25th May celebrated its birthday, together with many friends who came for the occasion to the Auditorium in Loppiano. Guided by the journalist Maddalene Maltese, the participants leafed through, as with a family album, the many photographs that tell the story of these years at the service of a vast range of young people. Towards the end of the seventies, in Florence, as in many other parts of Italy, there was a new phenomenon: many foreign students arrived, particularly from Africa, Asia and Latin America. But Italy wasn’t ready for this influx at any level – legislatively, culturally or even on a human level. Inspired by the work of Giorgio La Pira, the Archbishop of Florence Cardinal Benelli intervened and asked Chaira Lubich to give him a hand. A few days later three young men of the Focolare Movement presented themselves to the Cardinal and went to visit the building in the heart of Florence that would begin to welcome these students. The rest is history. The man in charge of the Diocese of Florence today is Mons Giuseppe Betori, and in his address he underlined the prophetic dimension of Cardinal Benelli and Chiara Lubich’s idea, which made the La Pira Centre a beacon in the world of dialogue with diversity, and in particular with the suffering, the last, the forgotten. While the Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community in Florence, Joseph Levi, found in the style of dialogue and reciprocity, the real richness that this experience offers the city and the growth of its social fabric in the spirit of fraternity. The many personal stories collected are a witness to this, like that of Jean Claude Assamoi from the Ivory Coast: “The Centre was a help to me at a difficult time in my life, taking me in together with other students. Later I became a collaborator as a teacher in the field of global education (…) and just like me, many other African students that have followed my path, have moved to other places developing work relationships between their own countries and the ones that have welcomed them which mirror the dialogue and unity which was built in Florence”. The peripheries that La Pira loved, and which today Pope Francis invites us to get to know, are the heart of a prophecy that each day becomes more tangible, up-to-date, fraternal.
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Jun 3, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
“The situation in Bangui, the capital of CAR, is generally improving. In other parts of the country the situation varies. Our communities are located in relatively calm areas, but since last December there is one area of the city where small reprisals and killings continue. It is the Muslim quarter and surrounding areas. People are unable to return to their homes and are taking shelter in refugee camps around the airport, in churches and at the central mosque.” “The morning of May 28th began like any ordinary weekday. In the afternoon there were more clashes in some hot-spots. Then an armed group stormed the church of Our Lady of Fatima, opened fire on the people who were taking refuge there, and took forty hostages. Fifteen died at the church and many were badly wounded. Of the forty hostages, 39 corpses were recovered. . .” “The people are fed up. Thursday, the 29th was the feastday of the Ascension of Jesus. Barriers were set up on the main roads and in all the quarters of the city to prevent the flow of traffic. The day after, at four o’clock, we were awakened by a deafening noise. . . Thousands of people were banging pot lids in a peaceful protest that lasted until seven o’clock. You can still hear gunshots in other parts of the city, at times sporadic, at times intense. Perhaps they’re trying to contain the protesters.” 
“The protest is asking for the government’s resignation and the removal of foreign troops. Six months later, they are being accused by the population of not having successfuly disarmed the hot spot areas of the city. This is interpreted as a plan to maintain military and political disorder on the part of countries belonging to the troops that should be restoring the peace, but instead are continuing to illegally exploit our resources.” “On the day of the massacre at Fatima Church, we tried with great anticipation and fear to obtain news about the people of our community, especially the ones living in the areas that had been hit. Willy, a young boy whom we knew, has been killed and there are others who were lightly wounded. Everyone else fled and took refuge elsewhere. We’re trying to support one another by telephone, and some young people recently came by for some comfort and relief.” 
“Ever since the crisis began we have been trying to help those around us who have stayed behind, especially families and children. We offer concrete assistance through the help of the Youth for a United World and the adoption at a distance programme of the New Families Movement. Here at our place we are inviting young people to think about peace, with the help of Youth for a United World and the local Focolare community.” Monica concludes: “We are certain that God has a loving plan for our land as well; and, in the midst of the serious difficulties we are going through, we try to be witnesses of his love for everyone around us.”
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Jun 2, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
The Mariapolis is one of the traditional gatherings of the Focolare Movement, where people of all ages and walks of life gather for a few days to experience the brotherhood that is born from the life of the Gospel, even when – as in Myanmar – they are not all Christians. At the conclusion of the Mariapolis in Myanmar they write: “Heartfelt greetings from the nearly two hundred people who have attended the sixth Mariapolis in Myanmar! The majority have travelled great distances to reach the seminary located in the mountains of the country’s eastern lands: a 12-hour journey from Yangon; 20 hours for people traveling from the south, including some who walked for three hours before reaching the buses that transported them for another 10 hours. There were Catholics, a small representation of other Christian denominations and several Buddhists.” The message continues: “Tauggyi’s refreshing climate, compared to the 40 degree temperature (104 degrees F) of Yangon, made us feel like we were in a small paradise. But it was especially the temperature of our mutual love that increased as we performed personal daily acts of love of giving and receiving.” Some focolarini from Thailand and a few seminarians who are on holiday had arrived before the Mariapolis began to help with the preparations. 
“I’m in charge of a mothers association in my village. Before coming here, there was a problem because some of the members were arguing among themselves. During this Mariapolis, my thinking changed and I decided to ask forgiveness of the mothers when I return, as a sign of love.” “Even though I belong to the Baptist Church, I believe that I am here because of Mary, Our Mother,” declared 19-year-old Eden Htoo. “I will do my best to make this seed of reciprocal love that has been planted in my heart to grow, and I will share it with others.” 
Michael admitted that he felt “encouraged to have more respect for people of other religions.” Eighteen-year-old Paulina: “I liked the statement: “If you want to be loved, you must first love.” I have never tried to apologise after having fought with a certain person, I thought it would have been too hard a blow to my ego. But now I realize that it is also important to apologise. Before I detested people who hated me, but now I’m going to try this: the more they hate me, the more I’ll love them.” Among those who attended was also the local Ordinary, Archbishop Matthias U Shwe, who had met the Focolare Movement as a seminarian through some of the first focolarini who visited Myanmar in 1966: “He surprised us when he arrived several hours before the Mass and conclusion. He encouraged us and urged us to return again next year. We left happy and desirous to take the experience of unity that we had lived in the Mariapolis to our local environments.” 
Jun 1, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
The Lord is great! One day, as I was on my way to work, I met a lady on the train whom I knew by sight because she went to the same church as mine. We greeted one another and started a conversation. She said: “I see that you are married. Do you have children?”. “I answered yes, that I have two very beautiful girls of whom I am very proud of. When it was my turn to ask her about her children, she burst into tears in front of all the passengers, much to my great embarrassment. I asked for pardon, at which point she started to share her situation with me: “Yesterday, after examining the results of the analysis, my gynecologist told me that I could never become a mother. For me, being married for nine years already, this is a very great suffering”. I listened to her with great empathy, then I encouraged her not to lose hope but to continue to have faith in God. I said that I would pray for her too. Three weeks later, I saw the same lady after Mass: she was radiant, as she waited for me to share the beautiful news: “I am three weeks pregnant. The Lord is great!”. After nine months Emanuel was born, a beautiful baby boy. W.U. – Rome Translation work I needed money and I was able to find a job: doing translations. One day a friend confided in me that she was passing through a difficult moment financially. So I offered to share the work that I was doing with her. On the same day I was offered another job that would allow me to earn double of what I had shared with my friend. E. M. – Azores The classmate One day, my classmate started to throw his books and notebooks in the air, cursing God: “Why aren’t you there when I need you? What are you doing up there?”. I didn’t understand why he was doing this, until I learned that his mother had to undergo an operation for cancer. I stayed near him, sharing this great suffering of his, and finally, together, we asked Jesus that the operation would go well. Our other classmates prayed with us too. Our class was transformed: this episode made us more united. The operation went well and we all thanked God. J.S. – Germany
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May 31, 2014 | Non categorizzato
“At the end of the academic year, it is particularly significant that the Sophia University Institute (SUI) welcomes for the “Sophia Chair”, Prof. Donald Mitchell, emeritus professor of Asian and Comparative Philosophy from Purdue University (Indiana – USA)”. This was how Paolo Frizzi, the first Doctor of Research to conclude the Doctorate School of Sophia precisely with a study on interreligious dialogue, introduced the evening program on the 16th of May. “It is a special year – he continued – because of the prospects that were opened in this sector of studies. It has been just a few months that we have started a new course with different subjects on Theology of religions and interreligious dialogue, opening up an original interdisciplinary research proposal. And not more than two months ago the SUI welcomed two delegations of Buddhists from Thailand and from Japan. So here we are therefore, to go ahead with the exploration of a horizon of great relevance today”. On the 16th of May more than 150 interested and involved people were present, and a few witty remarks were not enough to describe the intense journey of life and high level commitments of Prof. Mitchell: from the discovery of zen meditation to his rapprochement with the Catholic Church, up to his encounter with the spirituality of the Focolare and with Chiara Lubich, precisely in Loppiano (near Florence, Italy, where the university is located). 
Already in the ‘70s, he specialized in Buddhism, Christianity and in Buddhist-Christian dialogue, in a historical moment when dialogue was becoming more and more the preferred method of interreligious encounter; from that moment on he put his experience and expertise at the service of numerous realities working in this field. Throughout the years, his activities brought him to become qualified in the highest levels, as one of the most respected consultants, and in promoting important international Christian-Buddhist talks, forging relationships with influential exponents from the diverse fields of Buddhism. Among these: Gishin Tokiwa, professor of Zen Buddhism in Japan and president of the F.A.S. Society, founded by Shin’ichi Hisamatsu, whose story and thoughts find profound consonance with the journey and the spirit of Chiara Lubich and the Focolare Movement. A living harmony also characterized his encounters and dialogue with Keiji Nishitani, one of the most famous Japanese philosophers of the XX century, and with many others, including the Dalai Lama. The wise equilibrium that characterizes the scientific works of Prof. Mitchell, between the theological challenges and experiences in the field, have revealed an original aspect: that which is more often lacking in fact, in the literature and debates on interreligious relationships, and this is precisely such an equilibrium or balance, essential for those who want to understand what it means to truly encounter the other. 
In this light, in his work, it is evident how interreligious dialogue, which often, in reality, echo serious situations of conflict, brings with it a great potentiality for peace and social and spiritual progress, as long as – just as Card. Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue affirmed some time ago – “it becomes patrimony of everyone and not just of an elite group”. “My hope – the professor concluded – is that the lay religious movements today, of all religions, who possess many shared values, can collaborate to build one human family, taking care also of the children and of nature. Chiara Lubich wrote ‘Be a family’. I think that we neeed to see in this a prophetic call”. Source: Sophia University Institute Flickr gallery: sif_loppiano/14044562228
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May 30, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
The event name WARAY ngaRUN is derived from a waray-waray dialect phrase “waray ngaran” meaning “nameless”. The marathon, which will be held on 28 June in Tacloban, the city in the Philippines devastated by Typhoon Haiyan-Yolanda in November 2013, aims not only to commemorate the lives of the many nameless victims who perished in the disaster but also to give courage to people to go ahead. One main objective is to involve the youth as protagonists in the reconstruction of the life of the town. The event will began with a solidarity run at 6.00am followed by a fair and several exhibitions during the day concluding with a “Solidarity Night”. There will be presentations of inspiring experiences from different personalities and groups who in one way or another have been heroes in their own right during and after the typhoon. Different stakeholders of the city are also expected to attend: local waray artists, bands and talented individuals, as well as students and teachers from private and government organizations. The proceeds of the event will be donated to the “Start Again Project”, promoted by Youth for a United World (Y4UW), which aims to help rebuild the spirits, lives and communities of the typhoon-struck areas in the Visayas regions with a 7-point plan:
- Roofing for schools
- School supplies drive
- Yolanda memorial
- Potable water systems
- Higher education programs
- Soup kitchen
- Medical mission
The idea for the event was a fruit of the experience of unity shared with members of the Gen Rosso band when they came to hold workshops and performances in Tacloban as part of their Philippines Solidarity Tour 2014. “When the Start Again Project was launched to bring help to different parts of Leyte, including our community in Tacloban,” the young people write, “we felt strongly the need to reciprocate this love by doing a concrete activity that will help continue fund the various projects. And with this WARAY ngaRUN, we feel that we are no longer recipients but active collaborators.” Facebook: WARAYngaRUN2014
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May 29, 2014 | Non categorizzato
As we come to the end of Pope Francis’ trip to the Holy Land, we present an article by Igino Giordani that reveals the great trepidation and expectation that was felt in those truly historic days fifty years ago. The author places Paul VI’s pilgrimage in the context of the Vatican Council, which precisely in those days was concluding the second session of its work. The relevance of his insights and the food for thought he provides is extraordinary, and so in tune with the situation of the Church today. “Pope John XXIII injected a youthful spirit in the ecclesial community, and Paul VI reassumes in a youthful way all the more spiritually innovative contributions, guiding the Council with strength towards life-giving conclusions, for Catholics and non-Catholics, for all the different races, for the baptised, Jews and pagans of every country and caste. His ingenious initiative to go to the Holy Land demonstrates his dedication to building bridges around the world. In Palestine, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem, the Pope goes back to the origins: there where Jesus preached the simple truth, in its entirety, the great new commandment, where he instituted the sacraments and gave his life so that we might have life. There, in that birthplace of our religion, there are no differences between Christians: these came later. In the Cenacle, together with Peter and Mary, the faithful had one heart and one soul: they listened to the testament spoken by Jesus under that roof, so that “all may be one.” And in a certain sense, there are no differences either between Christians, Jews and Muslims, as for all three those places are sacred. 
Paul VI went to pray, in churches and at monuments, which men have made symbols of discord, turning memories of peace and forgiveness to news of armed conflict and hateful fratricide. And instead the Holy Father goes to ask for inspiration to reawaken the forces of renewal and unity, at the Cenacle, where Jesus first proclaimed the law of unity and where the Holy Spirit gave life to the first Church, and with that unity, fruit of the renewal of the spirits, peace, re-presented to the eyes of the world by Pope John XXIII’s Encyclical Pacem in Terris. “We shall see that holy ground, from whence Peter departed and where none of his successors has yet returned – Paul VI wrote: we humbly and very briefly return there in an attitude of prayer, of penance and of spiritual renewal to offer to Christ his Church, to call to it, one and holy, our separated brothers and sisters, to implore divine mercy in favour of peace on Earth, which still seems in these days very weak and unstable, to supplicate Christ the Lord for the salvation of the whole of humanity”. And therefore the aims of his pilgrimage are the same aims as the Council, which in the person of the Pope transfers temporarily to Palestine: renewal, unity, peace … His pilgrimage, of prayer and penitence, all purely religious reasons, signals the will of the Church of the poor to put itself back on the foundation of the evangelical virtues, in great humility, that humility which in the house of Nazareth found its most pure expression and its most moving exultation in the “Magnificat of the Handmaid of the Lord”. From that foundation charity blossomed: Christ, who gives love and asks for love: “Do you love me more than they? …” This greater love of Peter’s, explains Paul VI’s act of humility when he asked forgiveness of the separated brothers and sisters should there have been faults on the Catholic side, in his speech to the Catholic observers at the Council. To return to the origins (…) is to regain strength: to be reborn”.
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May 28, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
Ruth Pfau is a medical doctor who generously devoted her efforts and service to Pakistan, working for peace in a way that has reached far beyond feild of health assistance. Evangelical Bishop Christian Krause called her a Christian woman who has “overcome the abysses between men and women in a society dominated by men; between rich and poor, between tradition and modernity, between foreign cultures.” She is a religious sister who has brought the experience of Christ’s love to people of all backgrounds and religious convictions,” said President of the Pakistan Bishops Conference, Archbishop Joseph Coutts, as he thanked her in name of the Pakistani Church. With the help of the German Leprosy and Tuberculosis Relief Association (DAHW) Ruth Pfau has built a hospital in the city of Karachi. Because of her work in the management of leprosy and tuberculosis she was appointed Secretary of State by the Pakistan government. For more than twenty years she has been working in collaboration with the Christoffel Mission offering assistance to the blind, and gaining the esteem of a nearly entirely Muslim society. Appreciation for this woman who was born in 1929 was also expressed by the Bishop of Aquisgrana, Heinrich Mussinghoffe and by Focolare president Maria Voce, who called her a “witness of God’s love and builder of a more just and fraternal society.” Every two years this award is conferred by the Focolare Movement in honour of the spiritual patrimony of Hemmerle. What does Ruth Pfau have in common with the theologian Klaus Hemmerle who was once bishop of Aquisgrana and a contemporary of Ruth? Television journalist and theology professor Michael Albus answers this question in the keynote address he gave at the Dome Church of Aachen (Aquisrana) where the award ceremony was held on May 8th. 
“She had the courage to dare to take the plunge, to decide to help without hesitation, wherever there was need: without theoretical, political or even theological justification. And without asking – as happens in our capitalistic world – how she would be repaid.” This is what these two people have in common, along with their desire to build “a Church that salvages God in the world, from dying of cold,” as St Martin reminds us. Then Ruth spoke: “We can help one another to be better people and full of humanity,” she stated. For her, one sign of this humanity is “wasting time.” She was taught that lesson during her time in Asia. You very rarely find it in a hospital or house for the elderly in Germany. For her, this signals a loss of humanity. She was pleased to accept the award because it gave honour to this “wasting time”, although the motivation for the award highlighted her ability to “build bridges and create unity through her radical devotion to the poor, based on her faith which she lived with strength and conviction in an environment charged with conflict.”
May 27, 2014 | Non categorizzato, Word of
Jesus was also thinking of all of us living in the midst of the complexities of daily life. Because he is Love incarnate, he will have thought to himself: I would like to be with human beings always, I would like to share every worry with them, I would like to counsel them, I would like to walk with them along their streets, enter their homes, revive their joy with my presence. For this reason he wanted to stay with us and make us feel his closeness, his strength, his love. Luke’s gospel tells us that having seen him ascend into heaven, the disciples ‘returned to Jerusalem with great joy’ (Lk 24:52). How could that be? They had already experienced the reality of his words. We too will be full of joy if we truly believe in Jesus’s promise: ‘And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ These words, the last spoken by Jesus to his disciples, mark the end of his life on earth and, at the same time, the start of the life of the Church where Jesus is present in many ways: in the Eucharist, in his Word, in his ministers (bishops, priests), in the poor, in the little ones, in the marginalized… in all neighbours. Perhaps we could emphasize a specific presence of Jesus, the one that he himself, again in Matthew’s Gospel, pointed out to us: ‘Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them’ (Mt. 18:20). Through this presence he wants to be able to remain in every place. If we live what he commands, especially his new commandment, we can experience this presence of his also outside of church, in the midst of people, in the places they live, everywhere. What is asked of us is love that is mutual, that serves, that understands, that shares in the sufferings, anxieties and joys of our brothers and sisters – that love which covers over everything, forgives all things, typical of Christianity. Let’s live like this so that everyone may have the chance to meet Him already here on earth.
Chiara Lubich
(First published in May 2002)
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May 27, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
The history of Trent – birthplace of Chiara Lubich – does not forget that devastating bombardment of 13 May 1944, which destroyed lives, houses and ideals. On the same day, 70 years later, the city sees a “bombardment of acts of love”. This is what many of the children present say. It’s always held during May. The square in front of the Cathedral of Trent, like an enormous sitting room lined with frescoes, once more this year welcomes over 2,500 children, coming from 23 educational institutes in the city. Together with them are also students from middle and high schools, teachers, parents, grandparents, representatives of different institutions, the Lord Mayor and several town councillors. It is an annual appointment that has become part of the history of the city over the past eleven years. The schools come together to share in many different ways how they have tried to live out the phrases from the Cube of Love, and how they have tried to be ‘builders of peace’. The programme developed around the theme of ‘conflict’: how to live with it, how to face it and how to resolve it. The moment of the Time Out was very touching, a minute of silence and prayer to remember the countries overcome by conflicts, with a special thought for the 300 girls kidnapped in Nigeria. A lengthy minute which, with the tolling of the bells of the Cathedral at midday, gathered in silence the very lively square. A celebration on a beautiful sunny day. The city was invaded by a wave of peace, with thousands of messages and stories of “acts of love” written and distributed to passer-bys, shopkeepers and tourists. There were hundreds of paintings colouring the main streets in the historic centre. The children were the main protagonists again this year, enthusiastic and convinced that “peace begins with me”. The headline on the front page of the L’Adige newspaper read ‘The Square invaded by builders of peace’. And the daily local newspaper Trentino: “What a beautiful injection of hope to see thousands of children with their colourful hats and tee shirts, giving the impression of a living rainbow and shouting together ‘peace’.” Also the Italian National broadcaster RAI and other regional television and radio stations spoke of this hope. 
The “Trent – city of peace” celebration concludes the annual course of education for values carried out in the schools of the city and shared by over a hundred teachers, from different types of schools, at the monthly meetings of “Tavolo Tuttopace”. The initiative started 11 years ago, with a third grade Elementary class of children, their teacher and that Cube of peace which they threw every morning to live one of the phrases on its six faces. And then with that small magazine Giornalino Tuttopace, which communicated and shared with other children their acts of peace, drawings, poems, songs, and which today, as an insert in the local council’s newspaper, is delivered to all the families in Trent. And, still more, the creation together with the Lord Mayor of that time Alberto Pacher that “Flowerbed of Peace”, with the Cube at the centre, so that passers-by could “observe and learn”. Today, a new project has been developed as well called ‘”Trent, a city that educates”, which involves the seven educational institutes of the city, with nursery schools, elementary schools, secondary schools, private schools, higher institutes and schools of the Province to which schools from other cities are linked. Together with the teachers and children, also the families follow their own formation course. And with them the whole area, the town council and provincial administration and other institutions and associations. https://vimeo.com/69260156
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May 26, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
“Ut unum sint”, that all may be one, is the motto of Pope Francis’ pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to reaffirm the commitment to “walk together towards the unity” of Christians, searching also for an “authentic dialogue with Jewish, Muslim and other religious traditions” (from the common declaration signed by Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew). If, in fact, the central purpose of the journey was the meeting at the Holy Sepulchre with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I and the leaders of the churches in Jerusalem, to renew the unity expressed by Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras fifty years ago in Jerusalem, the presence of the Pope in the Holy Land has undoubtedly also had a strong effect on inter-religious dialogue and an encouragement on the path of peace. The expectations of Rabbi David Rosen, International Director of Interreligious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee, are a witness to this. Interviewed by Paolo Loriga, Citta Nuova’s correspondent, at his house in Jerusalem, he said that “the majority of Jews and Rabbis see this visit very positively”, and that the presence of the Pope ”could have a profound positive impact on Jewish consciousness and Christian understanding”. Rosen is one of the 400 signatories – including Rabbis and Jewish leaders – of a welcome message to the Pope, a gesture not only of courtesy, but a sign of a “rediscovery of brotherhood between Jews and Catholics. I am sure – he adds – that the visit will be a marvellous moment, an occasion of celebration and joy”. 
The shouts of jubilation in response to the Pope’s invitation to Peres and Abbas are a witness to this: “I invite the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli President Simon Peres to raise together with me a heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace”. The Pope was speaking in Bethlehem, on 25th May, after the mass celebrated in Manger Square. “I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer”. “This was a surprise for us all”, Mons William Shomali, Vicar of the Catholic Latin Patriarch of Palestine, and a great builder of relationships, said, given that the attempts to have a shared prayer during the visit had not met with success. Tana Imseeh comes from Ramallah and works at the Welfare Ministry: “We have heard an historic announcement which, I am sure, will bring fruits of peace”, she told our correspondent. The Pope arrived in Bethlehem from Jordan, where King Abdullah II had warmly welcomed him. The Pope had visited the site of Jesus’ baptism there, meeting with over 600 people including, amongst the Syrian refugees, injured and disabled young people. 
As soon as he was in Palestine, putting aside protocol, he wished for the Palestinian Authorities that “swords may be transformed into ploughshares and that this land may once more flourish in prosperity and concord”. He emphasised strongly that “it is time to end this situation of conflict which is increasingly unacceptable”, and pointed out that “the moment has arrived for everyone to courageously follow the path of peace”. On his way towards Manger Square he passed close to the wall that divides Bethlehem from Israel. The Pope asked to stop the jeep so he could get closer to the wall: and there he stood in silent prayer for a few minutes. Then he stepped forward to lean his forehead against it, to physically share the suffering of a people. This stop wasn’t planned in the programme, but Pope Francis confided: “It’s difficult to build peace, but to live without peace is constant torment”. Vatican site: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/travels/2014/outside/documents/papa-francesco-terra-santa-2014.html Official site for the visit to the Holy Land: http://popefrancisholyland2014.lpj.org/ Official site for the visit to Jordan: http://popevisit.jo/
May 26, 2014 | Non categorizzato
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May 24, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
“Dialogue can lead to beneficial joint action,” said King Abdallah II of Jordan. These simple but incisive words reflect the human and spiritual stature of the king and the entire Hashemite family. He believes strongly in dialogue and spares no effort in practicing it in a part of the world that for decades has faced many challenges concerning tolerance and peace. 
Welcoming Pope Francis is one more concrete demonstration that he wants to establish and strengthen relationships and work together for peace. It is striking to see how this little State that is overwhelmingly Muslim is making every effort to make the Catholic pope feel at home. The streets of Amman are covered with huge posters showing the smiling faces of Francis and Abdalla II shaking hands; and next to their faces an expressive: “maan” (together). A few days ago the Apostolic Nuncio, Giorgio Lingua, enthusiastically affirmed that a real family does things with warmth, with the heart. And we can confirm that none of this is artificial, although it is obvious that the country will benefit both economically and in visibility from the Pope’s visit. But this is a sign of intelligence, not falsehood. Pope Francis could not have begun his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in a more appropriate place! Here is where Pope Paul VI was welcomed in 1964 by King Hussein; and John Paul II in 2000 and Benedict XVI in 2009, by King Abdallah II. These are certainly not rosy days for this region that has already been marked by so much instability. The conflict in Syria has been a shock for the neighbouring countries. It is enough to recall the millions and more Syrian refugees, or the thousands of Iraqi who have recently found secure refuge here. But welcoming all these people in a country that also suffers the lack of water and electricity gives a sense of the generous spirit of the Jordanian people.
http://popevisit.jo/
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May 24, 2014 | Non categorizzato
“In Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan, a Jordanian Muslim woman will be telling the Pope about the experience of Syria’s refugees. An Iraqi Christian will speak after her. That is right, because although no one talks about it any more, there are still 500 thousand Iraqi refugees here in Jordan. And people are dying in Iraq just as they are in Syria.” 
As the Pope’s visit nears, there is one group in the Holy Land which has no time for stages and flag waving: they are the refugees who were forced to leave their homeland because of the war. Wal Suleiman, the director of Caritas Jordan is here to tell their story: a40-year-old lay member of the Focolare movement who has been sharing the stories and tragedies of those fleeing Syria on a daily basis for the past three years. The President of Caritas Internationalis, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga arrived in Amman just a few days ago, ahead of Pope Francis’ visit, along with the executive committee of the organization that groups together the charity organisations of all episcopal Conferences around the world. Together they are looking at the actions that are being taken in response to the Syrian emergency and also at the serious wounds that remain open. Caritas has been working with the Mafraq refugee camp in Jordan – as well as Zarqa camp which was opened later – since 2012. 
“How many Syrian refugees are there in Jordan? According to government figures there are 1.350.000 people,” Suleiman said. “But you cannot fully understand what this means for us Jordanians if you don’t bear in mind all the rest as well. Palestinian refugees arrived in my country in 1967. Then in the 80s, the Lebanese came and the Iraqis in the 90s. Do you know that in the past two years the number of Egyptians with work permits have doubled? There was an agreement between our two countries, so many of those who fled Cairo because of the violence came here.” This is partly why there will also be poor and disabled Jordanians in the approximately 400-strong delegation that will meet the Pope in Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan, the archaeological site which commemorates Jesus’ baptism. By now, it is virtually impossible to separate the different forms of suffering here: “You Jordanians didn’t have a war. But all the devastation in the countries surrounding us have had serious repercussions for us too,” the director of Caritas Jordan said. “I am thinking, for example, of the schools that have classes of 50 pupils or of the enormous difficulties in guaranteeing everyone access to water and electricity. Jordan is suffering too. And we are asking ourselves: What future lies ahead for us?”
http://popevisit.jo/
May 23, 2014 | Non categorizzato
http://vimeo.com/95726085 Jerusalem, May 24th: the encounter with Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew recalls the historic embrace of 50 years ago between Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras I, which was the start of a new page in history following centuries of separation. We retrace this unedited page in the history of ecumenical dialogue.
May 21, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
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May 21, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
Focolare and Rissho Kosei Kai: a bridge happily still in place after it was put in place long ago by the founders of the two Movements, Chiara Lubich and Nikkyo Niwano. Since the early ’80s, on the basis simply of their friendship, shared initiatives have been set up by Christians of the Focolare Movement and Buddhists of the Rissho Kosei Kai (RKK).
Indeed, on 3rd and 4th May a delegation of seven Focolare young people from across the world went to Tokyo to take part in a symposium of young Buddhists and Christians run by the two Movements. The theme was: Keep our faith during daily life and spread joy.
It was a journey that lasted from 30th to 8th May and it was not just a matter of simply going to a conference. As the participants explained, ‘We worked on the contents of the meeting with both the RKK and with the Focolare in Japan who hosted us, and we lived the time of preparation together with our travel as a chance to get to know better the history of the Movement’s friendship with the RKK and, at the same time, to try to consolidate it. It was a small step in dialogue with our Buddhist friends, but even more important for the whole scene of interreligious dialogue.’
Moments of dialogue were not restricted just to the symposium itself. On 2nd May the international delegation of young people spent the day with students of the Gakurin Seminary and they met its President. On 6th May it was the Focolare community in Tokyo’s turn. The community, which also has Buddhists in it, offered moments of dialogue and stories of lived experiences.
Getting to know a country means understanding something of its history and culture. Therefore on 5th May a group visited the capital and, on the 7th, they went to the Enoshima Hase-dera shrine. At the symposium itself, the participants considered the history of the friendship between the RKK (which has six million members, and is the second largest Buddhist Movement in Japan) and the Focolare, with each Movement being presented one after the other. There were, then, comparative talks on the conference theme, which were accompanied by stories of life experiences told by young people from the Focolare and from the RKK, as well as other moments of dialogue and workshops.
On the symposium’s second day the young people greeted the current President of the RKK, Nichiko Niawano. He and his wife came for Memorial Day, when, on the 4th of each month, the death of the RKK’s founder is remembered.
There were numerous testimonies given by the young people of each Movement at the end of the symposium. A Japanese girl said, ‘We have begun working together in a new way. It is a historic day. In ten years’ time I will be proud to say: “I was there!”’ Others said, ‘We have found a family!’ And, when they returned to their various countries, the young people of the Focolare said, ‘We’ve come back massively thankful to Chiara and with a huge passion for interreligious dialogue. We’ve seen that it’s a really important path for building a united world.’
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May 20, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
“The spirituality of unity helps me to get to know myself better and to be more rooted as a Conventual Franciscan […]. I come from an order of fraternity and today I saw that ideal fulfilled here.” “The whole day reminded me to live brotherhood with commitment in my community. Living in a student house, we are often busy with all our tasks and we forget how important it is.” These are two impressions at the conclusion of the meeting for young men and women religious from different congregations, organized by the Focolare Movement on 3rd May, in Yogyakarta (Indonesia). Recently, the focolarini moved from wealthy Singaporeto assist the numerous and more modest Indonesian community .
The main theme was, “The role of the charism in consecrated life to make the Church more beautiful and the world more united”. It was introduced by Fr Piero Trabucco from the Consolata Order who came specially from the Focolare’s Centre for Religious in Rome. He facilitated an intense exchange of experiences and questions aimed primarily at clarifying the spiritual bond of members of religious orders with the Focolare Movement, which dates from the birth of the Movement. In fact, the wide diffusion of the Gospel spirit of unity contained in the charism of Chiara Lubich, is due in a large part to the work of religious men and women who, having met this spirit of communion in Italy, shared it wherever they were transferred in the world.
The positive and often enthusiastic impressions, of the 80 participants from 18 congregations, indicated the desire to rediscover the origins of the different charisms, as they were in the mind of their founders. And from this came the commitment to live these in a greater spirit of brotherhood and unity, each in their own communities.
Sary John, a Jesuit, said he was struck by the idea of “be the first to love” and highlighted the richness of the experience lived during the day, with others from the different religious congregations. Sister Valentina, said: “This meeting has prompted me to ‘go out’ from my congregation to get to know others and learn to love them as my own.” And Sister Novianti : “The example of Chiara Lubich, prophet of peace and love in the midst of the world touched me deeply.” Sister Pasifica (OFM) , wrote: “The Focolare responds to today’s challenges for consecrated life. I was very satisfied with this meeting because it has rekindled in me faith and love for the charism of my congregation.”
And other impressions: “A very nice meeting, especially when it placed importance on going back to the roots of the spirituality of one’s own congregation, the dream of the founder. This awareness leads me to want to have his very thoughts and his very feelings.” “I realized that up to now I haven’t been living in full love and I hope that this meeting will be a beginning to share love with others.” In the wake of this day dedicated to the spirituality of unity, many of the participants hope that they will have more opportunities to meet to grow together on this path of communion and brotherhood between the various charisms.
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May 19, 2014 | Non categorizzato
Friederike and George from the Focolare community in Nigeria write: “We are finally able to write, firstly to thank everyone for the prayers that are supporting us at this critical moment for our land.”
“The double bombings in Abuja – in a very populated spot that many of us wallk through every day – and the kidnappings of the students in Borno have caused a wave of suffering and desperation among the Nigerian people. Reactions vary: fear, resignation, anger, revenge. . .”
But the witness we want to give speaks of peace: “We share the sufferings of the families of the many victims, trying to stay rooted in the present moment remembering that universal brotherhood is the only path to peace.”
“It was a providential coincidence that in the midst of this confusion, United World Week was just about to begin.” At this time every year the Young People for a United World go public with visible activities that make as many people as possible think about peace and solidarity. This year they presented the World Atlas of Fraternity.
Friederike and George tell us that in Nigeria: “Young people and other members of the local Focolare community programmed several activities both in Onitsha, Abuja and Jos. But on the day after the second bombing, we met with the community of Abuja and discussed whether or not to continue with preparations for United World Week. We unanimously agreed that now more than ever was the time to live for peace and offer hope!”
On March 14, 2014, 80 Muslims and Christians gathered in Millenium Park, Abuja, for a day focusing on “Welcoming and Brotherhood”. At noontime we paused for Time Out: a moment of prayer for peace.
That same week in Onitsha young people held a work day in an orphanage, and another day cleaning the areas around the public market. They also invited everyone to attend the final day’s events.
They write: “All of us members of the Focolare are committed with renewed faith to the Time Out For Peace ; we have a plan to send an SMS to each other at 11:55 every day. Every week we send an SMS to thousands of people from several areas of the country, with a slogan that invites us to live for peace. This is one small way to help turn public opinion towards a culture of respect for others.”
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May 18, 2014 | Non categorizzato
Igino Giordani “truly foretold, by at least a quarter of a century, certain aspects of the communitarian process which was started after the Second World War: he saw the real interdependence of the economies of the European States, the winners and the losers, and the common risk of becoming the debtors of the USA, an ‘American Dominion’. He saw a growing movement of social solidarity and an Europeanization of culture provoked by the bloody experiences of war. To distance themselves from the ‘brink of collective suicide’ and save themselves from a new ‘imminent massacre’, and to avoid the ‘decadence’ – which would be ‘taken advantage of by races (yellow and black) which have been stirred up by us and continents which have been brought to life by us’ – he pointed out to the peoples of the old continent an inescapable historical duty: the overcoming of nationalisms in the formation of a Federation of the United States of Europe. He held however as an absolute necessity the passage to democracy of all the states: he saw it also as an aim that ‘diplomacies do not know how to achieve’. And so he called on a ‘spiritual force’ that could work as an ‘element of unification’ […]”. “The clear distinction – but not separation – between religion and politics was already then a tenet in his conception of the lay nature of the State. With full respect of such a distinction he expounded his European ‘utopia’ with a spiritual basis, ‘utopia’ which looks today to be much less unreal, to such an extent as to appear – appropriately re-dimensioned – like a real intuition. The historian cannot exaggerate and speak about prophetisms; but at the same time he cannot ignore the above mentioned premonitions of Giordani back in 1925 on the risks, prospects and problems of a future Europe; nor can he undervalue his certainty of the role of Christianity in Europe, and especially, of the unifying role of moral and cultural values, which are indispensible aspects, to reach, beyond economic co-interests and the necessary institutional structures, a substantial harmony between the different identities of peoples for the birth of a European ‘consciousness’.” Tommaso Sorgi, Igino Giordani. Storia dell’uomo che divenne Foco, Città Nuova Ed., Roma 2014, pp. 109,111.
May 17, 2014 | Non categorizzato
http://vimeo.com/95298220
In Trent, a peaceful town in North Italy, the phenomenon of racism unexpectedly flares up, reaching a level of extreme intolerance. This piece highlights the life of a family, a community and some young people that in spite of themselves become involved in a reality much greater than they are. Tolerance, openness, mutual listening and the search for true friendship prove useful tools for untying the knot of discord, hatred and fear of difference.
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May 16, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
© Foto: AFP
«For our small variegated community – they wrote us – made up of Christians of various Churches and Muslims, it is the moment of prayer, of solidarity, of sharing the suffering of these brothers and sisters. And of entrusting to God, once more, with faith, the future of this our Country. Pope Francis too prayed “for the mines in Turkey, and for those who are trapped in the galleries” and this was relayed to the Country, with heartfelt gratitude».
So far there are 282 victims officially accounted for, but the number may still rise (and maybe much higher). The overlapping of two shifts of workers precisely at the time of the incident has unfortunately doubled the number of men who have remained in the depths of the carbon mines of Soma, 120 km from Smirne, where the explosion took place two days ago. There are around eighty wounded, while several dozen workers are still unaccounted for. The government has declared three days of national mourning for the worst industrial tragedy that has happened on Turkey.
The images that come from the place of the disaster profoundly touch us, in particular the dignity of these people, whose men and boys, some very, very young, are used to doing extremely hard labour. A miner, just out of the tunnel is helped to climb onto a stretcher of the ambulance: “Should I remove my boots?”, he asked, afraid of dirtying the white bedsheet.
The Country is in protest: these disasters at work happen too often, and also this time the data, the outlines and the implications of what happened seem to be rather confusing, while the government is unable to convey the image of a reall preoccupation and solidarity with the people. The number of deaths at the workplace in Turkey have a sad record: according to the unions there have been 5,000 victims in the workplace in 2013, 19% of which happened in the mines. Turkey is the top country in Europe for accidents at work and the third throughout the world.
The disaster then has reached a moment that is extremely delicate in the social and political life in Turkey, after the last administrative elections wherein the party of Erdogan is once again leading and they are preparing for the presidential elections this coming August. The tension of that time in Taksim Square last June is latent and so protests have exploded once again. The labour unions have declared a day of general strike, that is quite rare in this Country, where the defense of worker’s rights still has a long way to go.
«The Bishop of the Latin-rite Catholic Church of Istambul – they concuded –, has expressed through a message sent to the authorities, the participation in the Nation’s suffering and the closeness to all the families of the victims».
Source: Focolare Movement
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May 16, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
The New Humanity Committee, the social expression of the Focolare Movement, has been active in the historic centre of Genoa for more than thirty years working with the most marginalized people, organized a series of events linked to the theme of migration. With the sponsorship of several institutions and associations in the Liguria Region a closely-knit network of relationships has been created, enriching the social fabric of the town. The chosen venue was the Galata Museo del Mare, which besides having numerous displays about seafaring life, has reconstructed historical scenes about Italian migration: for example passenger liners of times past going to the Boca neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires or Ellis Island in the USA.
This was the framework which hosted an exhibition, at the beginning of 2014, with the title “Going in-depth: a journey through memory and migration”, focusing on the theme of interior migration, that is the attitude of soul which coincides with the cultural nomadism of contemporary art. Artists from different origins exhibited their work like Ignacio Llamas from Spain and Claire Morard from France, but also Pieo Gilardi, one of the first Italian pop artists, well known at an international level.
The theme of migration was a point of convergence for multicultural, interfaith and ecumenical dialogue, for encounter and close collaboration between some Catholic movements which were involved in the past with events linked to “Together for Europe” (Cursillos, Sant’Egidio, Equipe Notre Dame, Incontri Coniugali and Charismatic Renewal), and included the participation as protagonists of the migrants themselves. The New Family Movement presented themes on support at a distance and integration at school, involving over 200 students from local High Schools.
Over a thousand people attended the event, including a workshop on creative writing and a concluding concert, organized by the Jazz class of the Paganini Conservatory of Genoa; thanks to which about twenty artists met together afterwards for three days of dialogue, which gave the possibility to each of the participants to find new energies to continue on the way of artistic communion.
<img class="alignright size-full wp-image-105791" style="margin-left: 10px;" title="Desert Refugees" src="https://www.focolare.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140515-02.jpg" alt="" width="319" height="224" /
The dignity and worth of the person were characteristic aspects of the debate, which left space also for the moving experiences of Chaia, a Sahrawian young man who told his suffered experience of how, together with a young man from Magreb, after crossing the desert, landed in Lampedusa and is now integrated in the Genoese reality.
The moments of dialogue were important and hosted well-known religious and movement leaders, like the president of Migrantes, a pastor of a South American Evangelical Church, the Imam of the Muslim community and the Abbot of a Buddhist monastery. This comment, we feel, expresses the reality lived by many: “I felt that that place assumed a sacredness and became a temple, pagoda, hall, mosque, because we were composing a single prayer to the one God of all humanity, and it was not just a question of sentimental feelings, but of intelligence and hearts that become one”.
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May 15, 2014 | Non categorizzato
The South East of Europe is made up of a mosaic of different peoples. In Serbia, a country where the majority of the population is Christian Orthodox, there are some Catholic villages particularly near the border with Hungary, where Serbs and people of Magyar origin live together, and also gypsy and Ruthenian minorities.
Fr Jozsef Nagy got to know the spirituality of unity in 1978. When he was entrusted with the parishes of Szenta and Gornji Breg (on the border with Hungary) he began his ministry trying to put the Gospel into practice and helping others to do the same.
This is his witness: “After the fall of communism and during the Balkan wars, all the factories in the area closed and there was widespread unemployment and an economic crisis. More and more people found themselves living in poverty. Many children began fainting at school due to malnutrition – some hadn’t eaten in two or three days! Initially the teachers would bring some food from home, but then they didn’t have anything to eat as well, so the town council turned to me. In this way the Caritas group took off. It started with providing hot meals for 50 children but soon the number doubled. Then, adults were added as well.
For the past twenty years a communal kitchen has been providing a hot meal for 520 people from Monday to Friday. We take the meals to three schools for the needy children there, to an old people’s day care centre and to whoever is sick and alone. This kitchen maintains itself solely on ‘providence’: God intervenes by way of the generosity of many. Of course there are many difficulties. A number of times we were on the brink of closing, but the face of Jesus forsaken who cries out in these people, always gives us new courage to continue, believing in the love of God.”
The people who are involved in this evangelical experience develop spiritually more and more. They communicate their experiences, sharing joys and difficulties. Jozsef Varga, a married permanent deacon, who has four children, tells us: “Our group, we realize, is involved in many activities in both of the parishes, taking with us the spirit of unity. We experience this particularly when we manage to reach a unanimous decision. Some of us are on the Pastoral Council, others are catechists or working in the Parish office. Others look after the church building, the cemetery and do other charitable works. One of us is a driver; another looks after the provisions for the communal kitchen. Still others help distribute the meals.”
Eva is a nurse and is responsible for the home care of about 100 old and sick people: “I try to organize the work”, she tells us, “keeping alive the relationships both with my colleagues and the sick people, and the Word of Life is a great help in this. There are many people to visit and there is never enough time. Often I am tempted to rush things. But I discover that for these people it is important to be listened to. The knowledge that I have a community behind me keeps me going and gives me courage.”
Fr Nagy concludes: “These experiences help us experience the power that the parish community can have when we try continuously to renew ourselves and the parish by living mutual love. We see that when Jesus is present it is he who shines his light into our peripheries.”
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May 14, 2014 | Cultura
Author: Doriana Zamboni (ed)
Synopsis
Jesus promised the hundredfold in this life to those who love God. This little book contains a selection from the many thousands of experiences of that hundredfold in the lives of ordinary people who live the Focolare spirituality.
Available from New City London
(more…)
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May 14, 2014 | Non categorizzato
For the opening of United World Week, teenagers from all over Portugal were welcomed to Mariapolis Arco Iris by the local band and over twenty groups that animated the afternoon with a variety of activities: judo, music (many songs written for the occasion), dance, Indonesian gamelans and 90 dancers from Cape Verde. Along with the media, several civil authorities also attended the event. Both the president and vice-president of the region attended, and numerous clergy brought youth groups from their parishes. Among them wes the head of youth ministry from the diocese of Lisbon. 
It was not only the Focolare that contributed: over 20 groups and associations gave their contribution to the Expo on Fraternity: a small living exhibit of the United World Project in which particpants were called on to share their experiences of Fraternity. A parliamentarian, a musician, an actor, a scientist and a mayor were on hand to share their expertise. The programme had five sections exploring the theme of fraternity, through music, testimonials and dance. They showed that the culture of brotherhood can be extended to all sectors of life, from the arts to the economy. An open discussion with economist Luigino Bruni turned out to be very meaningful. The workshops that followed invited the young people to become more actively involved in society, for the building of a more united world, and this was expressed in the impressions that were left by some: “Changing the world depends on us: this is the strongest impression I take with me from this day. Thank you for having given us your experience, because if we have the key for facing the difficulties, then a united world is truly possible.” “This was my first experience with the Youth for a United World. I’m amazed by this spirit of sharing, reciprocal assistance and true love that I have had the opportunity of knowing and living here. I leave here with a new life!” “In times marked by individualism and indifference, it is nice to see so many people fighting for a better world, and they don’t stop in the face of adversity. Today I realized that fraternity is truly within everyone’s reach, and takes place in daily life. It depends on me as well, to “take on the world” and try to make it better.”
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May 13, 2014 | Non categorizzato
Each year, the university institute which is based in Loppiano, has an open day to communicate its educational project to anyone interested in learning more about Sophia. This event took place on 2nd May and offered an opportunity to live a typical day at the university, including lessons of economics, politics, Trinitarian ontology, moments of sharing, and dialogue with teachers and students.
At the heart of it all lies the choice of a new interdisciplinary academic approach, combining study and experience, helping students from different continents to acquire a “global vision”, as explained during the presentation.
The testimonies included that of Fabio Frisian, age 23, from Messina: “After three years study of Psychological Sciences and Methods, I enrolled in Sophia. The main reason for my choice was rooted in the substantial difference that I found between the traditional academic world and a world which was not just a course of study in order to feel satisfied, but something more. It was already the end of the summer and, after my degree in psychology and an experience of volunteering in Africa, I was still undecided. The last few years had given me so many doubts: should I continue to study following a pathway in which a strong “technologizing” of knowledge and unbridled competition among students prevailed?
Fabio Frisone
I felt quite sad. Despite my desire to return to Africa, I felt that I would have to give myself time to acquire a more complete education, also in order to be able to understand, in a less superficial way, the reality of Africa. I had heard of the Sophia project and I sensed that it could be the best solution for my needs. Now, after six months of this experience, I can say it was the right decision”.
And with regard to the itinerary of Sophia, Fabio continues: “From the professors, to the students, to the staff, the IUS is a new academic pathway. At the heart of the curriculum is the opportunity to gain knowledge and develop interdisciplinary skills. The constant search for this complementarity is an essential feature of the dialogue that takes place in the classroom between the different disciplines, and also in our personal relationships. The challenge of the Institute is to experience a new way of studying and doing research, to develop culture and to share it.
This produces a specific teaching methodology: the exercise of thinking requires you not to be in a hurry and to allow time for questions, so as not to end up confused by approximate conclusions. The invitation is to ask one more question each day, to get to the roots of the problems and to rework them, abandoning ideological solutions.
Each person becomes the protagonist of social and political change, confronting the problems and endeavouring to untie the most complex knots at the service of our cities and our peoples. I feel my way of thinking is becoming more and more open. It is a commitment that is renewed every day. If what drives us is the aspiration to build universal brotherhood, we know that to fly so high we need to start from the testing ground of everyday life.”
Source: Istituto Universitario Sophia
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May 12, 2014 | Non categorizzato
“It all began two years ago,” recounts Maria Pia Redaelli, who is the contact person for the NFA non-profit organisation in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the Petite Flamme Project has been underway. Two of our teachers attended a training course offered by the Focolare in Douala, Cameroon. When they returned to us they decided to apply some of the ideas already implemented by other schools. One was the Children’s Parliament. Almost immediately the children took ownership of their school environment and became actively involved members of the school community. In previous years it was difficult to keep the classroom areas tidy, also the outdoor areas; but now there’s never a paper on any pavement.
Each parliament is comprised of a president, vice president and several ministers, depending on the number of children. Each of them is in charge of something. Mbuyi Idrisse, director of the Petite Flamme, Ndolo, which has 400 students, recounts: “I arrive just before 7:30 every morning. I’m there to welcome my schoolmates. I check to see if their uniform is clean and neat. If it isn’t, I send them home.”
Makwatshi Donnel is vice president: I assist the president in maintaining discipline, especially when the children are entering the classrooms and leaving at the end of the day.”
“I’m Minister of Art,” says Biamungu Bienvenue. “I intone the anthem as we begin the school day. Whenever there are festivities, I assist the teacher in preparing the performances.”
Minister of Finances, Beyau Vianney: “My job is to help my schoolmates to reach out to meet the needs of other students who are in need of support. For example, if someone loses a parent or sibling, we try to find money from our own pockets to offer help. The same is done when we come to know of children suffering in other parts of the world. I’m in charge of collecting the monies and handing them over to the school director.”
Luwala Precieuse is Minister of Health: “When I get to school, I go to fill up the water tanks and add a few drops of antispetic, to protect the children from illness. Then, during the ten o’clock break, I go to the kitchen to taste the bouille to see if it is good and has enough sugar to make my schoolmates happy.”
Losambo Jepthe: “I’m Minister of Sport. This year I tried to put together a few teams of both girls and boys. We practice every Wednesday and Saturday, and during breaks we hold matches between classes.”
Nakamuwa Pembe, Minister of the Environment: “I make sure the school is tidy; when I see a schoolmate tossing something on the ground, I invite him or her to place it in the trash bin. I also check to see that the toilets are kept clean and tidy.”
Luwula Preieuse, Minister of Culture: “I ensure that the children are speaking French, which is the authorised language of the school.”
Lastly, Binia Exauce, Minister of the Public Order: “Every morning I verify that there is chalk at the chalkboards, and i give a whistle that gives the sign for school to begin and end.”
Maria Pia concluded saying: “With the Children’s Parliament we’ve seen a qualitative improvement in the children’s involvement at Petite Flamme, and when they move on to other schools, the teachers admire their sense of care and involvement. Even recently the Italian Ambassador visited Petite Flamme and was very satisfied with the environment he found, the climate of harmony and mutual respect among all. He offered the teachers words of great esteem and encouragement.”
May 10, 2014 | Non categorizzato
That Eloquent Gesture
In African society women and children are considered to be inferior creatures. I had asked Dieudonne what the conduct of a Christian would be like in that regard. We discussed this for two hours, but he wasn’t able to convince me. I had just said goodbye to him when a noise from behind made me turn. A small girl who was carrying a water jar on her head fell to the ground just a few metres away from us. While everyone else laughed without lifting a finger to help her, I watched as Diudonne hastened to help the little one out of the mud. And he didn’t stop at that; then he went back to the fountain to refill her water jar and carried it to her home. I was speechless as I contemplated the scene before me, as were the others – all of them dumbfounded that Dieudonne had acted in this way towards a child. That one gesture was more eloquent than the whole of our discussion.” A. B. (Cameroon)
Taking the Plunge
“I had always considered myself to be on good terms with everyone, but when my daughter began to take drugs my confidence collapsed. I realized that I had to take the plunge and overcome my isolation and reach out to others. I had the opportunity to approach two of my daughters’ friends who had recently been released from prison because of drugs. I went up to them without any judgements. A friendship was formed and, as my daughter found a new relationship with me, these two girls also found strength to return to their families.” M. T. (Italy)
All She Could
“When our daughter telephoned us that she was on the verge of a divorce, it was a great blow for us. There was no use in rebelling or giving sermons, but only sharing the pain. I tried just the same to make her feel that she wasn’t alone, even though she lives in another State. When she came to visit for a few days with her children, we did our best to make her feel our love and affection. We were so happy when, returning home, she informed us that she was willing to do all she could to rebuild the marriage rather than pursue the divorce.” J.S.-USA
Source: Il Vangelo del giorno, Città Nuova Editrice.
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May 9, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
“Building bridges in Europe through gestures of reconciliation and friendship that reach beyond borders. A new wave of hope has begun, inspired by the Gospel. . . .” And this is the purpose behind the European St Ulrich Prize, which was awarded this year to the Together For Europe Orientation Committee, on May 3, 2014 in the historic city of Dillingen, Germany. Through Together For Europe 300 Christian movements and communities have joined together to work for reconciliation and friendship among the peoples of Europe. Participants include Catholics, Evangelical-Lutherans, Evangelical-Reformed, Orthodox, Anglicans and Christians of free churches.
The prize-winners represented by 50 communities and movements were welcomed by both religious and civil authorities: Mayor Kunz; Catholic Bishop Zsarda di Augusta, regional Evangelical Bishop Grabow, and leaders from the financial and cultural worlds.
The laudatory speech was given by Brazilian Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for the Consecrated Life: “I look upon the ecumenical witness of Together For Europe with much gratitude. Through it more and more new spaces are created in which it is possble to come together as brothers and sisters, generating reciprocal love among the Churches and opening newer and newer ways of approaching the things that still divide us.”
Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz and Landrat Leo Schrell
The European St Ulrich Foundation began in the city of Dillingen, in 1993 on the 1000th anniversary of the canonisation of the Bishop Ulrich. Its purpose was to promote the unity of Europe according to the Western tradition. The president of the administration council, Bishop of Augsburg, Bishop Konrad Zdarsa presided at the religious ceremony together with his Evangelical-Lutheran colleague, Bishop Michael Grabow. Previous prize winners include: ex-chancellor of the German Federal Republic, Helmut Kohl; ex-president of the German Republic Roman Herzog; Polish ex-presdient and Peace Prize Winner, Lech Walesa; ex-archbishop of Prague Cardinal Miroslav Vlk; and Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Sant’Egidio community.
President of the St Ulrich Foundation, Landrat Leo Schrell: “The striking variety of movements involved makes it obvious that the intution of Together For Europe is supported by people of different Churches and backgrounds, who have the same goal: to contribute to European unity.” According to Schrell this journey: “is capable of pointing a path for the future.”
The donation sum of 10,000 € will be used for young people from Eastern European countries to take part in Together For Europe, especially in its next convention in 2016.
Gerhard Proß from the Esslingen YMCA, and representing the Orientation Committee of Together For Europe, gave thanks for being awarded the prize. The prize is considered an encouragement to continue the good work: to uncover the rich diversity of Europe, in this historic period of rising nationalism: “The future of Europe lies in the Together.”
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May 8, 2014 | Non categorizzato
Ubuntu: “I am what I am because of who we all are.” This ancient concept found in many African cultures is the main focus of the Sharing With Africa Project. On April 27 – May 4, 2014, a hundred young people from 29 countries gathered in Nairobi, Kenya. Professor Justus Mbae, who is Dean of the Catholic University of East Africa, explained it during an open discussion: “Any situation regarding me personally comes after the community, because each person is part of that community; the community comes first. It is then through the relationship with those other people that compose the community, that I become a person.” At Sharing With Africa, in the Focolare town in Kenya, the young people also shared their projects and stories as they try to respond to the challenge of their lands. Their creativity and commmitment were impressive, as they were able challenge even some public institutions. Their mission statement is inspired by a speech by Chiara Lubich, who was the founder of the Focolare, in which she suggested some positive steps for changing a city: find some friends who support your project; focus on the least and the needy, help them in their need, and turn to God for what is lacking. In this way you will be laying the foundations of a new city, and your gaze will begin to expand across the world. 
Benedicto is a young nurse at a hospital in Iringa, Tanzania. Blood is a very precious commodity in his country. The lack of blood in the public blood banks results in many deaths. One day many women were sent home from the maternity ward because there were no more bags of blood in the hospital. Benedicto informed the young people from the Focolare with whom he had already been sharing a spiritual journey of care and concern for the needs of the least. The solution came right from the group. Why not invite the public to donate blood? “It’s true that in our country we don’t have much to share; at times the misery is overwhelming, but everyone has blood, it’s inside us.” A request letter was sent and in a few hours they had 22 bags of blood. The head of the blood bank confessed that he had never witnessed such generosity. That was 2010. In the last 4 years the project expanded to the point of becoming an official reference for all the institutions of public health in the country. In January the students at Ruaha University in Iringa and the Islamic Institute of Dar el Salaam, became voluntary donors. 
This is only one of the 800 examples of fraternity that have been recorded since 2012. They’re called “fragments of fraternity” to show that even though they are small, they are able to generate change. The others are found in the Atlas of Fraternity, which came out during this 17th edition of United World Week, which is the annual event that displays to international institutions projects that are making fraternty possible among people. The official opening was on May 1, 2014 in Nairobi, with twenty minutes of live streaming that linked people from around the world with Sharing With Africa. In her message of greeting, Focolare President, Maria Voce, congratulated those who took part in the project for their “stubborn courage” and efforts “immersed as they are in the complex affairs of the contemporary world.”She also referred to the ongoing work for the Atlas, mentioning that it is like working at a “massive work site, but that it’s the dream of God, as Chiara Lubich loved to describe it. And this is a also great garuntee. Universal Brotherhood is no Utopia: on the contrary! Even though it is a strenous journey, it is an ustoppable vision.” This year’s goal will be to engage national UNESCO delegations in officially recognising United World Week for the contribution it offers to the unity of the human family. To the Young People for a United World: good work!
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May 7, 2014 | Cultura
Author: Chiara Lubich
What is it that Christians of many different Churches find so attractive about the young Jewish girl who gave birth to Jesus? This book does more than hint at an answer. Chiara Lubich’s gospel-based intuitions are a source of new insights for Christians of all traditions. Not only do we see the beauty of a human being who gave birth to God made flesh, not only do we taste the essential poetry of this unique event in history and enter more fully into all it implies, but we are made able to translate this vision into our daily lives. Mary becomes less a person we admire, an object of veneration, and more a source of inspiration, an example on which we can model our lives.
Available from New City Press (Philippines)
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May 7, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
What are 10 good reasons for being an architect today? What living space should we take on to meet the new needs, expectations and dreams of the people of today? Planning living spaces that contribute to human wellness. These are some of the topics that were taken into consideration by the Dialogues in Architecture (DA), in one of the many workshops at the 7th World Urban Forum promoted by UN-Habitat United Nations Agency. The workshop was called Urban Equity in Development. Cities for Life.
The worldwide Forum was held in Medellin on April 3-11, 2014, and attended by 20,000 people from around the world. Six hundred parallel programmes were held in conjunction: seminars, workshops, conferences and exhibits. One interesting display offered reflections on the growing inequality in many of the world’s urban centres.
Dialogue in Architecture (DA) presents itself as a place for cultural deepening as well as a stimulus for civil and professional imagining, planning and constructing living spaces of communion and reciprocity in contemporary cities. The workshop, which was promoted by DA, was held on April 10, 2014 in one of the 16 Urban Libraries of Medellin, and it drew attention to some local experiences, such as the one in Barrio de la Merced, Bogota. Laura Sanabria from the Urban Observer of La Salle University, together with architect Mario Tancredi, showed how it works – with the help of other colleagues – trying to make connections between public institutions and local people; and the creation of a Mobile Health Clinic to serve the needy in the community. They stressed the importance of the value of universal brotherhood as the motor behind an architecture at the service of the human person.
La Merced
How does dialogue work in the context of Latin American metropolis like Bogota and Medellin? Tours of Bogota and Medellin were given by some young Columbian architects as part of the Forum. Fernando Bedoya recounts: “At Barrio de La Merced, entering into the lives and the history of the people was like being in an open classroom. The concrete interaction with the children and those who run the Social Unidad Centre, which was begun by the Focolare Movement together with people from the barrio, was the first powerful immersion in the wounds and challenges of that people who, with the power of love and faith manage, day by day, to gain their rights and live a dignified life.” Juliana continued to say: “At the Barrio de La Candelaria we were introduced into the historical and cultural heart of the city, which has drawn artists, writers and intellectuals; also foreigners who fill the theatre district, libraries and cultural centres. We saw some of Rogelio Salmona’s architecture in which the construction of the collective space is central. The last stop at the Gold Museum transported us to the origins of the rich Pre-Columbian culture.
Juliana Valencia concludes: “Today’s world is asking for a different architectural vision, the fragility of the environment is our point of action so as to stay on our feet amidst the crisis. Beauty is now relative, looking at the world from a particular perspective or academic field no longer works. For this reason our point of departure can only be the human person along with his or her needs and relationship to the environment.”
The next event will take place in June, in Spain: Barcelona ArquitecturaLimite
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May 6, 2014 | Non categorizzato
Msgr Livio Maritano (far right) with Chiara Lubich, the parents di Chiara Luce Badano, and Maria Grazia Magrini, Vice-Postulator for the ause of beatification of Chiara Luce.
Msgr. Maritano’s relationship with the Focolare Movement became particularly significant after he met Chiara Luce Badano, a young member of the Movement, who lived in his diocese and suffered from a terminal illness, beatified in 2010.
He came to know her during the last part of her life and was struck by her radiant Christian testimony, “by the depth of spirituality, by the great love for God that gave her the strength to face her illness”.
At the news of his passing away, Maria Voce said: “He was able to perceive sanctity in Chiara Luce’s everyday life”.
After the death of the young Badano, while verifying the growing interest that continued to emanate, he recognized in her life signs of universal holiness that touched the hearts of many, especially of young people. Thus, he saw in Chiara Luce a model that could be offered to them, as Benedict XVI pointed out on the occasion of her beatification. Later, it was Msgr Maritano himself who related her experience to many in various places all over Italy; he was called by many to speak about her.
Msgr. Maritano met Chiara Lubich several times. His esteem for Chiara and her charism, which he saw incarnated with particular intensity in the life of the young Chiara Luce Badano, led him to keep in touch with the founder of the Focolare Movement even through an epistolary relationship.
“The Focolare Movement remembers Msgr Livio Maritano with gratitude and appreciation”, Maria Voce said. “We unite ourselves in prayer with his family, friends, the diocese of Acqui and the whole Church”
May 6, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
May 5, 2014 | Non categorizzato
“What would you answer to someone who holds that true dialogue among different cultures and religions is not possible?” This was a question addressed to Chiara during a meeting with Muslim friends of the Focolare in 2002.
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May 5, 2014 | Focolare Worldwide
The Focolare Movement expresses its hearfelt closeness to the Order of Capuchin Friars Minor on the passing away of Fr Casimiro Bonetti.
Divine Providence wanted Fr Bonetti to be very specially related to the beginnings of the Focolare Movement.In fact, he was the one to receive Chiara Lubich’s consecration to God on December 7, 1943.And it was he who in various circumstances proved to be God’s instrument.
Think of the words he said to Chiara when he was touched by her act of generosity: “Yes: God loves you immensely!” Or of his idea about the moment when Jesus suffered most during his passion, expressed on January 24, 1944, when he said he believed that this was when Jesus cried: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27,46).
Such statements, that even amazed Fr. Bonetti when he realised that they were the work of the Holy Spirit, had a particular resonance in Chiara Lubich’s soul. Thanks to the charism God gave her, these statements, together with other intuitions she had, became in time the foundations of the spirituality of unity that animates the life of the Focolare Movement.
Fr Casimiro Bonetti will always be remembered. Together with all those who in various ways form part of the Movement, I promise our prayers for him with gratitude and appreciation.
Maria Voce
President of the Focolare Movement
