Feb 5, 2021 | Non categorizzato
General Assembly – Diary12, February 5, 2021 A very intensive day of work has come to an end for the General Assembly participants. Between yesterday and today they analysed and voted on a number of motions about the future life of the Movement. A first draft of the final document has also been written. This summarises the orientations and the plan of action on the topics discussed in the various working groups. It needs to be said that time constraint and the technical conditions imposed by the telematic mode posed a challenge for the Assembly’s work. Nonetheless, every effort has been made to enable everyone to contribute, to experience unity in diversity, and to plan together a final document to be handed over to the new Government. Roughly, it has been calculated that 13 to 15 hours of work were put into each topic and a total of 3,500 working hours were invested in the first draft alone. All this work has been achieved through the help of several specialised platforms and three professional facilitators. An extraordinary appointment for tomorrow morning: Pope Francis will receive the General Assembly in a private audience at the Paul VI Hall. Some participants will actually participate in person, while most of them will follow via streaming. The outgoing president, Maria Voce, will introduce the newly elected Margaret Karram to the Holy Father. The new president will address Pope Francis, who will then speak to those present and to the Assembly participants who will follow through the link-up. Detailed information about the live broadcast, that all may follow, is available on the following link: https://www.focolare.org/en/news/2021/02/05/pope-francis-gives-audience-to-the-general-assembly-of-the-focolare-movement/
Focolare Communication Office
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Feb 5, 2021 | Non categorizzato
How to watch English subtitles, click here https://youtu.be/oZ8kaSgOizA
Feb 4, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Diary No.11 of the General Assembly 4th February Between yesterday and today the 22 new general councilors of the Focolare have been elected. They come from 16 countries and 4 continents, their ages range from 52 -70 and they truly represent the multiculturality that is a characteristic of the Focolare Movement. Many of them have lived in various geographical areas besides their country of origin, an important factor for getting to know in depth, the characteristics, needs and challenges of the many countries in which those who identify themselves in the Focolare’s message of unity, are living. At the opening of the voting for the councilors Margaret Karram said: ”Let us ask for the Holy Spirit so that we can be guided only by him”; in fact this is only the first step towards the composition of the new “Center of the Movement”. Shortly, the newly elected President will distribute their specific tasks to each one. The intense work of today was concluded with a session dedicated to the presentation and approval of various proposals. Tomorrow the work will continue in plenary with sessions of dialogue on the plans and directions for the next 6 years. In the meantime, let’s get to know the names of the newly elected councilors and where they come from.
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Women Councilors Cuneo Chiara (Italy) Escandell Silvia (Argentina) Gomez Margarita (Spain) Kempt Donna Lynn (USA) Kobayashi Renata (Japan) Koller Friederike (Germany) Moussallem Rita (Lebanon) Ngabo Bernadette (Dem. Rep. Congo) Sanze Genevieve (Central African Republic) Simon Renata (Germany) Zanolin Clara (Italy)
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Men Councilors Asprer Ray (Philippines) Bartol Angel (Spain) Battiston Ruperto (Italy) Bruschke Klaus (Brazil) Canzani Francisco (Uruguay) Dijkema Enno (Holland) Kenfack Etienne (Cameroon) Salimbeni Antonio (Italy) Schwind Joachim (Germany) St-Hilaire Marc (Canada) Valtr Vit (Czechia)
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Focolare Communications Office Text in PDF
Feb 4, 2021 | Non categorizzato
How to watch English subtitles, click here https://youtu.be/01Yu21H5vbg
![Voting has started for the men and women general councilors]()
Feb 3, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Diary of the General Assembly no.10, 3rd February 2021 Today’s program is dedicated once again to voting. The General Assembly has met together in a plenary session to begin the process of voting, so as to elect the men and women general councilors of the Focolare Movement and this will conclude tomorrow.
The Electoral Commission at work
Feb 3, 2021 | Non categorizzato
How to watch English subtitles, click here https://youtu.be/Z0azW5nKBQU
Feb 3, 2021 | Non categorizzato
Despite restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the Focolare community in Toronto remains close to a sick mother and her family “I don’t feel alone on this journey, and it’s thanks to all of you who are my family!”. Susan lives in Toronto, Canada. She has five children and was diagnosed with advanced cancer about a year ago. Her journey has been a rocky one, with moments of progress and feelings of hope alternating with moments of trial when her health deteriorated. But sharing her experience with the Focolare community, of which she has been a member for a long time, has helped to relieve the burden of her suffering and echo her joy. Not even the restrictions imposed by the pandemic can stop them sharing this suffering. It must be because love can overcome the most difficult obstacles. The same is true for the fraternal relationships linking members of the community together. From the Focolare in Toronto they said: “When Susan shared the situation with all of us, she told us she felt at peace and wanted to offer her suffering for everyone affected by the pandemic. We assured her of our personal prayers, and one of our families had the idea of meeting together on Zoom to pray the Rosary for her healing”. So since last March, members of the Toronto Focolare community have been meeting on Zoom every Sunday at 4pm: “We take turns praying one decade of the Rosary, and leave Susan and her family to pray the fifth decade”. It is such a strong moment of prayer that they feel the spiritual presence of Jesus among them, according to the Gospel which says “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:15-20). And through the intercession of Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, they are asking for Susan to be healed. “When we finish praying,” they continue, “Susan gives us an update on the treatment, and we all rejoice with her and Nino, her husband, if there has been progress and suffer with them in the difficult moments. She continues to tell us that she feels stronger spiritually and emotionally thanks to the spiritual presence of Jesus among us and that we are all carrying this suffering together!” Love for this mother and her family is also being expressed in very concrete gestures. If the doctors prescribe rest and advise against cooking, then the community takes it in turns to prepare a meals for the family which is different every time. “It’s incredible”, they say, “with love, you can overcome every difficulty, even those caused by the virus with the lockdown. For Susan’s family, especially the young children, it is always a great joy to see what has arrived for dinner because every time, from our multicultural community, there is a dish from a different world cuisine. This experience with its many acts of love has made us grow as a community”. It is this feeling of family that is giving Susan courage, and it is from this love for Susan that the community is rediscovering itself as a family every day.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Feb 2, 2021 | Non categorizzato
General Assembly Diary 9/ 2 February 2021 After the first ten days, the Focolare General Assembly has reached a turning point. The election of the new President Margaret Karram, and the Holy See’s confirmation today of the re-election of Co-President Jesús Morán, completes the first phase. Tomorrow, in her first official duty, the new President will establish the number of General Counsellors to be elected by the Assembly. These cannot be less than 20, in line with a recent modification to the General Statutes of the Movement. Today, as the Assembly continued working on the direction and lines of action for the next six years, greetings and congratulations to the newly elected president have been pouring in from around the world. Here are a few highlights: “With great pleasure we heard of your election as new president of the Focolare Movement. […] Being so expert in dialogue between cultures […] your nomination will strengthen the witness of unity among cultures and religions. […] In the cooperation of ‘Together for Europe’ we wish to be a trustworthy partner in contributing to a new culture of unity”. P. Heinrich Walter, Schoenstatt Movement “Dear Margaret, […] I wish to congratulate you, on behalf, also, of Andrea [Riccardi] and all the Community of Sant’Egidio on this important role. […] We’ve met on various occasions already […] particularly in our shared commitment for unity among movements and ‘Together for Europe’. […] Building bridges and links of fraternity is a real necessity for our world and a ‘vocation’ for which your own personal story, your provenance from a land of suffering and conflict, makes you partcularly sensitive. […] In this spirit of fraternity, we’ll continue our friendship between the Focolare Movement and the Community of Sant’Egidio”.
Marco Impagliazzo, President of the Community of Sant’Egidio
“The Federation of the Fellowship of Christians and Jews in Italy expresses our sincere best wishes for your new role. […] We call to mind the light and colours of your cities: Haifa, Los Angeles and Jerusalem, and we hope to collaborate for the promotion of Jewish-Christian and inter-religious dialogue”. “With great pleasure, on behalf of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy, I extend our hearty congratulations on your nomination as President of the Focolare Movement. On behalf of the communities I represent, I renew our wish to collaborate always on the way of dialogue, of sharing, of encounter, in the hope of gathering fruits of peace.” Yassine Lafram, presidenteUCOII “The Order of the Holy Sepulchre sends our best wishes to the newly-elected President of the Focolare Movement, Margaret Karram. […] As a Catholic Arab of Haifa, you have always been intensely involved in the activities of inter-religious dialogue working for the culture of encounter in the Holy Land.” Before concluding this diary, we ask you, our dear readers, for your collaboration. Disappointingly, documents, photos and recordings of the General Assembly are already being shared on various platforms. Let us not forget that this Assembly is not a public event. Please help us to protect the reserved nature of our Assembly. Please don’t join in the improper sharing of any content which has not been authorized by this office. Grazie! Thank you!
Focolare Communications Office
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Feb 2, 2021 | Non categorizzato
This is the second mandate for Jesús Morán, whose primary task is to fully support and collaborate with Margaret Karram, the newly elected president of the Focolare Movement. The election of the co-president was also welcomed by the Focolare Assembly with worldwide applause and today, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life confirmed his appointment: Jesús Morán has been re-elected co-president of the Focolare. This is his second term of office after the one just concluded alongside Maria Voce. Jesús Morán is 63 years old and was born in Navalperales de Pinares, Avila (Spain). He first came across the Gospel message proposed by the Focolare Movement during his university studies, through the witness of some of his fellow students. He graduated in Philosophy from the Autonomous University of Madrid and obtained a Licentiate in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Santiago de Chile and a Doctorate in Theology from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. From 1996 to 2004 he was Focolare delegate for Chile and Bolivia, where he was ordained a priest on 21 December 2002. From 2004 to 2008 he was co-responsible for the Movement in Mexico and Cuba. At the 2008 Focolare General Assembly he was elected General Councillor and responsible for the cultural formation of the Movement’s members. In 2009 he became a member of the “Abba School”, an interdisciplinary study centre of the Focolare Movement, due to his expertise in theological anthropology and moral theology. Since 2014 he has been co-president of the Focolare Movement. The duties of the Co-President The first duty of the Co-President is full support and collaboration with the President. The Statutes of the Focolare speak of “the fullest unity with the President” in order to offer her the possibility of examining ideas and decisions, listening and searching together for the will of God. He is responsible for the priests who adhere to the Focolare and ensures that the internal life and activities of the movement are in conformity with the faith and morals of the Church.
Stefania Tanesini
Feb 1, 2021 | Non categorizzato
How to watch English subtitles, click here https://youtu.be/QW3HIijcpqY
