Dec 23, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The President of the Focolare entrusts the independent investigation into the case of abuse perpetrated by a former consecrated member in France to the firm GCPS Consulting
On 23rd December Maria Voce and Jesús Morán, respectively President and Co-president of the Focolare, entrusted the investigation into the sexual abuse committed by JMM, a French, former consecrated member of the Movement, to the firm GCPS Consulting, based in the United Kingdom. In addition to the immense suffering, especially for the victims, and the unconditional collaboration of the Focolare in order to shed full light on this case, expressed by the President in the press release of 22 October last, the decision was also announced to entrust the investigation and ascertainment of responsibilities to an independent body. GCPS Consulting is a consulting firm that specializes in helping organisations ensure the safety of children, vulnerable or ‘at risk’ groups and improve their systems for preventing and reporting abuse. It deals with the identification of risks and issues related to safeguarding, and has extensive experience and expertise in policy development, training, review, evaluation, as well as investigations. The task of GCPS Consulting will therefore be to listen to the victims and gather further testimonies, as well as carry out investigations into any omissions, cover-ups or silences by the leaders of the Focolare Movement. In addition, it will gather other reports that may come to light. The investigation is expected to start in January 2021. The independent commission, after the time needed to establish terms and procedures, will begin gathering the stories of the victims in March 2021. By December 2021 a public report will be presented which will detail the findings and recommendations of the inquiry commission. ——————————————— Stefania Tanesini Focolare Movement Press Officer +39 338 5658244 stefania.tanesini@focolare.org ——————————————— Contacts at GCPS Consulting for this case: inquiry@gcps.consulting info@gcps.consulting (Media)
Dec 23, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The next General Assembly of the Focolare Movement will be completely online. A worldwide survey has identified four themes to be explored. The General Assembly of the Focolare Movement, postponed from the beginning of September 2020 to the end of January 2021, will be held completely online. Such was the decision announced by Maria Voce, president of the Movement, at the beginning of December following a survey among all those responsible for the Movement around the world and a subsequent assessment by the General Council of the Focolare. The decision to hold the Assembly online was also helped by the preparations underway after the initial postponement. A survey amongst all the members of the movement identified a number of key themes to focus on in this Assembly. These are: Charism, Incarnation, Environment and Future, Together with the New Generations. Issues Relating to Integral Ecology and Journeying Together with the New Generations. Participants have already been provided with material on these subjects, and experts in these areas have offered their reflections in a number of webinars. The path Due to the aggravated situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was obvious that many of the 362 participants in this six-year event would not be able to travel. This left two options: to either postpone the Assembly further, or hold it partially or completely online. Besides the legal and technical issues to be resolved, other serious questions had to be addressed: how would it be possible to create, in an online assembly, the kind of communion among the participants which would help them to get to know one another and share views about candidates and issues? And how could everyone be guaranteed the same level of technical access and participation in the dialogues? It was also clear that, because of the different time zones, the programme had to take place within a specific timeframe which was equally acceptable to participants from Vancouver in Western Canada as those from Oceania. In short, how could the challenges that the global situation was also imposing on the Focolare Movement be overcome within such a short space of time? Discussions at different levels revealed an overriding willingness to face these challenges with responsibility and creativity rather than postpone this important event any longer. And to make the choice easier, it was just at that time the Vatican gave extraordinary permission to hold the Assembly online, provided that the confidentiality, secrecy and freedom of expression of the vote during the elections were guaranteed. Consequently, Maria Voce decided to organise an online Assembly for everyone – even those who would have been able to meet physically. The technical challenge and online voting Technicians and computer scientists are currently working on ways to create multiple possibilities for formal and informal online meetings. An internationally recognised voting system has successfully passed its first tests. A worldwide communion of goods is trying to ensure that all participants have the tools they need for a stable Internet connection. And for the participants who (from a European perspective) live “on the other side” of the world, solutions are being sought to ease the burden of time zones. The pre-assembly journey also offers the opportunity to look at the legal issues related to how the meeting is conducted and get to know the candidates nominated for the different roles.
Joachim Schwind
Dec 21, 2020 | Non categorizzato
https://vimeo.com/493057517 Happy Christmas, Happy Christmas to you all. For sure this Christmas, in a pandemic year! Christmas in the midst of a pandemic. We see terrible things, poverty to the point of starvation and increasing hunger in many places; we see wars that are partly hidden, partly ongoing; we see climate disasters, changes that are putting our common home at risk. And so all this makes us say: Jesus came into this world; Jesus came; he became man and took charge of this world, and he came through love to show us his love. And so, on the one hand it makes us feel humble before the greatness of this love, and grateful to him who has shown us this love. And on the other hand, it urges us to do something like him, it urges us to look around, to reach out to everyone, starting with the most marginalised, the poorest, humblest, most abandoned, migrants, those who are alone, the sick, children, all those in need. And he also urges us to love them with all that we can: by sharing our affection, our thoughts, our communion of goods and even taking risks at times, risking our lives as he did, And so this will truly be a Happy Christmas, that is, a good Christmas, a Christmas of goodness, a Christmas that because it’s goodness also becomes a Christmas of peace, hope and joy. Happy Christmas to you all.
Maria Emmaus Voce
Dec 19, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The commitment of Youth for a United World in the Philippines to promoting initiatives to help students through the #daretocare project. “Online learning” has now become a feature of this pandemic. Governments all over the world are putting measures in place to reduce the risk of infection from Covid-19 whilst trying to maintain continuity with children’s education. Children no longer go to school physically but “meet” teachers and other students in “virtual classrooms”: the internet has become the new setting for their education. This new model has highlighted a number of difficulties for developed countries. Losing a direct relationship has a negative impact on the quality of teaching and deprives children of a “place” for growth and development which is human relationship. What is also significant is the discomfort that arises from a kind of enforced “cloistering” and the need to reorganize one’s daily life between smartworking, babysitting, medical appointments and various other commitments. 
In developing countries and in rural areas which lack IT infrastructures, these social problems are further compounded by structural ones. Many regions have no internet connection and conditions for families who were already in financial difficulty have worsened because of the pandemic. These families can’t afford to buy educational materials, PCs or internet subscriptions for their children. All this has meant that the risk of an “educational catastrophe” that Pope Francis spoke of on 15 October in his Message for the event dedicated to the “Global Pact for Education” is very real. These difficulties are being felt by people in many parts of the Philippines. There, some of the Youth for a United World are teachers who have developed initiatives to help their students, putting into practice the #daretocare initiative which is about daring to take care of others, being active citizens who take an interest in everything that is happening around the world to try to build a united piece of the world. Frances Roble teaches primary school children. Some of her pupils come from the poorest families who do not have the educational materials they need to follow classes. To make sure their studies could continue, Frances appealed to the whole Focolare community to give them everything they need: “We pick ourselves up again together,” she explains, “by helping others in need to pick themselves up again. Ronald Allan Relador teaches in a public school. Unlike in previous years, his students had to register online at the beginning of this year to attend classes. Most, however, had neither a PC nor an internet connection. Ronald also worked hard to raise enough money to buy computers and register some of the students himself. However, the money raised was insufficient to cover all their needs. Then a well-known music band in the country decided to help by making a major donation. “I felt fulfilled and blessed to have done this,” he says, “God’s generosity is immense!” Jaquilyn Marie P. Jumuad also teaches in a primary school. She said that moving to online self-study has not been easy and has highlighted the difficulties many parents experienced of taking the place of teachers because they lacked a basic education themselves. “The help Youth for a United World offered,” she says, “has enabled us to give our students the level of education they needed.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
Dec 15, 2020 | Non categorizzato
On 19 and 20 December the international performing arts group Gen Rosso will hold three Christmas concerts entitled “Life, Love, Care” at three different times to benefit different parts of the world. The pandemic we are experiencing is disrupting the way we live, as well as how we relate to others and the world. Its impact calls us to deeply reflect on global issues, such as the challenge of implementing a project of human coexistence together that brings a better future for us all. In recent years, the international performing arts group Gen Rosso has taken its celebration of life around the world through its “Life” concert. Now is a time for rebirth, and Christmas is the symbol par excellence: Jesus, the Son of God, is born. And it is also the opportunity for a new rebirth to begin to build a better future, one that will only be possible if each of us gets involved by taking care of who and what is around us through gestures of love. They might be small, but they can be daily and concrete. Gen Rosso is personally committed to this challenge, reaching everyone’s homes to help them feel less isolated and bringing a message of fraternity. Through their Christmas concerts, Gen Rosso hopes to celebrate life in all its facets (Life); spread love and beauty, and remind us of the importance of small daily gestures (Love); help everyone feel close to each other, and spread the message of taking care of those around us (Care). Much like what the Gen 4 (the children of the Focolare) will do all over the world with their activity called “They evicted Jesus”, Gen Rosso will contribute part of the ticket proceeds – a spontaneous, freely given donation – to the Fiore Educational Center in Mixco, Guatemala. The school for children and young people has been seriously challenged and compromised by the Covid-19 pandemic, and offers qualification programmes in the field of education with an emphasis on human development. The concert dates are: – Saturday 19 December at 1pm and 9pm (Italian time) – Sunday 20 December at 11:59pm (Italian time) For more information, visit genrosso.com.
orenzo Russo
Dec 14, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The President and Co-President of the Focolare returned to the subject of sexual abuse by consecrated members of the Movement and asked for forgiveness from all the victims. “We must do all we can to ensure that traumas of this kind do not happen again in the future”. Last Sunday, December 13th , at 12 noon there were several thousand people connected from all over the world for the Link Up, the customary appointment in video-conference that for over thirty years has brought together the members of the Focolare Movement. Jesús Morán and Maria Voce, respectively Co-President and President of the Focolare Movement, took the opportunity to look back at the serious and painful issue of sexual abuse of minors, in which consecrated persons of the Movement are also involved. Already in March 2019 Maria Voce had written a letter to all the members worldwide to inform them of this serious scourge. Below is their address during the Link Up: Jesús: Yes, unfortunately – as you rightly say – we have to admit that this scourge of abuse, not only child abuse but also abuse of authority, and other kinds of abuse, has also occurred among us. In this sense, we would like to take this opportunity of a worldwide link to ask for forgiveness wholeheartedly, sincerely, of all the people who have been victims of any form of abuse. This is the first thing we would like to say one year after that letter. Then, as we know that this is never enough, we would like to reaffirm our commitment to the work we are doing, and that we want to improve more and more, in terms of prevention and training, so that these things don’t happen anymore, because they are so contradictory to what Chiara gave us, that they really shouldn’t happen anymore. And then we reiterate the accompaniment of the victims, which is the most important thing and we hope to be able to do it even better, even more effectively. Emmaus: Certainly, of course. It is a suffering that we live together, that we take on together, all together, and only together can we overcome it, because it is a great suffering for everyone. I remember we wrote in that letter that every single case for us means a profound purification of the Movement, and we consider it as such. We accept it – and we said so – with humility and deep compassion for those who have suffered indescribable traumas perhaps because of our lack of attention, and we commit ourselves to directing or refocusing our conduct as individuals and as a Movement towards an ever more conscious and mature commitment to the safeguarding and well-being of minors in particular. But we added at the time – we stressed this in that letter – that we must also be careful to look beyond our Movement, because of course we want to contribute to the fraternity of all, and therefore we must take on board the cry of pain of all those who suffer abuse, especially children but not only, children and young people of the world. And this attention must lead us to see all these people as the Spouse we have chosen, as Jesus forsaken. So we should feel drawn to go and console this pain and to do everything possible to ensure that traumas of this kind do not happen again in future. This applies to the abuse of children and minors, as well as to all the other types of abuse, even of older people, disabled, of those who suffer abuse of any kind, of their rights, their personhood, and their dignity. We should feel drawn to go and love and relieve these wounds, to respond as far as possible with our attention and love for the victims, for all those who suffer, and to ensure that these traumas never happen again.
Edited by Stefania Tanesini
https://vimeo.com/491123510
Dec 14, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Suffering, any kind of suffering, is a reality that people naturally reject and try to avoid at all costs. Yet it is part of human life. Integrating it into our existence is a pathway we must follow towards a life that is fulfilled. Chiara Lubich accepted suffering as a sign or like a “bell” calling her to an encounter with God. I have found you in so many places, Lord! I have felt you throbbing in the perfect stillness of a little Alpine church, in the shadow of the tabernacle of an empty cathedral, in the breathing as one soul of a crowd who loves you and who fills the arches of your church with songs and love. I have found you in joy. I have spoken to you beyond the starry firmament, when in the evening, in silence, I was returning home from work. I seek you and often I find you. But where I always find you is in suffering. A suffering, any sort of suffering, is like the sound of a bell that summons God’s bride to prayer. When the shadow of the cross appears the soul recollects itself in the tabernacle of its heart and forgetting the tinkling of the bell it “sees” you and speaks to you. It is you who come to visit me. It is I who answer you: “Here I am, Lord, I desire you, I have desired you.” And in this meeting my soul does not feel its suffering, but is as if inebriated with your love: suffused with you, imbued with you: I in you and you in me, that we may be one. And then I reopen my eyes to life, to the life less real, divinely drilled to wage your war.
Chiara Lubich
Chiara Lubich, “I have found you”, in Chiara Lubich: Essential Writings, New City Press, Hyde Park, New York 2007, pp 91-92.
Dec 12, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Stories of mutual aid from Central America. A communion of goods that generates hope Because of the pandemic for Covid-19 the countries of Central and South America are going through a moment of great economic fragility: many jobs have stopped, as well as school, social relations, personal affections. In spite of everything, the communion of the goods of the various Focolare communities has never stopped – as Pope Francis asks towards those in difficulty, to generate a culture of fraternity day after day. 
Carolina from Guatemala bears witness to this: “many people are losing their jobs. Among them is one of my cousins. In order to continue generating income he needed a laptop computer. So, without thinking about it, I decided to give him the one I use. He was very grateful to me and I was happy for helping him”. Zarita, a Gen3 (boys from the hearths) from Oaxaca, Mexico, in a zoom meeting learned that the “extraordinary communion Covid-19” had begun. The proposal was to make a piggy bank using recyclable material. Her aunt says: “When Zarita helps me with something she says: ‘give me a coin for my piggy bank’. She also lost two teeth and sent the prize she received for her courage”. In Mexico City, in one of the most marginalized areas, the Águilas Integral Social Centre has been carrying out its mission of promoting human rights and a culture of peace for over 30 years. Some of the Focolare community carries out assistance activities. With the lockdown, the Centre has had to close. Through the extraordinary communion of goods, however, it has continued to respond to the basic needs of the population of the neighbourhood, helping in particular 120 families and ensuring an orderly reopening of the facility in accordance with the hygienic and sanitary measures required by the authorities. In Guatemala, on the other hand, the Fiore Educational Centre, linked to the Focolare Movement, has for years welcomed students of different origins, language and culture, especially from the poorest and most vulnerable groups. The economic crisis generated by COVID 19 has hit the already weak economy of the country very hard. Many families have been left without work and have had to cut education costs in order to have what they need to live. This has forced the Educational Centre Fiore to close, thus putting at risk the education of many children from the most disadvantaged groups. However, thanks to the extraordinary communion of goods, both local and global, it has been possible to intervene to start a requalification project that will allow the reopening of the school. The Gen4 (children from the hearths) from all over the world will also donate to the Flower Centre the offerings collected from the action “They have evicted Jesus“. Moving to Honduras, Javier writes: “Cristina, my neighbour works in a public school but it is now closed. Her husband instead works as a private security agent in a shopping centre, closed for Covid. They can’t pay their rent and bills and have a 13-year-old son. I put myself in their shoes and it is really distressing”. Javier has involved them in small jobs in the neighbourhood and is constantly taking an interest in their situation, without ever failing to provide them with food. And Luis, from Costa Rica says: “some farmers from San Vito, 100 km from Buenos Aires, have donated their harvest to their community affected by the pandemic. Learning this experience, motivated by the great act of love of these people, I immediately organized the pineapple donation at the private company where I work. In response, some of these farmers gave us some of their vegetable, rice and corn seeds, thus being able to continue this experience, which has become a chain. Twelve officials of this company, in their spare time, sowed these seeds so that the harvested products would also be delivered to this area. Given the availability of pineapple that was available, when the European market (which buys them) was closed, we also dedicated ourselves to bartering”.
Lorenzo Russo
If you want to make your contribution to help those suffering from the effects of the global Covid crisis, go to this link
Dec 11, 2020 | Non categorizzato
The new Gen Verde single to support concrete and collective projects to protect Creation Turn Around, Gen Verde’s new single, grew out of a desire to reflect and stimulate concrete action to safeguard the earth, being inspired by contemplating the earth’s beauty. It is a song that is both a prayer and a cry in chorus, a reflection and action, one that instills hope and the desire for change. From young Greta Thunberg’s speech at the UN to Pope Francis’ words in “Laudato Si'”, from the astronaut James Buchli to Chiara Lubich… these were the main inspirations for the new song written by Nancy Uelmen which speaks openly about climate problems and calls for a change of direction giving a voice to what young people are demanding: “It really impresses me to see these young people trying to do something because their future is at risk. As Gen Verde we wondered what we could do and, since we love expressing ourselves through music, we had the idea of writing a song to show the earth’s beauty and put at the centre of our attention Creation as a gift we have received to be protected and taken care of.” . The words are even more powerful when sung by young people from different parts of the world as a choir: from the United States of America to India, from Ireland to Nigeria, New Caledonia and many other countries. “It was a really strong experience,” says Colomba, “when, in spite of the pandemic and not being able to meet physically in a recording studio, we asked lots of young people to give us a hand by recording their contribution to this song. When we put the different voices together we were deeply moved because this song is already carrying the regenerative strength of a group that really wants to reverse this negative trend and who have experienced this, even if at a distance”. And while keeping a compelling style of music for a young audience, this song has also a genuine prayer: “We turn to the “Creator Spirit” (which reminds us a bit of the Schola Gregoriana’s “Veni Creator Spiritus”)” – continues Nancy – “because we feel we need God’s help to have the light to understand how to heal our common home and, more importantly, to change our hearts… not just my heart or someone else’s but the hearts of the whole community”. And of course the lyrics are infused with a hope that is typical of Gen Verde’s songs and a firm belief in the strength of commitment of many to the common good. The song is written in a mainly electronic pop style. It maintains elements of continuity with Gen Verde’s latest albums but at certain points, the music style deviates slightly to encourage personal and collective reflection, inviting people to make a commitment to save the earth. It is a strong commitment which is why the new Turn Around video clip was performed live for the first time at the international meeting entitled The Economy of Francesco. Link YouTube Turn Around.
Tiziana Nicastro
Dec 10, 2020 | Non categorizzato
Three exemplary figures, witnesses that dialogue among religions is possible, all died on 1 December. Men for fraternity. Passionate about the adventure of dialogue among believers of different religions. United by a desire to live in unity, whilst mindful of faith, culture and sensitivity. Imam Nedal Abu Tabaq, muftī of the Muslim League in Poland, the Theravada Buddhist monk Phra Ajahn Eiam, and Henri Teissier, Catholic bishop of Oran, in the north of Algeria, and archbishop of Algiers all died on the same day – December 1st. For their friends on the road of inter-religious dialogue, there remains the the task of taking up their inheritance and renewing their commitment to universal fraternity. Roberto Catalano who is co-responsible for inter-religious dialogue for the Focolare Movement recalls that the Mufti Nedal Abu Tabaq encouraged the start of a path of dialogue among Muslims, Christians and Jews in Poland. Working with believers of the three religions, he promoted numerous events including concerts, symposia and gatherings on the occasion of religious festivals. The latter were always opportunities to share beliefs, values and traditions and a time to create mutual understanding. He worked with the local authorities in the production of a “Calendar of the Three Religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam”. In 2013 he established the “Day of Christianity among Muslims in Poland” on 29th May and the following year the “Day of Judaism among Muslims in Poland” on the 16th of the month. In 2014 the Mufti participated in an Interreligious Conference dedicated to Chiara Lubich, on the fifth anniversary of her death. He died a victim of the coronavirus pandemic. Phra Ajahn Eiam, a Thai Theravada Buddhist monk, is remembered for his encouraging smile, which always lit up his discreet, silent, meditative presence. He was committed to Buddhist-Christian dialogue. Suffering from a tumour, his condition deteriorated with the onset of Covid-19 infection. Bishop Henri Teissier, was born in Lyon and ordained a priest in Algiers in 1955. He was archbishop of the Algerian capital for twenty years. He was a man of dialogue, committed to understanding, respect and esteem among believers in Islam and Christianity. “A lover of Algeria, its people, its language and its culture,” the press agency of the Italian Episcopal Conference reminds us. “He led the Church in Algeria during the tumult of the 1990s, when nineteen nuns and priests and Bishop Pierre Claverie were all assassinated between 1994 and 1996.” Even during the difficult years of the civil war Archbishop Teissier “served the Church and fostered its very vocation of friendship and fraternity with the Algerian people.”. Following his retirement, he devoted his time to writing and participated in conferences all over the world. He died after suffering a stroke. Three exemplary figures, witnesses that dialogue is possible.
Claudia Di Lorenzi
