I have learnt to laugh at myself; I can be quite ridiculous at times when I feel vulnerable. I am keenly aware of the humour people display at the point of death or in the face of tragedy. I learnt this from the founder of Logotherapy, Viktor Frankl.
What annoys me?
When people fail to understand things that are quite obvious.
The motto of my life?
It is a phrase by Pope Paul VI: “Blessed are these troubled and paradoxical times, which almost compel us to holiness.” It can also be read in a secular sense, that is: these are times that compel us to be people of integrity.
My strength?
I would say it is linked to this motto: I manage to remain calm in moments of crisis. I have a kind of “tragic optimism”.
My weakness?
I’m a bit lazy and I also tend to prejudge situations and people, but I try to be aware of this and convert myself.
What is particularly close to my heart in my new role?
Making institutional relationships more human. Being realistic. And then, not to distance myself from the dynamic of dialogue with anyone, no matter what. Unity with Margaret.
My favourite place?
The simple and poor neighbourhoods of Latin American cities where you can just chat with people, perhaps over a cup of mate [a traditional South American drink]!
Where do I draw my strength from?
I am a down-to-earth, religious, Latin American person. Whenever I can, or when I have a problem to sort out, I go on a pilgrimage to Marian shrines, and I also like to have images of my “patron saints”. In short, I draw strength from prayer and from spending time with friends. I would like to always have time for them.
A good night’s sleep is also good for me! Everything seems possible in the morning.
What worries me?
That our charism is not understood in all its fullness, and so I worry whether we will be able to free it from the sin of “domination” and inauthenticity that has tainted our relationships.
Roberto Almada, born in 1956 in Rosario, Argentina, is the new Co-President of the Focolare Movement. He studied medicine and is a specialist in psychiatry. He also holds a doctorate in philosophy and is co-founder of the School of Logotherapy in Uruguay and Paraguay. He got to know the Focolare Movement in 1976. He has lived in Focolare communities for many years, including in Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina and at the International Centre in Rocca di Papa. Roberto Almada is the author of the book “Il burnout del buon samaritano” [The Burnout of the Good Samaritan].
On 22 April, around thirty leaders from global Christian Churches and organisations visited the International Centre of the Focolare Movement in Rocca di Papa. The visit formed part of the programme of the annual meeting of the International Committee of the Global Christian Forum (GCF), which had taken place in Rome in these days, and provided a meaningful opportunity for mutual understanding and ecumenical dialogue.
The encounter offered an opportunity to explore more deeply the history, charism and commitment of the Focolare Movement to Christian unity. Following an introductory presentation, an intense and engaged dialogue unfolded, characterised by numerous questions and reflections. At the conclusion of the meeting, Margaret Karram, Presidente of the Focolare Movement, offered a brief greeting and shared personal testimony, which deeply resonated with those present.
Members of the Committee expressed their gratitude for the warm welcome and for the light that emerged from the encounter. Commissioner Jane Paone of the International Salvation Army commented: “For me it was a very ‘vibrational’ experience: I was touched by the joy and the hospitality.” Dr Hanns Lessing, representative of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, shared: “I was touched by how the Gospel commandment,“’Love your neighbour as yourself’, can today be understood as an invitation to love the other ecclesial community as one’s own.” Prof. Dirk Lange of the Lutheran World Federation highlighted the deep connection between the stories shared and the identity of the Global Christian Forum: “The faith stories of Chiara Lubich and Margaret Karram brought us to the very heart of the GCF: building relationships through self-giving, in the trust that God always provides. God’s love is at the centre, and mutual love unites.”
Participants at the annual meeting of the International Committee of the Global Christian Forum
Founded in 1998 at the initiative of the World Council of Churches, during the term of the then General Secretary Dr Konrad Raiser, the Global Christian Forum is a unique ecumenical space that brings together all the major currents of world Christianity, including Pentecostal and Free Churches. Its distinctive charism lies in the sharing of personal faith stories as a privileged path for building relationships, overcoming historical divisions and promoting unity in diversity. As Dr David Wells of the Pentecostal World Fellowship emphasised in recent days: “The GCF fosters a dialogue that does not begin with doctrinal or political positions, but with people.”
The International Committee, composed of around thirty church leaders – including the Focolare Movement from 2026 onwards – reflected on future challenges in a world marked by growing polarisation, a reality that also affects the Churches themselves. A central question emerged: how can we be reconcilers today?
It became clear to all that the GCF occupies a unique place within the ecumenical landscape. As David Wells added, using a powerful metaphor: “The GCF is like a fertiliser: it works beneath the surface. It is not always immediately visible, but in time its fruits emerge, oriented towards visible unity.”
A strong sense of harmony thus emerged between the goal and the dialogical approach of the Global Christian Forum and the charism and the dialogue of life of the Focolare Movement, opening hopeful perspectives for future collaboration on the journey towards the unity of the Church and of the whole human family.
On Easter day, the Risen Lord appeared first to Mary Magdalen in the morning and then to his disciples that same evening. When they saw him, they reacted with great joy and were enriched by the true peace that only the Lord could give.[1] “Peace be with you” (v. 21). Joy and peace are fruits of the Spirit. [2] In fact, Jesus immediately said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (v. 22).
As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Having said this, he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’
The Holy Spirit not only enabled the disciples to carry out the same mission given to Jesus by the Father but also “re-created” them and renewed their humanity. The Risen Lord breathed on them and this gesture is the same as the action of the Creator who breathed into the nostrils of the man formed from the dust of the ground. [3] Just as creation is the continuous work of the Father’s love that sustains the entire universe, so the new creation wrought by the Risen One through the Holy Spirit continually sustains humanity on its journey toward the Kingdom.
This month’s Word of Life reminds us that we have the opportunity to become like Jesus. This is true for each of us individually, but even more so as a community. Jesus spoke to his disciples in the plural. In fact, it’s only together that all the different members form the mystical body of Jesus.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Having said this, he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’
Having been made children in the Son, we have the same vocation as Jesus. We have come from the Father, and will return to him. We are called to repeat his actions and words in the world and are accompanied by the grace of the Holy Spirit. If we open ourselves to this gift, we too can affirm with Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” [4].
This Word, therefore, invites us to deepen our relationship with the Holy Spirit, both in prayer and in everyday life, “listening to that voice” and remembering that, “Without the Holy Spirit, God is distant, Christ remains in the past, the Gospel is a dead letter, the Church is a mere organization and its mission is propaganda.
But in the Holy Spirit, the cosmos is lifted up and groans in the gestation of the Kingdom, the risen Christ is present, the Gospel is the power of life, the Church means Trinitarian communion and Pentecost is its mission.” [5].
As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Having said this, he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’
Andrea was a teenager in crisis. He had doubts about the meaning of life, fear of the future, the fragility he experienced seemed insurmountable and he often felt discouraged and unhappy. Someone suggested that he talk to Chiara Lubich. Shortly before actually meeting her, Andrea heard Chiara whisper the words “Holy Spirit” and realized that she was praying.
During the conversation, he felt deeply understood and completely accepted. He found peace again not because his problems had suddenly disappeared but because now there was someone with whom he could share them.
Years later, he confided “I not only received concrete help from Chiara but I also learned how to live – that is to be close to those who suffer and to have a sensitive and understanding attitude, without judging – just as Jesus would do.”
Only the Holy Spirit can make this happen, if we welcome him and allow him to work in us.
Prepared by Claudio Cianfaglioni & the Word of Life Team
“We should have the courage to reach out to one another, the courage to come together.
This is not simply a motto for the United World Week, but a choice we all make every day. And if we do so, it becomes a path to peace.”
Margaret Karram and Roberto Almada, President and Co-President of the Focolare Movement, through a brief chat, encourage us to approach dialogue with determination and to choose it in a practical way in our daily lives.
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