![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/WCC_JesusMoran.jpg\")
<\/a>Jes\u00fas Mor\u00e1n. Photo \u00a9 2018 World Council of Churches<\/p><\/div> \u00abProgress in travel and information technology all of a sudden has caused the universe to shrink in size.<\/strong> Distance no longer poses such an obstacle to contact between different peoples as it did in the past.\u201d At the same time, argued the 20th century French anthropologist, Roger Bastide<\/strong>, this multiplying of relationships \u201call too often results in a multiplying of barriers and of misunderstandings\u201d. With this quotation, Jes\u00fas Mor\u00e1n<\/a>, speaking to the WCC conference in Geneva, opened his contribution on \u201cdialogue\u201d viewed as an emerging, if not yet fully developed, characteristic of our times. \u00abNow more than ever, humanity is ready to be itself\u00bb declared Dr Mor\u00e1n, \u201cwhile at the same time it\u2019s seemingly unable to respond to its own vocation\u00bb. The conference was reflecting on the friendship and fruitful collaboration between Chiara Lubich<\/a> (and the Focolare Movement) and the World Council of Churches.<\/strong> Formed in 1948, the WCC has espoused dialogue as a principle tool in its indefatigable work towards unity among Christian churches. Dialogue, argues the Focolare Co-President, is so deeply rooted in human nature that it can be traced back to all cultures, east, west, north and south. Christians find the \u201ckey\u201d to dialogue in the person of Jesus: mutual love<\/strong>, losing one\u2019s own life with a love which reaches the point of experiencing abandonment. \u00abWhat are the main qualities of a culture of dialogue?\u00bb asks Dr Mor\u00e1n. \u00abFirstly, dialogue is an indelible part of human nature. We actually become more ourselves as human beings through dialogue\u00bb. As part of a series of celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Jes\u00fas Mor\u00e1n, Focolare Co-President addressed a Conference \u201cWCC, Chiara Lubich and the Focolare\u201d held in Geneva, Switzerland on 18th April. His talk examined cultural, anthropological and ecclesial aspects of dialogue. In summary:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-306086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-non-categorizzato"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306086\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=306086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.focolare.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=306086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a>Secondly, \u00abin dialogue, each person is made complete by the gift of the other. We need each other in order fully to be ourselves. In dialogue, I make a gift of my \u2018otherness\u2019, of my being different to the other person\u00bb. Indeed, \u00abevery occasion of dialogue is a personal encounter. Hence, it\u2019s not so much about words or thoughts, but rather a matter of giving our very being. Dialogue is not simply \u2018conversation\u2019, even less \u2018discussion\u2019, but rather it\u2019s something which touches at the very heart of those involved\u00bb. \u00abDialogue requires silence and the ability to listen\u00bb, he continues. It is \u00aban existential factor, because (in dialogue) we put at risk our very selves, our vision of things, our own \u2018identity\u2019, our cultural identity and even our ecclesial identity. Yet none of these, in fact, is lost but rather enriched by such openness\u00bb. \u00abAuthentic dialogue deals in truth. It always goes more deeply into the truth. […] Everyone who participates puts in common with the others their own participation in the truth, which is one for everybody\u00bb. Such dialogue, continues Dr Mor\u00e1n, requires great strength of will, what Chiara Lubich referred to as \u201cmaking yourself one, as deeply as possible\u201d.<\/strong> \u00abThe sublime and mysterious model of this dynamic of love is, as we know, Jesus Forsaken<\/a>. He truly represents the risk of \u2018otherness\u2019 which brings us to reciprocity. […] His \u2018losing\u2019 won for us – and in us – an eternal space of light and Truth: the Holy Spirit\u00bb. Another point to note is that \u00abdialogue is only possible among real and true people\u00bb in accordance with a particular law, the law of reciprocity which confers legitimacy and meaning. <\/a>Jes\u00fas Mor\u00e1n goes on to outline a further aspect, one that characterizes the Focolare\u2019s contribution to progress towards Christian unity, namely \u201cthe dialogue of life\u201d<\/strong>. This encourages \u00abrelationships to be based on the Gospel, on the exchange of experiences, on sharing what is most precious with brothers and sisters of another Church\u00bb. He quoted Catholic theologian Cardinal Walter Kasper,<\/strong> President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity: \u201cEcumenism of love and ecumenism of truth, important as they are, must be implemented by means of an ecumenism of life\u201d. Dr Mor\u00e1n observes, \u00abwe must recognise that this dimension \u2013 vital to dialogue \u2013 is not devoid of theological thought. Rather, it is situated on a more primal, deeply rooted level of it. Only through this dimension, in fact, can one then gain access in a truly beneficial way to the level of theological reasoning\u00bb. \u00abDialogue \u2013 concludes Dr Mor\u00e1n \u2013 is the \u2018rhythm\u2019 of trinitarian relationships, a continual exchange of roles and of gifts. […] Nothing gets lost.<\/strong> Dialogue\u2019s risk contains all of ourselves and all of the other, in the transcendent \u2018space\u2019 of the Holy Spirit which we all share. This includes the whole of humanity. Those who dialogue are making history\u00bb<\/strong>. Photo gallery: https:\/\/oikoumene.photoshelter.com\/galleries<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"