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“The two words that impose themselves at this extremely dramatic and dangerous moment\u00a0 are: total commitment to answer to Pope Francis\u2019 appeal for prayer and fasting while expressing\u00a0 gratitude to him\u00a0 for giving voice to the hearts of millions of people of all faiths from all over the world”.<\/p>\n
This is how\u00a0 Maria Voce expressed the feelings of the Focolare Movement from Amman, where she is meeting the Focolare communities of countries in the Middle East and North Africa. \u00a0The members present form a mosaic of Churches (Catholic, Coptic Orthodox, Greek-Orthodox and Greek-Catholics, Maronites, Armenians, Chaldeans, Syrian Orthodox and Syrian Catholics) together with a good number of Muslims coming from Algeria, Morocco, Turkey and Jordan.<\/p>\n
In\u00a0 his impassioned plea \u00a0for peace, Pope Francis said that \u201cit is not a \u00a0culture of confrontation, \u00a0a \u00a0culture of conflict\u201d that builds \u201charmony within and between peoples, but a culture of encounter, a culture of dialogue: this is the only way to peace\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>And it is really\u00a0 touching to hear the experience that \u00a0families and young people \u00a0are living in Aleppo: \u201cIn spite of everything, we continue to build bridges of love and unity with others (…), to sow seeds of hope in those who suffer, \u00a0to \u00a0fill\u00a0 sad hearts with God\u2019s presence; we do our utmost to give love to others. (…) We pray for peace\u00a0 threatened in the world and in the Middle East, especially in Syria,Eygpt, Lebanon and Iraq; and we pray\u00a0 for the triumph of God\u2019s love in the world\u201d.<\/p>\n With all men of goodwill, members of the Focolare Movement intensify\u00a0 their personal commitment to spread and multiply \u201cgestures of peace\u201d starting with their own environments, as Pope Francis encourages us to do.\u00a0 In the 194 countries where the Movement is present, its members \u00a0also unite \u00a0in daily prayer for peace at\u00a0 mid-day in every time zone. Maria Voce\u2019s words summerise the intention: \u201cTo put ourselves in front of God and be at his service, so that he can make use of us as instruments of peace in all countries\u201d.<\/p>\n On September 7, the Focolare members will participate in the day of prayer for peace launched by Pope Francis. They will pray for peace in Syria, in the Middle East and in the whole world joining in the various forms of prayer in parishes, in communities, on the streets and in homes, in hundreds of cities worldwide.<\/p>\n