1-12 September 2011
The President of the Focolare Movement, Maria Voce, and co-President, Giancarlo Faletti, will visit Great Britain for the first time from 1-9 September. As is customary on these trips, the main aim is to meet with the local Focolare community which will come together for meeting on Saturday, 3rd September. That same evening, there will be a meeting with young people entitled “The Power of the Word”.
During her stay in London, Maria Voce will participate in some sessions of the 30th Ecumenical Meeting of Bishops (September 6-12) and she will give the keynote address on the theme “The Word of God”.
As part of the program, it is envisaged that Maria Voce will meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, together with the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, and representatives from the Methodist Church and other church denominations present in England.
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Convention: “The Word of God and its Transforming Power”
40 Bishops from various Christian denominations – Anglicans, Orthodox, Evangelical-Lutherans, Syro-Orthodox, Methodists and Roman Catholics – will come together in the Focolare Movement’s Centre for Unity, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, from 6-11 September.
The meeting, convened by Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, Archbishop Emeritus of Prague, will give the bishops the opportunity to reflect on their mission, and to re-evaluate the impact of their pastoral work in transmitting the Gospel message in the face of difficulties in western society as well as in the rest of the world. They want to focus on the Word of God which gave birth to the Church of Christ in all its different expressions, and they are convinced that in these times too it is the Word which will give the Church a new vigour and strength.
The highlight of the meeting will be the “pact of mutual love” which helps to establish reciprocal love despite of all the divisions in the past, according to the invitation of Jesus to “remain in his love” (Jn 15:9) and to “love one another” as he loved us. (Jn 15:12).
On Friday, September 9, the Focolare Movement in Great Britain will hold an “Open Day” to which Church leaders from different denominations are invited. Experiences of fraternal communion lived by the bishops from the various Christian Churches will be presented during the program.
Updated on September, 1st 2011
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SIF – Focolare Information Service
