On 26th January, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Cardinal Michael Czerny, went to Aachen, Germany, to receive the 2024 Klaus Hemmerle Prize.
Since 2004, the Focolare Movement has presented the Klaus Hemmerle Award every two years, to people who, like the former Bishop of Aachen, have actively contributed to building bridges in the Church and in society. The 11th Award ceremony was held on Friday, 26th January, 2024, in the Cathedral of Aachen (Germany).
This year, which marked the 30th anniversary of the death of Klaus Hemmerle (1929-1994), the recipient was Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Prof. Dr. Johannes Wallacher, Rector of the University of Philosophy in Munich, presented the award. In his speech, he underlined Card. Czerny’s contributions to theological development and his dedication to implementing the Social Doctrine of the Church in socio-political contexts throughout various phases of his life. Wallacher also spoke of the “vision of global fraternity as a sign of the times and a central key to finding answers to the needs of our times”, a vision to which Czerny is committed and is an inspiring model.
In its decision, the jury emphasized Card. Czerny’s tireless advocacy for human dignity and rights, his call to “accept differences and to learn from other cultures” in order to foster “a more just world”, a commitment praised by the Apostolic Nuncio to Germany, His Excellency Msgr. Nikola Eterović.
Mons Helmut Dieser, the current Bishop of Aachen said, “The fraternity of all people is the guiding theme of Pope Francis” and he referred to Cardinal Czerny as, “a supporter and a pioneer of this theme”.
Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, sent a message to congratulate Card. Czerny in which she highlighted his significant efforts in building a culture of unity and dialogue, recognizing him as an ally in the effort to mediate conflicts and to promote mutual solidarity.
In his speech of acceptance, Cardinal Czerny focused on the social magisterium of Pope Francis for a socio-ecological transformation. He referred to key texts of the Doctrine, which he considers cutting-edge today and he agreed with the Pope, who in his encyclical “All Brothers”, called for a culture of encounter to replace the “throwaway culture”. Czerny said, “We must shift our attention from profit to prosperity, from economic growth to sustainability and from materiality to human dignity” and he stressed the importance of “rethinking the concept of progress and of restoring a sense of community”, a path that leads from the “I” to the “we”. In conclusion, he thanked those present for their “crucial role in shaping new rationales that can protect our fragile environment and empower our fragmented communities.” He said that receiving this award was an encouragement for him to “continue to focus all the existing forces of good in the sense of a holistic development, for the service and benefit of the entire human family”.
To remain “at the crossroads of today” with the same confident and generous attitude as Mary. This is what Card. Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, in his homily delivered in the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Rome) during the Mass of Thanksgiving on Dec. 7, 2023, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the birth of the Focolare Movement.
Dearly beloved, on this day when the focolarino charism began 80 years ago, here in the house of Mary, close to the manger and to the mystery of her divine motherhood, we thank the Lord for the gift of Chiara Lubich and the great family that came to life around her. I repeat to you the words of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, “Do not fear!” You too “have found grace with God!”
With these words His Eminence Card. Kevin Joseph Farrel, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, encouraged the Focolare Movement as he presided over the Holy Mass that took place, at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, in Rome, Dec. 7, 2023.
Eighty years after Chiara Lubich’s “Yes” to God, Card. Farrell, during the liturgy with which the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, invited those present to recall their encounter with the charism, “certain,” he said, “that all of you have embraced the focolarino ideal as a great gift of grace, as a favor from God,” spurring each one to continue faithfully to carry it into the world.
Effective today, November 20, 2023, the new Guidelines for Training in the Protection of Minors and Persons in Vulnerable Situations developed by the Focolare Movement are available. Margarita Gómez and Étienne Kenfack, Counselors of the Movement’s International Center on the aspect of Physical Life and Nature, offer us some clarifications.
Illustrating the characteristics necessary to make a concrete commitment to the protection of the life and dignity of every person: this is what distinguishes the new Guidelines for Training in the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons (SCVA) in the Focolare Movement, released today, November 20, 2023, International Children’s and Adolescents’ Day. A work that has seen the direct collaboration of 40 specialists and people involved in this field from all continents and that aims exclusively to provide the necessary elements so that in every country where the Focolare Movement operates, an adequate training strategy can be developed that is oriented towards prevention and eradicating any kind of abuse, both within the Movement and in the environments where its members are found (work, neighborhood, school).
As early as 2013, the Movement had been engaged in training for the protection of minors, with widespread work in all the countries where it operates and a six-hour course that contained the basic principles. This training effort as of December 2022 had reached 17,000 people, and although the training was open to all, it was mainly carried out by people who had responsibility or direct contact in activities with minors.
Following the report on the serious cases of sexual abuse recorded in France, published one year after the GCPS consulting survey, a strong need arose to offer targeted training to all members of the Focolare Movement of every age, vocation, nation, role.
For this reason, the Guidelines are a universal tool, leaving ample room for appropriate inculturation and specific implementation in the particular context of origin.
“The training is aimed at everyone, and by ‘everyone’ we mean not only the members of the Movement but also the people who work in our facilities-said Étienne Kenfack. The Guidelines, on the other hand, are aimed at the Movement leaders in the different geographical areas and their teams who will be responsible for implementing them.”
The Guidelines will come into effect on January 1, 2024, for a period of 20 months ad experimentum. A period of comparison in order to gather all the changes and transformations that will be needed for the future.
“The document – continues Margarita Gómez – rests on a key resource for us, and that is communion: therefore, we will work in a network, there will be an international commission and local teams that will carry out the project; there will be moments of exchange, with online links to help us resolve doubts, to share good practices. It is no coincidence that we have decided to title our training program ‘All responsible for all.’ I hope that these Guidelines will find great acceptance in our communities and that in a few months we may have given a significant boost to training in this area.”
From the spirituality of unity to the generative pastoral care of the Church; from the encounter between young people and Jesus to the leading role of the Holy Spirit in the Synod on Synodality. These are some of the themes that Jesús Morán, Co-President of the Focolare Movement, addressed during an interview with the Slovak television station TVLUX on 6 October 2023. The images were kindly released to us by TVLUX.
In recent days Jesús Morán, a Spanish priest who is the co-president of the Focolare Movement, visited Slovakia. In Nitra he met with several bishops who are formators and more than 80 seminarians. And now we want to welcome him here to our program. When we say Focolare Movement what is it? What does it mean?
The Focolare Movement is a movement of the Catholic Church centred on the charism of unity. The great theologian, Von Balthasar said that every charism in the Church is like looking at the whole Gospel from one point of view. The charism of unity is the whole Gospel from the perspective of Jesus’ testament, “May they all be one.” So, the focus, everything the Movement does in the ecclesial field and also in the civil and social fields, has to do with unity. We seek unity – unity according to the Gospel – Unity, which is a communitarian way of living. In fact, the spirituality of unity can be said to be a spirituality of communion, which is why we emphasize very much mutual love and our encounter with each brother and sister. It means to overcome divisions at a broader social level. It means promoting things like universal brotherhood, but the focus is this prayer of Jesus. That’s why we always say that we want to live on earth, as much as possible, as in the Trinity, in the communion of love which is the Trinity.
The founder of your movement was Chiara Lubich, who is very well known here in Slovakia. It was decided in the past that the person who is at the head, let’s say, of the movement should always be a woman, the president should always be a woman, that’s why you are the co-president. Why is this the case?
It is because of the official name of the Movement in the Church, because we are the Focolare Movement or the Work of Mary. In the Statutes approved by the Church, it speaks about the Work of Mary, so we very much emphasize this Marian profile of the Church, which is a maternal profile, it’s a generative profile, which reveals a welcoming Church, and, of course, the Marian profile is best expressed by women. This is the idea. We need to think that we are speaking of a Marian Church it is Mary who is the form of the Church. Vatican II said this very clearly: Mary is the mother of the Church. So, in that sense, we want to be a reflection of her. The presidency of a woman, in addition to valuing women, which is a sign of the times, especially wants to emphasize this Marian profile. This Marian profile that is so necessary today. It is certainly necessary because of what Pope Francis is emphasizing: a Church that is closer to the people, an outgoing Church, a Church that is less clerical, less masculine. And all of this has to do with the female presidency of the Focolare Movement. Above all, it is linked to Mary.
You came to Slovakia not only to meet with Focolare members, but also with our bishops, priests, and seminarians. This meeting was in Nitra, what was your experience in meeting our priests?
Actually I was with the bishop of Nitra and with a bishop from another diocese. They had both participated in the meeting with seminarians from 5 dioceses. I want to say that they were very welcoming. Then in the hall I saw people whose life was to follow Jesus, I really saw so much purity, so much purity in the seminarians, and there was also great seriousness. Some people, after the meeting and after the dinner, wanted to know more about what I had said. They stopped to talk to me and I saw in their questions a need, an urgency They want to be priests for the times we are living now. Being a priest today who before everything else lives the Gospel in an authentic way. I was very, very edified.
You spoke especially about generative pastoral care, what is it?
Generative pastoral care is a concept that is coming to light, quite prominently, in recent times. Especially in the West because we are witnessing, you could say, a numerical decline of the Church. Before, the churches were full, people were receiving the sacraments. There were many baptisms and first communions. Now this has decreased dramatically.
So the question is, what is happening? It seems that the methods we have been using successfully for so many years or centuries are no longer working. Do we then need to rethink pastoral care? Generative pastoral care is not a new pastoral care, it means going to the origin of pastoral care, and the origin of pastoral care is Jesus. How did Jesus evangelize? To say thing simply… because He is the living Gospel, He did this through very deep personal encounters. In other words, if we look at the Gospels, every time Jesus encounters someone something significant happens for that person. “We see it with Nicodemus, with Zacchaeus, with Matthew, with the centurion, with the Samaritan woman, with the woman suffering from a haemorrhage, with the Canaanite woman. Something always happens, Jesus generates something in the other person.
We have to change from what is known as a rule-regulated pastoral care, as we had in the past, which was of a quantitative kind: how many baptisms, how many people were baptized, how many people got married this year in this parish? We have to change to a ministry of pastoral care that focuses on quality, quality, not so much quantity. So what’s happening? Is there Christian life in our parishes? We are looking for fruitfulness rather than results, this is generative pastoral care. So there is a lot of emphasis on meeting with the other, to meet the other you don’t have to wait for them to come and ask you for a sacrament, you have to go and meet the other. So generative pastoral care changes the idea of the pastor, but it changes the idea of Christians, because at the end of the day, it’s not a matter of, … What we need are generative apostles, no doubt, but above all what’s needed is a welcoming community, so that what happened with Jesus has to happen with us too, people visit a community and something happens. They are impressed by something. In short this is what we talked about with the seminarians.
Could it be that young people today are looking for life and what they need is for us to bring them this life, which is life with Jesus?
Absolutely. I think that… I have always thought that Jesus never approached people with doctrine. He always sought a personal encounter first, and then he taught. However, even though we see Jesus teaching, He spent a lot of time in personal encounters. I think young people today are looking for life. Doctrine must be based on life and on this encounter with Him. In this way they can accept it. Otherwise, they are left with a Christianity that is more like a moral teaching, but that is not what Christianity is. Christianity is an encounter with Christ.
These young people you met in Nitra are the future priests of our Church. How can they be the priests we need in these times, priests who do not fall into the clericalism that Pope Francis talks so much about?
I think a priest in some way has to be more than just a shepherd (which is a word Pope Francis also uses when he speaks in Italian, as he uses it in Spanish too) the priest, the pastor, the shepherd, has to love. First love, then shepherd, because if you put yourself in the position of pastor, you put yourself in the position of superiority, as if you had to teach. Instead, the pastor today must love the parishioners first, must love all the faithful. Doing this makes him a pastor. In this way he is truly a pastor, and he can have authority over others. This is fundamental. Then as I said before, he shouldn’t look so much for results but for fruitfulness. And another thing: Today the priest or pastor has to be well aware that he does not proclaim himself, but he proclaims Christ, so he has to be deeply rooted in Christ, deeply in Christ. A pastor who is alone, who does not live within a Christian community, who does not live mutual love with others, will find it difficult to communicate a love such as Jesus proclaimed in life.
You said something earlier and it occurred to me that this happens not only to priests, but also to Christians who are living their faith deeply, but sometimes forget that it is not they who save people, but it is Jesus.
That’s right. This is important. That’s why I give a lot of importance to community. St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, warns against personalism and says when some of you say I am of Apollos, some say I am of Paul, some say I am of Peter… No, we are all of Christ, but Christ lives in the community, in the parish community. In the community he is present in the Eucharist, which is a mystery of communion. So this is fundamental. Often we have made the mistake of proclaiming ourselves, our own ideas, instead of letting Christ speak.
Slovakia is considered a conservative country, now that there is the Synod taking place in Rome, in the Vatican. There are different groups that want to move forward and others that want to stay in the past. How do we keep all that is good, but also move forward with what is new and good?
I was very struck by what Pope Francis said the day before yesterday in the first session of the Synod. He was very insistent that the protagonist of the Synod is the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit goes beyond these ideas that are human. A Christian as a Christian is neither conservative nor progressive, he or she is a new person, he or she is a new creature. We read this in these days in St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. It is the Holy Spirit who makes us new creatures with our mentality, with our mentality, with what we are, so I think we have to overcome these dualities that are not good for the Church. The Holy Spirit is always the generator of newness. Because it is he, he who is the origin of all charisms, of all newness in the history of the Church. At the same time, everything that the Holy Spirit promotes in the Church comes from the Father. Therefore, he is also anchored in the source. That tells us that we need a greater presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church, that’s the only way to overcome these dualities that are not good for us.
Thank you very much. And many thanks to Fr. Jesús for participating in our program.
Thank you for welcoming me.
Thank you very much to you as well and see you soon, goodbye.
After the disastrous attack on Israel, the horrifying violence that was unleashed, the wave of fear that rocked the two peoples, the anguish for the hostages and the apprehension for the fate of the people of Gaza, we want to send you news from the Focolare communities in the Holy Land and news of a worldwide call to prayer and fasting for peace on 17th October
“We have left our homes and all the Christians are taking refuge in the churches” This short message is the latest news we received this morning from some members of the Focolare community in Gaza.
According to Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of the Holy Family Catholic parish in Gaza, there are 1017 Christians still living in the strip and among them are several adherents of the Focolare Movement, with whom even sporadic communication is increasingly difficult.
And in spite of this, a message, from one of them has been circulating over the past few days, thanking everyone for their closeness and prayers for the small community in Gaza.
“You have given me the strength not to give in to evil,” he writes, “not to doubt God’s mercy and to believe that good exists. In the midst of every darkness there is a hidden light. If we are unable to pray, you pray; we offer and our work together is complete. We want the world to know that we want peace, that violence only begets violence and that our trust in God is great. But should God call us to Himself, be assured that from Heaven we will continue to pray with you and to implore Him more strongly to have compassion on His people and on you. Peace, security, unity and universal fraternity, this is what we want and this is the will of God and it’s ours too”.
Margaret Karram gave us news about fraternity in the midst of hatred
Saying this takes courage today when horror and violence fill the entire media coverage, but this is not the only news. There are also stories that make less noise, but which cannot be silenced, such as the worldwide network of prayer that is underway everywhere on earth, regardless of religious belief or affiliation, together with actions and words of fraternity. Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement shared this at the daily briefing in the Vatican Press Office, at the ongoing Synod of the Catholic Church, in which she is participating as a special guest.
She told us, ‘Jewish friends I know in Israel have called me, a Palestinian Arab, saying that they are worried about the people living in Gaza. For me, this is something very beautiful. Everyone knows the negative stories between these two peoples, but so many people, so many organisations are working to build bridges but this doesn’t make the news. They only talk about hatred, division, terrorism. We are left with images of these two peoples that do not correspond to reality. We must not forget that even today so many people are working to build bridges. It is a seed being sown, even in this difficult time’.
From our Jewish friends: creating a community of prayer
To confirm this, a Jewish friend wrote to us from the Tel Aviv district:
“If you are in contact with the friends of the Focolare in Gaza, assure them of my love and my closeness. I hope they are all safe. These days I am at home with my family, the schools are closed and we are staying close to the shelters. The chats are filled with a constant stream of appeals and offers of help for the families who have fled, for the soldiers and their families. There are also requests for help with funerals, to honour the dead as they should be honoured. It seems that all the young men have been called up to fight and we are worried for our friends and relatives. We fear what lies ahead. I try to keep my children from being afraid, but our terror is insignificant compared to what has happened to our brothers and sisters in the South. I am thinking of my Arab friends in Israel who are running to the shelters like us. I try to pray at the same hour as my Muslim friend, so that we can be a community of prayer even though so many things divide us. Your closeness and your prayers mean so much to us, more than what I can express.
What can we do?
At a press conference, Margaret Karram confided to us the pain and anguish she feels for her people on both sides: ‘I asked myself what am I doing here? Should I not be doing something else right now to promote peace? But then I said to myself: here too I can join Pope Francis’ invitation and pray with everyone. With these brothers and sisters from all over the world, we can ask God for the gift of peace. I believe in the power of prayer’. Margaret went on to speak about the action ‘NO MORE WAR!!! BUILD PEACE!” that the children and young people of the Focolare Movement launched together with the association “Living Peace”. They are summoning their peers to pray for peace at 12 noon, every day and in every time zone. They are also proposing to fill the day with actions that build peace in the hearts of each person and wherever they are. They are inviting them to send messages of support to children and young people in the Holy Land and are encouraging them to ask the leaders of their countries to do all they can to achieve peace.
The Focolare Movement is also joining the appeal of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pizzaballa, for a day of fasting and prayer for peace on 17th October: ” We could organize moments of prayer with Eucharistic adoration and the rosary to the Blessed Virgin. Probably in many parts of our dioceses, circumstances will not allow for large gatherings. However In parishes, in religious communities, in families, it will be possible to organise simple moments of prayer together”.
Benoît and Chloé Mondou, a young couple from France, decided to start their married life by taking part in the World Youth Day in Lisbon (Portugal).
“Initially we thought our honeymoon would be a tour of Europe, but when the opportunity to go to WYD came up, we didn’t hesitate for a single second!” Benoît and Chloé Mondou were married in Haute-Savoie (France), a week before World Youth Day in Lisbon (Portugal). He is twenty-four years old and she is twenty-two. They met seven years ago in the scout group of which they are active members. Today they are volunteer guides. Benoît has known the spirituality of the Focolare since he was a child and, through him, Chloé began to live it too. They set off for Lisbon with a group of young people from the French speaking countries of the Movement: France, Belgium and Switzerland. They said, “We didn’t give up the trip to Europe but we thought that it was really important to go to the WYD. Now we can say that it put down an important marker for our marriage”.
In their home town, Benoît and Chloé are also involved in a social project in which they visit people in nursing homes. Chloé said, “We are lucky to have been brought up in the same religion but we are also fortunate that we like praying together. For this reason, taking part in the WYD has given an even greater dimension to the faith we both have. During the WYD, there were times when we were separated, but then we met for praise or adoration and so we had those moments to pray together”. Benoît continued, “It was very strong because in normally in daily life we don’t really have the opportunity to pray together. In Lisbon taking time together, even if you were in a group, was strong. Personally, I think it’s an experience you should have at least once in your life. And if you can do it as a couple, even better”.
The moments with Pope Francis were fundamental. Chloé said, “For me the most important thing that the Pope said was when he reminded us that we are all loved, each person as they are, because when you are part of a group, sometimes you tend to create your own personality to stand out, to be accepted. But in places like that you realize that this is how we really live with each other, this is how we are natural and this is how God loves us more.”
Benoît continues, “From the words of the Pope I feel I am taking up a challenge that is close to my heart: to try to be Jesus. The Pope invited the one and a half million young people who were in Lisbon to return to our countries, to spread the good news, to help others and to bring others ahead with the word of Christ. “
Chloé reflected “At the WYD I discovered a new way of living my faith. I realized that there are many different ways to live faith and it doesn’t matter if one person goes to sing in the street and another prefers to be alone at the back of a church. In a family, everyone has to find their own place and their own way of praying”.
Benoît concluded, “We left Portugal with greater faith. This experience increased the desire, which we already had, to raise our children in the faith and to educate them in the Gospel. After our wedding in the Church, we needed this WYD, this pilgrimage, recollection and prayer. It was really good for us”.
Prof. Dr. Johannes Wallacher, Rector of the University of Philosophy in Munich, presented the award. In his speech, he underlined Card. Czerny’s contributions to theological development and his dedication to implementing the Social Doctrine of the Church in socio-political contexts throughout various phases of his life. Wallacher also spoke of the “vision of global fraternity as a sign of the times and a central key to finding answers to the needs of our times”, a vision to which Czerny is committed and is an inspiring model.
In its decision, the jury emphasized Card. Czerny’s tireless advocacy for human dignity and rights, his call to “accept differences and to learn from other cultures” in order to foster “a more just world”, a commitment praised by the Apostolic Nuncio to Germany, His Excellency Msgr. Nikola Eterović.
In his speech of acceptance, Cardinal Czerny focused on the social magisterium of Pope Francis for a socio-ecological transformation. He referred to key texts of the Doctrine, which he considers cutting-edge today and he agreed with the Pope, who in his encyclical “All Brothers”, called for a culture of encounter to replace the “throwaway culture”. Czerny said, “We must shift our attention from profit to prosperity, from economic growth to sustainability and from materiality to human dignity” and he stressed the importance of “rethinking the concept of progress and of restoring a sense of community”, a path that leads from the “I” to the “we”. In conclusion, he thanked those present for their “crucial role in shaping new rationales that can protect our fragile environment and empower our fragmented communities.” He said that receiving this award was an encouragement for him to “continue to focus all the existing forces of good in the sense of a holistic development, for the service and benefit of the entire human family”.
Dearly beloved, on this day when the focolarino charism began 80 years ago, here in the house of Mary, close to the manger and to the mystery of her divine motherhood, we thank the Lord for the gift of Chiara Lubich and the great family that came to life around her. I repeat to you the words of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, “Do not fear!” You too “have found grace with God!”
“Initially we thought our honeymoon would be a tour of Europe, but when the opportunity to go to WYD came up, we didn’t hesitate for a single second!” Benoît and Chloé Mondou were married in Haute-Savoie (France), a week before World Youth Day in Lisbon (Portugal). He is twenty-four years old and she is twenty-two. They met seven years ago in the scout group of which they are active members. Today they are volunteer guides. Benoît has known the spirituality of the Focolare since he was a child and, through him, Chloé began to live it too. They set off for Lisbon with a group of young people from the French speaking countries of the Movement: France, Belgium and Switzerland. They said, “We didn’t give up the trip to Europe but we thought that it was really important to go to the WYD. Now we can say that it put down an important marker for our marriage”.
The moments with Pope Francis were fundamental. Chloé said, “For me the most important thing that the Pope said was when he reminded us that we are all loved, each person as they are, because when you are part of a group, sometimes you tend to create your own personality to stand out, to be accepted. But in places like that you realize that this is how we really live with each other, this is how we are natural and this is how God loves us more.”