Nov 8, 2023 | Non categorizzato
Together for the sake of the planet: this is the impetus behind the Green Care Programme, an event organised on the initiative of Multipolar Dialogue that took place in Belgium from 25 to 29 October 2023 Ecology, a topic of growing global interest, has increasingly attracted the interest of many. Pope Francis emphasizes the urgent need to address environmental issues through his encyclical “Laudato Si’. Despite these calls, the stark reality remains: there have been too few tangible improvements. What is missing in our collective efforts and what more can we do to protect our planet? To seek answers to these questions and find ways to act collectively, a diverse group of 50 people from over 13 different countries convened at the Centrum Eenheid, in Rotselaar, Belgium, from October 25th to 29th 2023 for a transformative four-day event. Their mission: to engage in dialogue, acquire knowledge, and exchange experiences in the pursuit of better care for our planet. 
Organized by Multipolar Dialogue, an initiative that brings together citizens from East and West Europe in a methodology based on the practice of a “pact of love” on which can be built a space of trust, the event offered a rich mixture of lectures, talks, dialogues, and best practices, creating a dynamic space for sharing experiences and knowledge. Attendees engaged in thought-provoking dialogues on a range of topics, such as, sustainable development, biodiversity, integral ecology and noise reduction. In addition to these dialogues, participants had the opportunity to share their experiences, such as initiatives like school and community gardens, “Greening Africa Together“, “Grüne Dach Impulse”, while they also took part in workshop in workshops. Moreover, the event was graced by the presence of esteemed experts whose insights elevated the dialogues and provided attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and solutions. Dr. Helmut Maurer, an authority on environmental matters, shared invaluable perspectives during an interview focused on the implementation of the Green Deal, shedding light on the practical steps needed to address environmental issues. Lorna Gold, the Chair of the Laudato Si Movement and CEO at FaithInvest, brought her wealth of experience to the event, inspiring participants with her wisdom and vision. A multi-project endeavor This event was not just a standalone gathering but a crucial component of the broader initiative “Project DialogUE“. The overarching goal of this initiative is to actively engage with citizens, giving them a platform to voice their concerns and ideas. As part of this mission, the event had a distinct purpose: to facilitate meaningful dialogues and craft proposals that could be presented to the European Union. In pursuit of this objective, participants had the unique opportunity to visit EU institutions, gaining deeper insights into the processes and avenues through which their proposals and requests could be channeled. “Project DialogUE” aligns with the commitment of the Focolare movement to listen to the cry of the earth and respond to its needs. This commitment is encapsulated in the EcoPlan – the Focolare Movement statement for Integral Ecology – that was also presented during the event, outlining a path towards a more sustainable and integral ecological conscious future. Connecting for change Beyond the invaluable knowledge gained and the experiences shared, these four days left a profound impact on the participants. They felt more than just attendees; they became part of a global community with a shared concern for our planet’s well-being. The sense of connection, dialogue, and collective purpose was palpable, as individuals from diverse backgrounds and countries came together to answer the cry of the earth. As Anna Waibel, a driving force behind the School Gardens project in Austria, expressed, “For me it was really awesome to see that my school is not the only place that tries to change something, but that others also want to do so. I noticed that nothing works without community and acting together.” Anny Hesius, the Multipolar Dialogue coordinator from Belgium, aptly summarized the collective sentiment, saying, “The proposal was to offer each other to listen and exchange knowledge and it has made us more aware, stronger, more co-responsible and more decisive. We have become a true family. Protagonists of peace and justice, of love toward the inhabitants of the earth and our common home” In these four days, participants not only expanded their ecological knowledge but also found a sense of purpose and community, leaving with a renewed determination to collaborate and bring about meaningful change on a global scale.
Ana Clara Giovani
Nov 6, 2023 | Non categorizzato
A journey of knowledge and discovery to be made together on a daily basis and in a great spirit of acceptance, while coping with the many challenges that the world presents. We talked about this with Antonio Salimbeni and Rita Moussallem, the leaders of the Center for Interreligious Dialogue (CDI). In the world landscape that is undergoing a profound transformation toward an increasingly multicultural and multi-religious society, the Focolare Movement promotes dialogue among religions, so that the religious pluralism of humanity may not be the cause of divisions and wars, but contribute to fraternity and peace. Antonio Salimbeni and Rita Moussallem, leaders of the Center for Interreligious Dialogue (CDI), answer some questions. In light of what is affecting the world today, particularly the new conflicts that are being added to existing ones, what contribution can interfaith dialogue make to building one big human family? In the face of the heartbreaking and shocking events of recent weeks, we feel dismay and deep sorrow as well as a sense of bewilderment. Religion is often instrumentalized by political powers. We realize how ideologies, religious nationalism and any form of polarization always lead to conflict. Dialogue can help purify our approach, deepen our knowledge of the other, and focus our engagement on the essence of our religions, which is our relationship with God, Love and Mercy. Dialogue can raise the level of our relationships to a deep spiritual dimension and push us to live the deepest human values, to work together to spread Goodness and fraternity. How does the Focolare Movement pursue its commitment in this area? The Focolare Movement, founded on a profound spirituality centered on unity and fraternity among all, discovered its vocation to interreligious dialogue more than five decades ago. Since then, it has established – including through its Center for Interreligious Dialogue (CDI) and its centers present in various countries – intense and fraternal relationships with thousands of faithful and numerous institutions, associations, movements and organizations of the most diverse religions in the conviction that friendship among people of different faiths is a vital potential for building universal brotherhood. It is a dialogue among brothers. A dialogue sustained by listening, sharing and collaboration. It is a dialogue that makes us discover diversity, whatever it may be, as a gift. Whoever is close to me,” said Chiara Lubich, founder of the Movement, “was created as a gift for me, and I was created as a gift for whoever is close to me: her formula for a fraternal world. What are the next scheduled appointments? What are the issues to be addressed and the goals? An idea has been maturing for the past few months, which is to organize an interfaith conference for fraternity next June 2024. This becomes even more urgent and necessary in light of the growing crisis that intensifies divisions in humanity. It is an event that aims to contribute to reconciliation efforts with innovative actions at the global level and to walk the path of dialogue and fraternity by strengthening relations and cooperation among people of different faiths. The conference will kick off on May 29 and end on June 5, 2024. It will consist of several moments that will have as a common denominator the theme of peace among people and with creation. There will be two open days, one in Castel Gandolfo in collaboration with FaithInvest organization and one in Assisi together with the Laudato Si Movement, to celebrate the importance and commitment of different faiths in the custody of our common home. In this urgent endeavor we are partnering with Consulus, a global innovation consulting firm with its presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, as our global knowledge partner.
Maria Grazia Berretta
Oct 31, 2023 | Non categorizzato
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. Watch the video (activate English subtitles) https://youtu.be/Y_t77_gM76E?si=urxlZvFkloXOBPfP
Oct 30, 2023 | Non categorizzato
The conference “European Solidarity Corps and Civil Service in Europe” which took place on 24th October 2023 in Brussels (Belgium) expressed a commitment of politicians, institutions, ecclesial movements, organisations of civil society and, at the forefront, young people. Jesús Morán, Co-President of the Focolare Movement, was present at the meeting and shares his impressions. On Tuesday 24th October Brussels was unexpectedly sunny, in contrast with what we experienced on the afternoon of the 23rd, when we arrived in the Belgian capital and were greeted by heavy rain. For the inhabitants of Brussels, who are citizens of several European countries, the sight of a bright sun was a surprise in the middle of autumn. For us it was a good sign of what we would live that morning in the impressive European Parliament building. The meeting held in a seminar room for 30 people began at 9.15 a.m. It was promoted by three very different associations: the European Movement, the Caterinati Association and the Focolare Movement, within the framework of the European Solidarity Corps (ESC), which is an initiative of the European Commission which brings together parliamentarians of all political sectors, thanks to its value-based and constructive background. The event was also a tribute to and in remembrance of David Sassoli – President of the European Parliament who died on 11th January 2022. I was participating for the second time in an event like this. The first one was before the pandemic and was held at the European Parliament in Rome. Providentially just as we were starting the session, the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture approved almost unanimously the report on the activities of the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) for the period 2021-2027. The Focolare Movement was represented not only by myself, as co-president, but also by members of the Political Movement for Unity, New Humanity (represented by three young people) and the ‘Focolare for Europe’, which is based in the city of Brussels and interacts with many people from the European institutions. It also welcomes immigrants and promotes activities in favour of dialogue and the sharing of ideals. I will not speak about the details of the event, which you can read in the various press releases that have been issued in recent days. Instead, I would like to emphasize the enormous importance of these events which are seemingly minor and for few people. They can instead mark a change of direction in international relations and in the dynamics of the social structuring of nations and peoples. These events can offer Europe a different image, one that is more in line with the idea of the founding fathers of the Union than with what we are used to seeing, especially today. They can offer Europe an image that is more consistent with its true identity, founded on values that have undoubtedly Greco-Latin and Christian roots, such as solidarity, openness, tolerance, communion, democracy, transcendency, freedom, fraternity and peace. It is also extremely significant that in initiatives like the ESC young people as are protagonists. They are the ones who will bring about the paradigm shift we are all hoping for. The more than 300,000 young people who have participated in the programme of solidarity of the Commission over the years demonstrate that these are the aims for which they are willing to use all of their intellectual and moral energies. Young people will not draw back if we offer them high goals and we make their journey easier. At this tragic time in the world, hope comes from them and from their desire for change. Young people, who have solidarity in their DNA, can stop the drift of misunderstanding, polarisation, hatred and violence that is plaguing the world. With initiatives like this, these young people create culture – high culture – because they not only work for the most worthwhile causes, but they also build new relationships, share experiences and traditions, and are enriched by their diversity. At the end of the meeting there was a special joy in all the participants, something that isn’t a foregone conclusion, especially among parliamentarians, who are used to endless confrontations and sometimes ruthless power struggles. As we left Brussels, travelling towards the airport, we felt that the sun will melt the mist in our hearts if we are a little more generous and give value to what is really worthwhile. That alone makes everything more beautiful, even this magnificent city.
Jesùs Moran
Oct 26, 2023 | Non categorizzato
The phrase “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mt 22:21) contains an imminent request to live out our faith radically and this is what loving really means: to do the will of God who gives us everything and to do it wholeheartedly; recognizing His voice amid the deafening noise of the world and choosing it as the best way forward in everyday life. With the poor in the peripheries Moved by the situation of squalor and poverty of many families in our area and stimulated by the Word of God, a group of us submitted a proposal to the religious and civil authorities and took action to dedicate ourselves to children in particular in the peripheries. First, some mothers who lived in huts offered to help us for families even poorer than themselves. Our service started by registering and weighing children from zero to five years old, educating mothers on alternative feeding (low cost and high nutritional value), vaccinations, breastfeeding and education. It was only a first step to dealing with more serious problems: unemployment, alcoholism, abandonment, hunger, lack of housing, drugs, poverty. Every weekend, we go with our families to help those who live in the huts to offer them, in cooperation with other Christians, better living conditions. Our communion of goods contributes to improving the quality of life of these children so that they don’t just survive but can have a dignified life. (M.N. – Brazil) An unexpected job Some time ago, a couple with five children came to live in our town. The father was out of work and had to move house for health reasons. His profession was compatible with my husband’s and we had been promised an important job, so we decided to hire him in our company. However, a few months later, the work we were expecting didn’t come through and we began to worry about the future. At that time, the Word of the Gospel that we were trying to live invited us to pray because, the commentary said, there are two temptations: “The presumption of managing on our own and the fear of not making it. Whereas Jesus assures us that the heavenly Father will ensure that we have the strength of the Spirit if we watch and ask Him with faith.” So we turned to Him with faith, entrusting him with the new situation, sure that he would look after it. The next day, my husband unexpectedly received an important job. Since then, we have always had work and the newcomer continues to work with us. (M.R. – Switzerland) The loan During the first trimester of school, I had shared my scholarship with another student who could not afford a canteen card because he came from a very poor family. At the beginning of the second trimester, he told me that his parents needed money urgently and he asked me to lend him a certain amount. I had set that sum aside for books and food, but out of friendship I decided to oblige him. Then I didn’t see him around for a few days, while previously he always came to talk to me. I started to worry and even get angry. Then, suddenly, the Gospel came to my aid with the thought that it is right to help a neighbour who is worse off than me. When I calmed down, I went to visit him at his house. As soon as we met, he told me that he hadn’t shown up again because he was ashamed of not yet having the money to pay me back and he didn’t know what to do. I reassured him, saying that he could pay me back whenever it was possible and that otherwise it would be fine anyway: the most important thing was that we should remain friends. (J.B. – Africa)
compiled by Maria Grazia Berretta
(taken from “The Gospel of the Day”, Città Nuova, year IX – no.1 September-October 2023)
Oct 23, 2023 | Non categorizzato
Conference in memory of David Sassoli. Brussels – 24th October 2023 – European Parliament (Entrance Spinelli building, rue Wiertz 60) room ASP 3H1 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The event will be broadcast live in Rome, in the Open Space Experience Europe – David Sassoli (conference room on floor -1, Piazza Venezia, 6) From Brussels, beyond violence and wars, a concrete proposal of solidarity and peace starting from volunteering 
In memory of President David Sassoli, three important European associations, the European Movement, the Focolare Movement and the Roman Group of the International Association of the followers of St Catherine together with the former President of the European Parliament’s Culture Committee Silvia Costa, set up a joint initiative on 24th October on the “European Solidarity Corps and Civil Service” at the European Parliament’s headquarters in Brussels, in video-link with the Space Europe David Sassoli in Rome. The link to access the live streaming will also be available on the Interactio platform and on the websites of the promoters. With the tragic reappearance of war events at the borders of Europe and terrorist actions also in Paris and these days in Brussels, building bridges of dialogue and solidarity in Europe and third countries by investing in the new generations is even more necessary and strategic. We are convinced that the practice of volunteering or civil service experiences must become a constitutive element of the European citizenship. Because taking care of the other, of creation and civil coexistence promotes fraternity and social cohesion but also makes the political project of the United States of Europe grow from below – say the promoters The European Solidarity Corps (ESC), the EU-funded volunteering programme for young Europeans between the ages of 18 and 30, is the active protagonist of this journey. These are projects of solidarity, cooperation, education for peace but also the reception and integration of refugees and migrants, assistance of disabled and elderly people, protection of the environment, safeguarding the artistic and cultural heritage, which constitute an important experience for personal growth and for the acquisition of a more convinced European identity. One example is The Room: Community Drama in Ireland, in response to the social exclusion of Newbridge asylum seekers in County Kildare. Or the project “Mare d’Inverno”, in Italy, with the aim of recovering a natural coastal area near the urban centers of Trani and Barletta, to name but a few. It can be held in Europe as in partner countries, including Israel and Palestine. The conference, hosted by Patrizia Toia and Brando Benifei together with the Socialists and Democrats Group, will also be attended by MEPs from the EPP, Renew, Green and Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and, for the European Commission, Sophia Eriksson Waterschoot, Director of the Department of Youth, Education and ERASMUS+ of the Directorate General for Education and Youth (EAC), together with representatives of the European Volunteer Centre, the European Youth Forum, the Director of the Universal Civil Service Office of the Youth Department and managers of the National Youth Agency of the Italian Government. The event will be opened, representing the promoters, by Pier Virgilio DASTOLI, President of the European Movement Italy, Jesús Morán co-President of the Focolare Movement and Aldo Bernabei President of the Roman Group of the International Association of the followers of St Catherine. An intervention by the Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union, Noël Treanor, is expected and the Secretary-General of COMECE, Manuel Barrios, will also be present. On behalf of the young people involved in the European Solidarity Corps, the voices of Fabiola, Alexander, Maria Stella: European citizens who live firsthand the option of peace and solidarity in their daily and professional choices. They will bring their testimonies by challenging the terrain of politics with the power of ideality. Here you find the Initiative and the Programme
Stefania Tanesini
