I’m happy to tell you, very briefly,
about the Focolare Movement’s experience with the four great dialogues
inaugurated by Vatican II.
We could have never imagined or
foreseen all that would happen in this field. I got to know the Movement in the
early 1960s, when it was just crossing the borders of
What happened then throughout these
years? I’ll begin with our experience within the Catholic Church. We had already tried to live the spirit of unity
among individuals, groups, in the parishes with a growing participation in the
pastoral councils and other diocesan and parish commissions.
On the eve of Pentecost 1998,
something new took place. John Paul II called a worldwide meeting in St.
Peter’s Square for all the lay ecclesial movements and associations.
It is difficult to describe the joy of
the 280 thousand participants. The Pope spoke of the Movements as effective
instruments of evangelization and the Providential answer of the Holy Spirit to
the challenges of secularization. He recognized them as an important part –
although not the only one – of the charismatic aspect of the Church.
John Paul II expressed the desire that
the Movements offer to the Church a mature fruit of communion. On behalf of the
Movements, Chiara Lubich promised to work with all these forces in order to
create this communion.
What happened? If before we were like many
flowers in a garden, where each one looked at itself, at times with
indifference or even diffidence towards the others, now we discovered that we
were brothers and sisters, with the joy of living mutual love among the
Movements. Now we help one another and collaborate in a concrete way; we pray for
one another, each one offers the characteristic gifts
received from the Holy Spirit and receives the gifts of the others.
There was an explosion of life around
the world. To repeat the event of St. Peter’s Square, years later 300 day
gatherings were held in different parts of the world with the presence of
thousands and thousands of members of the Movements, and with the participation
and approval of the Bishops, who were happy to see these living forces available
for the cause of evangelization.
Now a new communion is developing with
the traditional charisms of the Church, for example, with the Franciscans, the
Benedictines, and others.
This is a first dimension of dialogue:
to strengthen and increase the unity among all, around the Pope and the bishops.
A second dialogue. At the beginning of the 1960s we had our
first contacts with Christians of other Churches. Some German Evangelical
Lutheran pastors got to know about the spirit of the Movement and were deeply
impressed. They said: “Is it possible? Also Catholics live the Gospel?” It was
right before Vatican II. Immediately afterwards, we had contacts with Anglican
priests and members of that Church; then others, always more and always deeper,
with Orthodox, with Evangelical Lutherans, with the Reformed Church….
Living the Word of God together made
us recognize that we are brothers and sisters. The reality of baptism that
unites us is stronger than what divides us. We discovered together a
countenance of Jesus crucified and forsaken in the division of the Church. Our
commitment is to live the new commandment, while in the pain of the division,
so that Christ may be present among us, so that he may re-establish full
communion in his Church.
I remember my surprise when I
participated in these early meetings. We didn’t hide the difficulties or the
differences. On the contrary! On the foundation of mutual love, we could face
everything. We loved the Church of the others as our own, all that was ours was
theirs too, and all that was theirs was also ours. So we could speak of Mary,
of our love for the Pope. And they could offer us their riches, their love for
the Word of God.
It’s impossible to tell what has taken
place in these 45 years. Providential encounters with the leaders of the
Churches: Orthodox, Anglican, Evangelical Lutheran, Reformed.
I will mention only the numerous meetings of Chiara Lubich in
A type of ecumenism emerged: an
ecumenism of life, which does not exclude the theological dialogue but which offers
it a valid support. An ecumenism of the people, people who
rediscover that they are brothers and sisters in the one people of God, united
by the love of Christ. Now there are thousands of people of various
Churches who, with the approval of the Church leaders, participate in the life
of the Movement, also at the heart of the Movement.
In recent years a profound communion
was born also with Movements of various Churches: Evangelical Lutheran,
Anglican, Orthodox, attracted by the witness of unity
that they saw among the Catholic Movements. Two years ago, Movements of the
Catholic Church and of other Churches, organized a large-scale event in
One of the most wonderful aspects of this experience is that bishops and leaders of various Churches and nations have been meeting periodically for years. These meetings began in answer to an invitation from John Paul II, not so much to face theological questions – they do that too – but to live the new commandment, to experience brotherhood in Christ. The meetings always conclude with a solemn pact: loving one another as Christ loved us, loving the Church of the others as their own, being ready to give their lives for one another.
And now, a third dialogue. I was in
On that occasion, Chiara had an
intuition: God wanted the Movement to begin a new dialogue with brothers and
sisters of other religions. Wasn’t this diversity which often leads to
misunderstanding, a countenance of Jesus crucified?
At that point the Movement was present
all over the world. So it was easy to come in contact with these brothers and
sisters. But we needed to love them as brothers and sisters. Our love was
reciprocated. The heart of this dialogue is to live together the so-called
“golden rule” – to do to others what you would have them do to you – which is
present, although with different nuances, in all the major religious
traditions.
The consequences?
Certainly not a confused syncretism, but a strengthened and
convinced faithfulness to one’s own faith, in unity with the authority of the
Church. And a sincere dialogue so as to get to know the experience of
the others, with a respectful announcement (as John Paul II said) of the Good
News and to highlight the seeds of the Word present in all religions. Now we
are working together for brotherhood and peace.
Thus a dialogue began with our elder
brothers, the Jews, in the
A dialogue has been going ahead for years with the Muslims, a subject which is very timely today. First with the nations of northern Africa, where there are now hundreds and hundreds of Muslims committed to living the spirit of the Movement, as Muslims, of course.
Then a singular experience developed
in the
They now recognize Chiara as their
spiritual leader and invite the Christian members of the Movement to speak of
our spirituality in 40 of their mosques throughout the
It’s difficult to express what a strong bond unites us to these brothers and sisters, now present also in European nations, and how attracted they are by the light they receive from the life of Gospel experiences.
To these three dialogues (within the
Catholic Church, with Christian brothers and sisters of various Churches, and
with people of other religions) another especially fascinating dialogue was
added: that with our friends of other
convictions and cultures who do not have any particular religious
affiliation, non believers or agnostics. Are they also interested in the
spirituality of communion? Yes. They are honest people, particularly sensitive to
basic human values and to unity. We focus together on these values which unite
us: human and, therefore, Christian values; solidarity, equality, justice,
respect for nature, peace. Our commitment is to establish relationships of
brotherhood and to work together to build a peaceful world through concrete
actions of solidarity.
I was personally involved in this experience. It is not only a matter of looking at them with an open mind, but because of the demands of charity, of approaching them for what they are: brothers and sisters, with a love that is selfless, without proselytism. And because it is love, it sincerely gives the best of itself and is ready to accept the gift of the other. With them I was able to witness to my Christian faith, and at the same time, to be enriched by their special sensitivity to human values.
This, briefly, is the Focolare
Movement’s experience of dialogue during these years, the fruit of seeking to
bring a contribution towards the accomplishment of Jesus’ Testament with our
gaze fixed on Jesus crucified and forsaken, present in every division. With the
joy of building bridges of unity everywhere, of being open arms and instruments
of evangelization in today’s world, of contributing to making the Church always
more beautiful and attractive and showing everyone its heart open wide onto the
measure of that of Christ, who gave his life for everyone.