Liberty, Equality...what happened to Fraternity?

Chiara Lubich
Founder of the Focolare Movement

UNESCO Peace Education Prize Winner, 1998

Hosted by Rt Hon Tom Clarke MP, Alistair Burt MP, & Lord David Alton

Palace of Westminster, Tuesday, 22nd June 2004

'Liberty, equality...what happened to fraternity?' One means whose effectiveness has not yet been completely discovered, is the existence of the dozens and dozens of movements which began to appear in the Christian world after the first few decades of the twentieth century. Like many networks which join peoples, cultures and diversities: these are almost a sign that the world can become a home for all nations because it already is such a home through them, even if still in its early stages.

Honourable Members of Parliament,
My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is both an honour and a joy for me to address such a distinguished gathering here in London. In thanking you all for coming, it is my heartfelt desire that this meeting will prove to be a moment of peace and calm in the midst of your busy schedules.

I would like to share with you something that has come about in the political field in these last few years. It has come to life as a result of a charism or gift which has borne fruit in every part of the world, among people of different cultures, religious faiths and social backgrounds. It is an experience and culture founded on unity, which is something for which humankind has always felt a profound need.

Liberty, Equality and Fraternity

The title proposed for today’s meeting is: "Liberty, equality… what ever happened to fraternity?"

These three concepts: liberty, equality, fraternity, are almost a synthesis of the political programme of the modern world, expressing deep intuition and leading us to a profound reflection today: what point have we reached in achieving these great aspirations?

The French Revolution heralded these three principles but it certainly did not invent them. They had already emerged throughout the centuries, above all through the Christian message which enlightened the best ancient traditions of various peoples and drew on the patrimony of Jewish revelation, bringing about an authentic revolution. The new humanism revealed by Christ enabled people to live these principles to the full.

From that announcement onwards, and down through the centuries, the richness of these principles has been revealed through the actions of men and women. Much ground has been covered along this journey and the United Kingdom has often paved the way.

Liberty and equality have deeply marked the political history of peoples to the point of producing civilizations and creating the conditions for the dignity of the human person to gradually find expression.

Certainly, the development of these two principles is familiar to a people that produced the Magna Carta Libertatum and the Bill of Rights, to a people that acted as teacher in the invention of democracy and social politics. Liberty and equality have become juridical principles and are applied every day as real and true political categories.

But if only liberty is emphasised, as we know well, it can become the privilege of the strongest. If only equality then, as history confirms, it can result in a mass collectivism. In reality, many peoples still do not benefit from the true meaning of liberty and equality….

How can these be acquired and brought to fruition? How can the history of our countries and all humankind continue the journey towards its true destiny? We believe that the key lies in universal fraternity, in giving this its proper place among fundamental political categories.

Only if each of the three principles is given its proper importance can they give rise to a politics capable of meeting the challenges of today’s world.

A Post 9/11 World

Rarely has our planet experienced the suspicion, fear and even terror of our times. We only have to remember September 11, 2001, and more recently, March 11, 2004, (in Madrid) without forgetting the hundreds of attacks which, in these last few years, have filled our daily news reports.

Terrorism – a disaster just as serious as the dozens of wars which today cause bloodshed throughout our planet.

What are the causes? There are many, but we cannot help but recognize that one of the deepest causes is the economic and social imbalance between rich and poor countries. This imbalance generates resentment, hostility and revenge, thus providing a breeding ground for fundamentalism which is more inclined to take hold in such terrain.

Now, if this is true, in order to reduce and put an end to terrorism, war is certainly not the answer. We need to pursue the way of dialogue, political and diplomatic routes. But this is not enough. We need to promote solidarity among everyone in the world and a more equitable communion of goods.

It goes without saying that there are many other burning issues facing national and international politics. In the western world the model for economic development is now undeniably in crisis. A crisis which no longer requires only limited remedies, but a global rethink in order to overcome the current situation.

The relentless march of scientific research cannot continue unless it guarantees the integrity and health of humankind and the entire ecosystem. In acknowledging the essential role of the communications media in the modern world, we must establish certain basic rules aimed at promoting values and safeguarding individuals, groups and peoples.

While recognising the irreversible process of current globalisation, a central question emerges about the need to defend and appreciate the many riches that come from the different ethnic, religious and cultural groups.

These are some of the greatest challenges facing us today, reminding us of the need both to consider and to put into practice fraternity and given the enormity of the problem, universal fraternity is needed.

Universal Fraternity

Many great thinkers promoted universal fraternity.

Mahatma Gandhi said: "The golden rule is to be friends with the world and to consider the whole human family as ‘one’."

And with regard to the events of September 11, 2001, the Dalai Lama wrote: "The reasons (for the events of these days) are clear to us. (...) We have forgotten the most basic of human truths. (…) We are all one. This is the message that the human race has greatly ignored. Forgetting this truth is the only cause of hatred and war."

However, the one who brought fraternity as an essential gift to humanity, was Jesus who prayed shortly before he died, "Father, may they all be one" (Jn 17: 21). In revealing God as our Father, he made us all brothers and sisters and broke down the walls which separate those who are "the same" from those who are "different", friends from enemies.

Fraternity, then, is the ideal that we need to affirm. Fraternity is an ideal for today.

Signs of Fraternity

Are there signs of fraternity in people's live today? Over the years, having experienced countless times God’s providential hand in my own life and in the life of others, and having come into direct contact with many peoples, I have learned to recognise those steps which are a sign of human progress, to the point of being able to affirm that its history is a slow, but relentless journey towards universal fraternity.

The facts are in front of us, but we have to know how to interpret them. The world’s longing for unity has never been so alive and evident as it is today.

Signs of this are:

• The Unions of States and the processes of economic and political integration - and here we cannot fail to mention Europe - which are gaining strength both on a continental level and in terms of geo-political areas.

• The role of international organizations, especially the United Nations, which is ever more crucial in knowing how to face and respond to the key questions affecting the lives of peoples and countries.

• The development of an increasingly wide and fruitful dialogue among people of various Christian traditions, with people of different religious faiths, and also with people who have no particular religious convictions.

• The growth of social, cultural and religious movements which present themselves as new protagonists in international relations and which work towards worldwide objectives.

Therefore, to give the world that fraternity which generates spiritual unity, and which guarantees unity in politics, economics, social and cultural spheres, the means are not lacking. We only need to recognise them.

Lay Movements

One means whose effectiveness has not yet been completely discovered, is the existence of the dozens and dozens of movements which began to appear in the Christian world after the first few decades of the twentieth century. Like many networks which bring together people, cultures and different ethnic groups, these movements because of their experience are, in some small way, a sign that the world could become a home for all nations.

These movements are the result not of human plans or projects, but of charisms of the Spirit of God, who more than any man or woman on earth, knows the problems of our planet and wants to help to resolve them.

These movements were founded by and comprise primarily of lay people; they are deeply concerned with human life, civil society, offering practical and achievable projects in the fields of politics, economics, and so forth.

These diverse movements have come to life in various Churches: Catholic, Anglican, Evangelical Lutheran, Orthodox and others. On the 8th May this year in Stuttgart, Germany, they organised a very successful one-day event which was transmitted via satellite across Europe and further afield. The day was entitled: "Together for Europe".

They offered to work towards achieving – alongside the "political or economic Europe" or the "Europe of the Euro" - the "Europe of the Spirit", seeking to give a soul to Europe, a process which would also better guarantee Europe’s plurality and cohesion.

Focolare Movement

To give an example of these movements I would like to present to you the main ideas of the Focolare Movement whose aim is precisely that of unity and universal fraternity.

It came to life while Trent (N. Italy) was being bombed during the second World War, while buildings were crumbling and with them our plans for the future, our hopes and certainties.

Everything was collapsing, yet in our young hearts, a unique truth was emerging with an intensity we had never known before: God is the only Ideal that never dies, God who was showing himself to us for what he is - Love. And precisely in that extreme of hatred and division, God who is Love suggested to us that in order to love him we needed to love one another, and then bring this love to everyone, a love which was immediately extended to the whole town.

With the passing of time it spread across the world to 182 countries. That call to unity made us feel drawn to those places in the world where there was most division. As a result, specific places of dialogue and sharing came to life: first of all within the individual Churches, where the Movement gives its contribution so that there may be more "communion"; among Christians of various traditions; then with the faithful of the great religions, with numerous respectful and fruitful experiences of the "dialogue of life", the premise for peace. And finally, a dialogue built up through an active collaboration with those who do not have any particular religious affiliation.

Movement for Unity in Politics

Although the Focolare is primarily a religious movement, from its beginnings and down through the years, it has shown special interest in the many spheres of society, including the political world, to the point of seeing the birth within the movement itself, in Naples, Italy, in 1996, of the so-called "Movement for Unity in Politics". Now it too is expanding and organizing itself across the world. I have had several opportunities to speak of the birth and development of the "Movement for Unity in Politics", addressing members of Parliament in various European nations and other politicians, in Strasbourg, at the European Centre in Madrid, and in the United Nations headquarters.

As the political expression of the Focolare Movement, the specific goal of this movement (for unity in politics) is to help people and groups involved in politics to rediscover the profound, eternal values of the human person, to put fraternity at the basis of their lives and only then, to move on to political action. A consequence of political action which stems from interpersonal love is the possibility of a greater love, that reaches out to the polis. While this love acquires a political dimension, it does not lose its characteristics:

• The involvement of the whole person, with the intelligence and will to reach everyone.

• The intuition and imagination to take the first step.

• The realism to put oneself in the other person’s shoes.

• The capacity to give oneself without hope of personal gain and to open up new ways even when human limits and failures would seem to block them.

It is not a new party, nor is it a confused integration of religion and politics which has happened and can happen as a result of any form of extremism - Christian or otherwise - due to actions on the part of Christians and others alike.

Those who belong to the Movement for Unity in Politics are politicians on every level – administrators, members of parliament, active members of the most varied political parties who feel the duty to act together for the good of those who have real sovereignty, the citizens. These include citizens who want to be politically active, students and political analysts who want to offer their contribution in expertise and research, local government officers aware of their particular role.

The Common Good

What this movement proposes and gives witness to, is a lifestyle that allows politics to reach its goal in the best possible way, that is, the common good in the unity of the social body.

In fact, one would wish to invite all those involved in politics to commit themselves to this lifestyle by making a pact of fraternity for their country, one that puts the country’s good above all partial interests, whether that of individuals, groups, classes or parties.

Fraternity offers surprising possibilities. It helps to give cohesion and value to human demands which otherwise could develop into insoluble conflicts. It harmonizes the experiences of local authorities with the sense of a shared history. It strengthens our awareness of the importance of those international organizations and systems which attempt to overcome all barriers, taking important steps towards the unity of the human family.

Consequences of Fraternity

Fraternity can give rise to projects and actions in the complex political, economic, cultural and social fabric of our world. Fraternity brings peoples out of their isolation and opens the door of development to those who are still excluded. Fraternity shows the way to peacefully resolving differences and relegates war to history books. Fraternity in action allows us to dream and even to hope for some kind of communion of goods between rich countries and poor countries.

The profound need for peace expressed by humanity today indicates that fraternity is not only a value, not only a method, but a global paradigm for political development. This is why a world that is ever more interdependent needs politicians, entrepreneurs, intellectuals and artists who put fraternity – a tool of unity – at the centre of their actions and thoughts. Martin Luther King dreamed that fraternity would become the order of the day for business people and the password for statesmen and women. The politicians of the "Movement for Unity in Politics" want to make this dream become a reality.

This is only possible if, in one’s political activity, one does not forget the spiritual dimension, or faith in the profound values which must rule the life of society.

Igino Giordani, Italian member of parliament and co-founder of the Focolare movement, wrote, in his own unique style: "When we cross the threshold of our home to go out into the world, we cannot leave our faith hanging on the back of the door like a faded old hat." And shortly afterwards he added: "Politics is charity in action, servant and not master."

Role of Politics

One day I seemed to understand the meaning of politics as love. If we were to give a colour to every human activity, to economy, to health, to communication, to art, to cultural endeavours, to the administration of justice… politics would not have a colour, it would be the background, it would be black so as to highlight all the other colours. This is why politics should seek to have a constant relationship with every other aspect of life, in order to provide the conditions for society itself, in all its expressions, to fully achieve its design. Clearly, in this constant attention towards dialogue, politics has a duty to address certain areas: to promote fair, unbiased policies; to give preference to those in need; to promote participation at all times, which means dialogue, mediation, responsibility and practical action.

For the politicians I am speaking of, the choice to become politically active is an act of love through which they respond to an authentic vocation, to a personal calling. Believers discern the voice of God calling them through circumstances; people with no religious affiliation respond to a human call, to a social need, to a city’s problems, to the sufferings of their people which speak to their conscience. In both cases, they are motivated by love to act. And both kinds of politicians feel at home in the "Movement for Unity in Politics".

Beyond the Party Divide

The politicians of unity become aware of the fact that politics is rooted in love. They understand that others, too, sometimes called political opponents, might have made their choices out of love. They realize that every political group, every political option can be the answer to a social need and therefore necessary to building up the common good. Therefore, they are as interested in all that concerns the other – including his or her cause - as they are in their own cause, and criticism becomes constructive. They seek to live out the apparent paradox of loving the other’s party as their own because the good of the nation needs everyone’s cooperation.

This, summarizing the main points, is the ideal of the "Movement for Unity in Politics", and this is – it seems to me – politics worth living, politics capable of recognising and serving the plan for one’s community, one’s town and nation, indeed that of all humanity, because fraternity is God’s plan for the whole human family.

This is the genuine, authoritative politics which every country needs. In fact, strength comes with power, but only love gives authority.

This type of politics brings about projects that will last. The future generations will not be grateful to politicians for having risen to power but for the way they have exercised it.

This is the politics which the "Movement for Unity in Politics" wishes, with the help of God, to generate and to support.

So then what is my wish for you, politicians of the United Kingdom?

That this people and in particular its representatives, rich in their noble history of democracy, may find in fraternity the energy necessary to continue their journey with even greater effectiveness and to give a contribution as protagonists in the history of unity of the human family. For our part, we are committed to supporting you, putting at your disposal the charism of unity which God has given to us.

Chiara Lubich