Chiara Lubich's visit to the UK 2004

Ecclesial Movements and the
Marian Profile of the Church

Lecture at St Mary's College, Strawberry Hill, London - 16th June 2004

This lecture was the final one in a series of lectures by key figures from Lay Movements on Mission and Evangelisation. Chiara's topic was "Ecclesial Movements and the Marian Profile of the Church"

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great joy for me to be here this evening in this great St. Mary’s College of the University of Surrey.

The subject entrusted to me in the series of conferences on mission and evangelisation is: "Ecclesial Movements and the Marian Profile of the Church".

The flowering of ecclesial movements is certainly one of the Spirit’s gifts to our times. John Paul II himself said this. From the beginning of his pontificate he has always considered them as a great spiritual resource and as a "motive of hope" for the Church and for humanity. (See note 1)

These movements came into great evidence in the Catholic Church on the vigil of Pentecost, 1998. St. Peter’s Square in Rome, as well as the nearby streets and squares, were crowded with three to four hundred thousand people. They had gathered around John Paul II who wished to entrust to them, to those who were following the event on radio or television, and to history, an absolutely unexpected announcement: his vision of the Church today. He affirmed that just as there is the institutional, hierarchical aspect in the Church, which is very important and essential, there is also the charismatic aspect of the Church which is in profound communion with the hierarchical aspect. This aspect is the effect of the various charisms given by the Holy Spirit to his Spouse, the Church down through the centuries and present now also in the new movements and ecclesial communities.

Thus the Holy Father assigned to us, participants of more than sixty ecclesial movements present on that day, our place in the Church. We were – this is what he said – "a significant expression" of the charismatic aspect of the Church, although not the only ones. (See note 2) The joy that filled our hearts on that day was indeed immense.

In view of this event, we can ask ourselves: who could have prompted the Holy Father to speak in this way? Undoubtedly it was the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, knowing his great devotion to the Mother of God and the bond which she, who is filled with charisms, has with all that concerns these gifts, we must think that he was prompted to do so also by Mary.

Does not this Marian profile we are speaking of today in this land which glories in being Mary’s domain, concern her?

Hans Urs von Balthasar, the well-known and distinguished Swiss theologian wrote in-depth about the Marian profile. He affirmed that, in the Church, the Spouse of Christ, there are two distinct profiles or principles in communion with one another: the Petrine profile, expressed by the Popes, who continue Peter, and by the hierarchy; and the Marian profile, which is the presence of Mary through the centuries in the many old and new charisms which enrich and beautify the Church with religious families, with ecclesial movements and new communities.

This Marian profile reminds us that the Church is built not only on the apostles, but also on the prophets. It would therefore be expressed by the charismatic aspect, by the prophetic, spiritual, holy aspect, which has always been found in the Church, as it is now.

For von Balthasar, the Petrine, hierarchical principle is linked with the external structures of the Church, with the objective holiness of Scripture, sacraments, ministries, and includes other elements like canon law. The Marian principle is a subjective spirit found in Mary and lived out in a dynamic manner in all that leads to the Church’s sanctity. The inner Marian principle of the Church is the core which the institutional structure serves and which lasts into eternity. (See note 3)

In his Christmas address to the Roman Curia on the occasion of the 1987 Marian Year, the Pope spoke of the relationship between these two profiles. He said: "The Immaculate Mary precedes all others, including obviously Peter himself and the Apostles. (…). A contemporary theologian – alluding to von Balthasar – has well commented: "Mary is ‘Queen of the Apostles’ without any claim to apostolic powers: she has other and greater powers." (See note 4)

But if the Marian profile is so important in the Church and if the ecclesial movements are one of its significant expressions, let us try to understand something more about the way men, women, young people and adults, priests, religious and bishops can, through them, see Mary as their model, imitate her, indeed, in a certain way, "relive her" so as to make her present – as much as this is possible – on earth.

Some providential spiritualities necessary for our times have risen up in these modern movements. In fact, the Holy Spirit is never sparing in giving to the Church, from time to time, spiritualities for which the Church feels a special need. They are almost like a medicine, at times, for the evils of individual eras or new thrusts to live the Gospel with greater fullness.

This is the case also with the ecclesial reality I represent: the "Work of Mary" or the "Focolare Movement", which is also an expression of the Marian profile of the Church. Von Balthasar, who knew the Movement, was convinced of this and he wrote so.

In this movement, Mary certainly appears to be at work, suggesting a communitarian, universal spirituality, all hers, the "spirituality of unity", which teaches many men and women how to be authentic Christians today, following her example.

The various aspects of Christian life which the Holy Spirit underlined in our spirituality may be present in more or less the same way and expressed in a similar way in the spiritualities of other movements.

This "spirituality of unity" has in recent years been the object of a rather special course of events in the Catholic Church. In fact, at the end of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, the Holy Father John Paul II, in his apostolic letter Novo millennio ineunte, promoted it as the spirituality of the Church under the name of spirituality of communion.

In it Mary gives precise and very important indications to people of our times. We know that today, as always, people want to find a reason for living. In the western world, for instance, there is a searching for being which, however, actually aims more on having than on being. In practice, this way of seeing things is translated by men and women today above all in terms of a demand for well-being and freedom in all fields: this way of seeing things is quite limited and filled with risks.

And so Mary speaks – through this "spirituality of unity" or "of communion" – to the heart of people today and invites them not to make of wellbeing or futile ideals all destined to pass, the primary goal of life, but to live for God, as she did.

Mary lived of God, of faith and love of God. God was everything for her.

On the other hand, God alone gives full meaning to our life on earth; he alone assures us of the next life, which exists and which will never end, even though many people in the modern world do not take this into account.

Yes, in order to accomplish something worthwhile and great in our life, we too, men and women today, must make this drastic change in our lifestyle: no longer putting ourselves, our tastes and pleasures at the centre of our interests, but God.

How does Mary present God to people today?

She presents him as he truly is, she presents him as Love. The true God is Love. We need to realize this.

But if this is true, we will soon understand that we are not alone in managing our lives. There is Someone with us who thinks about us, who loves us, who is more a Father to us than our earthly father. We will understand that if such a Father was capable one day of sending his Son on earth to die for us, we can be sure that he will intervene in all our other needs.

Jesus explains the Father’s love in this way: "Even the hairs of your head have all been counted" (Lk 12:7) and "Do not worry about these things, do not say: 'What are we to eat? What are we to drink? How are we to be clothed?' (...) Your heavenly Father knows you need them all" (Mt 6:31).

To believe in God as Love then. To be able to repeat what John the Evangelist wrote: "And we have believed in love" (cf. 1 John 4:16).

But we should not limit ourselves to believing that God loves us. Mary teaches us that we must respond to his love with our love.

We must love God in return.

We might think at times that loving God is a question of words or sentiments. No, loving God means doing his will. Thus we should not do our own will but God's will. This means that we should adapt ourselves to his plan of love, because he has a plan for each one of us, which is always wonderful, rewarding, and brings happiness.

Many people today plan out their lives by themselves. It usually deals with having a good social position. Work is viewed as a means for acquiring this. Free time is geared towards searching for experiences, acquaintances, pleasures. An exaggerated amount of time and importance is given to travelling, amusements and shows, as if this were everything.

It is clearly a plan which totally lacks any Christian dimension, which gives fleeting happiness here on earth and certainly does not prepare for the next life.
To decide, instead, to accomplish in the course of life not our own will, but the will of God who loves us as only he can – as Mary did – means to prepare ourselves for making life a wonderful, divine adventure. Those who have done this know what extraordinary surprises are in store.

In fact, by doing God's will, the Lord responds to our love with his love. If we generously give what we have to our brothers and sisters, he abundantly fills us with goods. If we seek his kingdom, he gives us more than what is necessary. If we put him in the first place in our hearts, even before our relatives and every good, he fills us a hundred times over. And with the hundredfold, he also gives us eternal life. Let’s try it. It’s true.

Doing God’s will, therefore, and above all, that which is expressed in a special command: love of neighbour. It is very important because Jesus considers done to himself what we do to others. At the end of our lives we will be examined on love. Do you remember? "I was hungry – Jesus will tell us at the final judgment – and you gave me food" (Mt 25:35-36).

However, Christian love does not go in one direction alone. It is not directed only towards others. This love should also return to us. In fact, the pearl of the Gospel is mutual love, reciprocal charity characteristic of Christians. "Love one another," Jesus said, "as I have loved you" (Jn 15:12). Mary, all taken up as she was with her Jesus, reminds us that this commandment is particularly important to him, because he calls it his and says that it is new. It is the synthesis of the Gospels.

The fact is that when Jesus came on earth, he did not come from nowhere as each one of us, but he came from heaven.

When an emigrant goes to a distant country, he adapts himself to his new environment, but also brings his own ways and customs and often continues to speak his own language. Likewise Jesus adapted himself here on earth to the life of every person, but he brought with him – because he was God – the lifestyle of heaven, of the Trinity, which is love, reciprocal love.

The early Christians had understood Jesus’ teaching on mutual love. They had centred it as the focal point of the Good News and they put it into practice with great zeal. As a matter of fact, the pagans who observed them said: "Look at how they love one another... how they are ready to die for one another." (See note 5)

If we love one another as Jesus loved us, a surprising supernatural phenomenon will take place in our lives. Jesus will be spiritually present among us because he said: "Where two or three are united in my name (as He wants and therefore in mutual love), I am in their midst" (Mt 18:20).

Mary necessarily loves this presence of Jesus among her children. She who gave Jesus physically to the world wants nothing more than to see him spiritually alive among Christians in today's world.

Thus we must commit ourselves to living mutual charity with all our heart.

If we do so, we will be able to expand Christianity widely and effectively in the secularised society around us. In seeing our mutual love, men and women also in the modern world will believe because it is written, "May they be one (in love)," said Jesus, "so that the world may believe" (Jn 17:21).

This is what the early Christians experienced. And such was the divine force that emanated from this way of living Christianity that before long they had spread to practically all parts of the world known at that time. As Tertullian affirmed: "We were born yesterday, and yet we have already invaded the entire world.... 6

A wonderful ideal, which cannot help but attract us too!

To choose God who is Love as the ideal of our life; to do his will, to love our neighbour and to love one another: these are the initial teachings that Mary offers us through the spirituality of unity.

But there is more: Mary also gives people today a new explanation of suffering, of the suffering which everyone, sooner or later, encounters in life.

In contemporary society suffering is viewed with fear because it is not understood. Also different forms of entertainment, television, and advertising tend to present only images of wellbeing and security. Above all, people would like to exorcise death, almost as if it did not exist. Anything that makes people suffer is considered solely as misfortune.

What significance, instead, does suffering have for Mary? What is the best way to face it? The person who explained it to us with his words and with his own life was Jesus.

He suffered and he died. Certainly everything was caused by the men who condemned, scourged and crucified him. But he always saw another, deeper meaning in his suffering and death. He suffered and died in order to reunite us to God, since we had separated ourselves from him by sinning, and to reunite us to one another.

From the moment Jesus was on the cross, our suffering too, all suffering acquired a meaning similar to his.

People suffer surely because of negative factors like accidents, illnesses and misfortunes.... But God who is Love for us, as he was for Jesus, unveils another dimension to each person's suffering. Through suffering people contribute to their own perfection; or they cooperate towards that of their brothers and sisters. In this way, they and others will see the resurrection – as Jesus did – which is full and everlasting life.

The saints were familiar with this new way of understanding suffering. In fact, in every suffering that unexpectedly turned up, they did not see only the external, material and earthly aspects. Rather, they discerned the hand of God which permitted everything so that with Christ they could work for their own spiritual good and that of others.

Looking at the Crucifix, they grasped the value of suffering. For this reason, they identified themselves with it and found union with God.

Today, according to the experience of the Focolare Movement, Our Lady points out to us a particular suffering of Jesus, that supreme suffering at the apex of his passion when he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mt 27:46).

In that terrible moment, the Son of God had the impression that the Father, who was one with him, had abandoned him. And the anguish he experienced in his inmost being was of such depth that it cannot be explained. In his divine heart he experienced that separation from God which human beings had brought upon themselves through sin, with all the consequences. He felt all the weight of our sins.... However, despite all this he abandoned himself once again to the Father with total trust, "Father," he said, "into your hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46).

Mary, drawing our attention to Jesus crucified and abandoned, wants to help us to find the strength to overcome every difficulty.

If our heart also suffers, in a certain way, the abandonment of God, spiritual aridity, darkness, confusion within us or if we are gripped by doubt or by the burden of our sins, we will think of him. Going deep into our hearts, we will tell him that we want to do as he did. We want to accept suffering. We will say "yes" to him. In this way our union with God will grow and we will help others to find this union or to strengthen it.

Finally, Mary extends another invitation to people of our times through the spirituality of unity. She orients them towards universal fraternity, towards the unity of the human family.

Even though our planet is afflicted by many tensions, and today even by terrorism, in various ways Our Lady presses people on towards unity: it’s a sign of the times! And she wants this on all levels. She wants families and the different generations to be united. She asks for unity among ethnic groups, races, among nations, among Christians, and as much as possible, with the faithful of other religions and, at least on an operative level, with all people who do not have any religious affiliation but who seek the good of the human person. She loves all humanity and she wants it to be united in one single family. She wants universal fraternity.

And because love is inscribed in the DNA of every man and woman, and it makes them capable of loving, if we also love them, fraternity becomes possible.

These are a few of the requests Our Lady has expressed through a movement in the Church.

Millions of people are already following these indications, which are also very universal. They experience great spiritual joy and the consequent solutions to many personal, family and social problems. They have been transformed into authentic apostles of dialogue and the civilization of love.

With Mary, the leading lay person of the Church, and with her spirituality, we also, lay people, will be able to rise to the task the Church asks of us in our times: to work for our sanctification which is the universal vocation of all Christians, and to contribute to the renewal and expansion of the Church; to animate with the Christian spirit the realities of the world we are involved in.

In this way the characteristic contribution that the Marian profile brings to the Church will be much greater and everyone will see the Church as being more beautiful, more holy, more dynamic, more like a family. It will be a Church that is loving, welcoming, better oriented towards its new frontiers: that of ecumenism, of interreligious dialogue, of dialogue with non-believers; with constant innovations, constant conversions, new vocations; a charismatic Church, a Marian, missionary, evangelizing Church. And all this will be for the glory of God and his Mother.

Chiara Lubich

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Notes:
1 Homily given on the Vigil of Pentecost, in Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, XIX/1 (1996), p. 1373.
2 John Paul II, Message to the world congress of ecclesial movements, 27 May 1998, in I Movimenti nella Chiesa, cit. n. 4, p.18.
3 Cf. B. Leahy, Il principio mariano nella Chiesa, Roma 1999.
4 H. U. von Balthasar, Neue Klarstellungen, trad. it., Milano 1980, p. 181.
5 Tertullian, Apologetico, a cura di A. resta Barrile, Bologna 1980, p. 145.
6 Tertullian, cit., cap. 37,4, p. 139.

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Central Hall Westminster, London - June 19th

The Day was entitled: Imagine a World Enriched by Diversity and Chiara's talk addressed the question: "What future for a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-faith society?"

What future for a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-faith society?

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Sisters and Brothers,
Dear Friends,

It is indeed a very special joy for me to be here again in Great Britain, because as we begin our meeting today I cannot forget, for the glory of God and the joy of those who were present, what took place right here in London during my last visit in November 1996.

For decades our Movement had spread in Great Britain, and many Christians of various Churches had made its spirituality their own.

One day, in front of 1,200 people of the British and Irish communities of this new people born from the Gospel, which is the Focolare Movement here, I realised something new. In spite of the fact that there was not yet full communion among the Christian Churches, our shared spirituality had, in a sense, worked a miracle: we were already a living portion of Christianity, one heart and one soul. Our common baptism and mutual love had allowed Jesus to be spiritually present in our midst. Hadn’t he said: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Mt 18:20)?

This was such a strong impression that to two Anglicans seated on either side of me, I felt compelled to say with St. Paul: “Who can separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rm 8:35). Nothing can separate us because Christ himself unites us.

In that moment we understood one of the specific contributions our movement can give to the cause of ecumenism: to bring about a new dialogue and to spread it everywhere, the “dialogue of the people”, a dialogue which is born from living together the “spirituality of unity” which, among other things, gives value to the important patrimony we have in common: Baptism, the Old and New Testaments, the Creed, the first Councils, the Fathers of the Church….

After that memorable meeting in London, this dialogue of the people moved forward and was also acknowledged, appreciated and referred to in the Second European Ecumenical Assembly at Graz, Austria, for example, as a necessary contribution to the re-establishment of full communion among the Christian Churches.

Let us move on now to today’s subject: “What future for a multicultural, multiethnic and multirelgious society?”

In recent years, our European societies are being changed by significant patterns of migration from east to west and from south to north. This phenomenon is having a profound impact on the appearance of our continent, bringing to our cities an ever greater diversity. Walking down the streets, we note the presence of mosques, for instance, but also of many temples in countries which, until a short while ago, were almost exclusively Christian.

At the same time, the communications media bring people and nations, although in reality very distant, close to one another; to the point that what takes place in Asia or in Africa can have a decisive impact on the personal choices of western youth. No one is “foreign” to us any longer because we “see” people, because we know about them.

Furthermore, economic and financial globalization has woven together all our interests. They are no longer separated from one another. Many problems are of interest to humanity as a whole, problems which no nation can face in isolation from all the others. In a word, we live in a world that has truly become, as people say, “a global village”: a new and complex village.

This situation opens up opportunities for knowledge and development previously unknown, even though fears, indifference and intolerance remain especially due to the ever imminent danger of terrorism.

A great saint and doctor of the Church, Augustine of Hippo, found himself in a situation which, in some way, was similar to ours. Faced with the fall of the Roman Empire under the pressure of peoples migrating from the north and the east, he had the grace and foresight to help Christians understand that the upheaval taking place in society, which he and his contemporaries were witness to, was not the end of their world, but the birth of a new world. (See Note 1)

His was a vision that came from the faith and conviction that God is not absent from history. God’s love is such that it directs everything towards good. St. Paul himself said this: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God” (Rm 8:28).

And now it seems to me that this same faith must sustain and guide us in our present-day situation. This is also the experience that has been lived for the past sixty years by something new in the Church, the Focolare Movement, which I have the joy and honour of serving: a multicultural, multiethnic, multireligious Movement present in 182 nations of the world. Allow me to tell you about this Movement because it may be of light and stimulus for many.

When it began no one had any projects or plans in mind. The idea for this Movement was in God, the design was in heaven. Even with our most optimistic predictions we could have never imagined that we would see the progressive coming together of this “people”, as John Paul II often describes our movement.

It brings together, like a real family, people of different languages, races, cultures, nations and also faiths, because besides being made up of Christians of numerous Churches, there are also followers of various religions and people who do not have a religious faith but who share with the others great human values such as justice, solidarity, peace, human rights.

I first understood this in 1977 when, here in the Guild hall of London, I received the Templeton Prize for progress in religion.

That ceremony was attended not only by Catholics and Christians of various Churches who adhered to the Movement, but also by people of other religions: Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and others. I had shared something of my Christian experience and when, after I had finished speaking, I noticed that the first people who came up to greet me with great joy were precisely the faithful of other religions. I understood then that I was called to love and serve these brothers and sisters as well.

The secret of this ability to gather in unity people who are so different lies in the timely and modern Gospel spirit that animates our Movement: a spirituality which is both personal and collective. It is a “spirituality of communion” which generates a new lifestyle. This spirituality is not the monopoly of our movement. It is the fruit of a charism, a gift of God, and by its nature a charism is destined to all those who want to receive it.

What does this spirituality teach with regard to relationships among people of different races, cultures and religions? What is the truly inspired attitude it suggests in order to build fraternity among all?

First of all, this spirituality is based on an understanding, for those who have faith, that God is a God of Love, a Father. How could we consider unity and fraternity in society and in the world without a vision of humanity as one family? And how can we understand this, unless there is one Father of all?

Therefore, this spirituality calls us to open our hearts to God, who is a Father, who certainly does not abandon his children to their own destiny but who desires to accompany them, to protect them and help them. God alone, who created them, is able to embrace and unite everyone.

To believe in his love is the first inspiration of this new spirituality: to believe that we are personally and immensely loved by God. He knows each one intimately and cares for each one personally. The Gospel says that he counts even the hairs of our head (cf Lk 12:7), and the Qur’an says: “We are closer to him than our jugular vein” (50:16). Therefore, he will not leave the renewal of society to our efforts alone, but will take an active role.

Obviously, however, it is not enough to believe in the love of God, not enough to have chosen him as one’s Ideal. The Father's presence and loving care calls each person to be a true daughter or son, loving the Father in return and living, day by day, according to God’s loving plan for each one. And we know that a father’s first desire is for his children to treat each other as brothers and sisters, to care for and love one another.

Consequently, our spirituality urges us to love, to live in conformity with the love present in the depths of every human heart. For the followers of Christ it is the agape which is a participation in the very love that is in God; for those of other religious faiths, it is a love that proceeds from the “golden rule” which is so precious to many religions and which says: “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Lk 6:31) or “Do to no one what you yourself dislike” (Tobit 4:15).

For people with no formal faith, love can mean philanthropy, solidarity, non-violence.

With regard to the way to love our neighbour, ever since the beginning of our movement, the Holy Spirit pointed out some qualities which distinguish a simply human love from the love present in the Gospel.

This way of loving requires us to love everyone: people who are pleasant or unpleasant; beautiful or ugly; fellow-citizen or foreigner; those belonging to my culture or to another, to my religion or to another, friend or enemy. In fact, the Gospel asks us to be perfect, in the image of the heavenly Father who “makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust” (Mt 5: 45). This love towards everyone is very fruitful. It is the experience of many that it would be enough to live this one quality of gospel based love in order to bring about a total change in the society around us.

This way of loving also requires us to be first in loving, without expecting the other person to love us. It is a love like that of Jesus who when we were still sinners, and therefore not loving, gave his life for us.

It is a love that makes us consider the other person as ourselves, that makes us see our very own selves in the other person. In the words of Gandhi: "You and I are one and the same thing. I cannot hurt you without harming myself." (See Note 2)

It is a love that is not made up only of words or feelings; it is a practical love. It requires that we “make ourselves one" with others, that “we live the others” in a certain way, that we share their sufferings, their joys, in order to understand them, to serve and help them in an effective, practical way.

It is a matter of weeping with those who weep, rejoicing with those who rejoice. Making ourselves one: it is the attitude that guided the apostle Paul, who wrote that he made himself a Jew with the Jews, Greek with the Greeks, all things to all (cf 1 Cor 9: 19-22). It is very important that we follow his example so that we can establish a sincere, friendly dialogue with everyone.

Yes, dialogue. It is a very relevant word today. Dialogue means that people meet together and even though they have different ideas, they speak with serenity and sincere love towards the other person in an effort to find some kind of agreement that can clarify misunderstandings, calm disputes, resolve conflicts, and even eliminate hatred at times. This dialogue, especially among the faithful of different religions, is more than ever indispensable today if we want to avoid the great evils threatening our societies.

It has been written: "To know the other's religion implies putting yourself in the shoes of the other, seeing the world as he or she sees it, grasping what it means for the other to be Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu…"(See Note 3) This is not something simple. It demands that we empty ourselves completely, that we put aside our own ideas, our own affections, to put aside everything we would want to do, in order to identify with the other person.

It is a matter of momentarily putting aside what we have and what is most precious to us: our own faith, our own convictions, in order to be “nothing” in front of the other person, a “nothingness of love”. By doing so we put ourselves in a position of learning and there is always something to learn.

If we are motivated by this kind of love, the other person will be able to express him or herself because they feel accepted. Each person can give themselves because they find someone who listens. So then we become acquainted with their faith, their culture, their terminology. We enter their world, we become inculturated in some way in them and we are enriched. This attitude enables us to contribute to making our multicultural societies become intercultural, that is, made up of cultures that are open to one another and in a profound dialogue of love with one another.

Our complete openness and acceptance then predisposes the other person to listen to us. We have noticed, in fact, that when people see someone dying to him or herself in order to “make themselves one” with others, they are struck by this and often ask for an explanation.

Then we can pass on to what the Pope calls the “proclaiming with respect”. “Respect” is the key word in every dialogue. Being true to God, to ourselves, and being sincere with our neighbour, we share what our faith affirms on the subject we are discussing, without imposing anything, without any trace of proselytism, but only out of love.

However, through the Holy Spirit who is always present when we love, our brothers or sisters are struck by something we say, something alive and spiritual which echoes within them: these are the “seeds of the Word” which the love of God has placed in every religion.

Or while we are speaking, our brothers or sisters identify some aspect of those purely human values which the Lord, in creating us, deposited in every person and in every culture.

And it is on the basis of these “seeds” or values that we can offer – always serving, however, always with gentle and boundless discretion – we can offer those aspects of truth we possess which can give greater fullness and completeness to what our neighbour already believes. First he or she gave to us; now we do the same. And in an atmosphere of communion created by this exchange of gifts, the truth is gradually revealed and we feel that it has brought us closer to one another.

We have had many experiences of this fruitful dialogue with people of the most varied cultures and also with large groups of believers of other religions. Precisely because of this practice of “making ourselves one”, and the friendship born from it, we consider them as Movements which are supportive of our own, and they know that our Movement is supportive of theirs. We have built up substantial bonds of fraternity with them, like the Buddhists of the Rissho Kosei-kai which includes six million members, or the Muslims of the American Muslim Society, which numbers two million, and others.

Real, true, fraternity is, in fact, the fruit of a love that is capable of making itself dialogue, relationship, that is, a love which, far from arrogantly closing itself within its own boundaries, opens itself towards others and collaborates with all people of good will in order to build together unity and peace in the world.

Yes, peace.

But can religions, also as a whole, be partners in the journey to peace?
We all know how extremely important and relevant this question is today.

Many interpret the spreading of terrorism, the wars waged in various parts of the world in response to this, the ongoing tensions in the Middle East as symptoms of a “clash of civilizations”. They say that it is marked and even intensified by the different religious allegiance.

However, upon a closer examination of the facts, this viewpoint triggered by various forms of extremism and fanaticism which distort religions, proves to be very partial.

Never so much as in our present day have believers and leaders of all religions felt the duty to work together for the common good of humanity. Organizations such as the World Conference of Religions and Peace or initiatives such as the day of prayer for peace in Assisi promoted by John Paul II in January of 2002, are a confirmation of this.

On that occasion the Pope stressed, on behalf of all those who were present, that “whoever uses religion to foment violence contradicts its most authentic and profound aspiration” and that “no religious goal can justify the practice of violence on the part of one person against another” because “the offence against the human person is ultimately an offence against God.”(See Note 4)

On September 11, 2001 humanity discovered, in shock and horror, the nature of the great, enormous danger of terrorism. It is not a war like others – we still have about 120 wars on our planet today – which are usually the result of hatred, of discontent, of rivalries, of personal or collective interests. Terrorism, instead, as affirmed by the Pope, is the fruit also of the forces of Evil with a capital “E”, the forces of Darkness.

Now, forces of this kind cannot be opposed only by human, diplomatic, political and military means. The forces of Good with a capital “G” are needed. And Good with a capital “G”, we know, is God and all that is rooted in him. Therefore, we can combat terrorism with spiritual forces, with prayer, for example, with fasting, as the representatives of the world religions did in Assisi, the city of St. Francis.

However, we feel that we must say that prayer is not enough.

We know that the causes of terrorism are many, but one of them, the deepest, is the unbearable suffering of a world divided between rich and poor. This has produced and continues to produce resentment in people’s hearts, violence and revenge.

More equality is needed, more solidarity, especially a more equal sharing of goods.

We know, though, that goods do not move by themselves, they cannot walk on their own. People’s hearts must be moved, hearts must be shared.

This is why we need to spread among as many people as possible, the idea and practice of fraternity, and - given the enormity of the problem - a universal fraternity. Brothers and sisters know how to look after one another, they know how to help one another, how to share what they have.

To meet this unprecedented challenge, the contribution of religions is decisive.

Where else, if not in the great religious traditions could a strategy of fraternity begin , a strategy capable of marking a turning point even in international relation?

The enormous spiritual and moral resources of religions, the contribution of ideals, of aspirations to justice, of commitment to the needy, along with the political leverage of millions of believers, all springing from religious sentiments and channeled into the field of human relations, could undoubtedly be translated into actions that could have a positive influence on the international order.

Much is being done in the field of international solidarity by non-governmental organizations. What’s missing is for states in their own right to make political and economic choices which can build a worldwide community of peoples committed to bringing about justice.

In the face of a strategy of death and hatred, the only valid response is to build peace in justice. But there is no peace without fraternity. Only fraternity among individuals and peoples can guarantee a future where there is peaceful coexistence.

Besides, universal fraternity and the peace which follows from it are not new ideas that have emerged today. They have often been present in the minds of deeply spiritual persons because God’s plan for humanity is fraternity, and brotherly love is written in the heart of every human being.

“The golden rule,” said Mahatma Gandhi, “is to be friends of the world and to consider the whole human family as ‘one’.”(See Note 5)

And Martin Luther King: “I have a dream that one day…” all people will realize that they were created to live together as brothers and sisters and that fraternity will become the order of the day for businesspersons and the password for statesmen and women.(See Note 6)

In spite of the destruction then, one great, age-old truth can emerge even from the rubble of terrorism: that all of us on earth are one great family.

And the one who showed this truth and brought it as an essential gift to humanity was Jesus who prayed for unity before he died: “Father, may they all be one” (Jn 17:21).

Ladies and gentlemen, sisters and brothers, dear friends, we know from experience that whoever wants to move the mountains of hate and violence in today's world faces an enormous task. But what is beyond the strength of millions of separated, isolated individuals, becomes possible for those who make mutual love, understanding and unity the driving force of their lives.

There is a reason, a secret key, and a name for all this. When we, of the most various religions, enter into dialogue among ourselves, that is, when we are open to the other in a dialogue of human kindness, mutual esteem, respect, mercy, we are also opening ourselves to God and, in the words of John Paul II, “we allow God to be present in our midst.”(See Note 7)

This is the great effect of our mutual love and the hidden strength which gives vitality and success to our efforts to bring unity and universal fraternity everywhere. It is what the Gospel announces to Christians when it says that if two or more are united in genuine love, Christ himself is present among them and therefore in each one of them.

And what greater guarantee can there be than the presence of God, what greater help can there be for those who want to be instruments of fraternity and peace?

What future therefore for a multicultural, multiethnic and multirelgious society?

A future where all people live as one family made up of brothers and sisters who love one another beneath the gaze of one Father. Or, for those who do not know God, a family united in the name of that voice of truth which speaks out in every human conscience.

There is no alternative if we want to avoid our planet being thrown once again into the depths of misery, fear, hatred and war.

Instead, if we live as we said before, if we love one another, we will necessarily stir up love around us, and many people of different races, cultures and religions will follow us. Then one day in the not-too-distant future, mutual love will be lived also among peoples.

Is it a utopia? No, it is God’s most heartfelt desire, it is Jesus’ prayer for unity and it will become a reality. If he, the Son of God, prayed to the Father for the unity of all, this request cannot but be granted.

Chiara Lubich

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Notes:
1 Cf. above all The City of God, but also the sermons in which St. Augustine speaks of the fall of Rome (n. 81, 105, 296, 397).
2 Quoted from WILHELM MÜHS, Parole del cuore, Milan, 1996, p. 82.
3 F. Whaling, Christian Theology and World Religions: A Global Approach, London 1986, pp. 130-131.
4 John Paul II, Discourse to the representatives of the various religions of the world, Assisi, January 24, 2002.
5 In buona compagnia, a cura di Claudio Mantovano, Roma, 2001, p. 11.
6 Cfr. Martin Luther King, delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963.
7 John Paul II, in Madras, Il dialogo interreligioso nel magistero pontificio, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, p. 385.

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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, 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

 

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The Day was entitled: Imagine a World Enriched by Diversity and Chiara's talk addressed the question:

"What future for a multi-ethnic,
multi-cultural, multi-faith society?"

The following are some of the personal experiences
shared on the day

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I’ve been asked to say a little bit about my experience as a young person seeking to live the gospel, and how for me this means entering into the world of politics. I’ll start with my days at University where, for the first year at least, I took full part in the fun and partying that goes on as a student. By the second year, however, it began to dawn on me that my life should really consist of more than parties so I began to get more involved with a student action group called ‘People and Planet’, a group which campaigns for social justice and the environment. I also began to deepen my Christian life and involved myself more in the activities of the young people of the Focolare.

As an enthusiastic and active member People and Planet I was soon approached and asked if I would consider standing for a position on the student union executive. Whilst the thought of it terrified me slightly I felt that this was my chance to stand up for all the things I believed in so passionately. So, alongside all the election slogans of "more free beer" and "bigger and better club nights" stood my "fair trade products to be sold in all union outlets and more recycling in Union bars". I was astounded when I got elected.

I was over the first hurdle, but I now had to take a step into the murky world of student politics. Whenever I felt afraid I just said to myself "God, you got me into this so you’re going to have to help me out", and I really trusted in that. The first meeting of the executive was an interesting experience. As a total newcomer I felt I should just sit and listen, I really felt like an outsider and nobody spoke to me or even said hello. The meeting was about the bars and various ideas on changes that were to be made. If I was going to put my campaign slogans into action I had to seize the moment. So, when asked if there was "any other business", I took the plunge and suggested that we work towards recycling all the bottles in the bars, and that we sell fair trade tea, coffee and chocolate in all union café’s. I had already worked on some contacts and suppliers, which I presented to the table. Everyone was stunned. Eventually somebody said – "my goodness, it’s remarkable to see someone actually staying true to their election promises" and everyone nodded in agreement round the table. I had broken the ice and had won their respect. By the next meeting I had already been asked if I would sit on the finance committee (apparently a great honour!), and by the time I left university every student union shop was selling the full range of fair trade produce, and all the café’s and bars were selling fair trade tea and coffee.

After leaving university I returned home to study postgraduate law. I toyed with the idea of becoming a journalist but something inside me pushed me towards law – it was pure instinct. I suppose I’ve always felt that if I want to change the laws under which we live I’ll have to study how they’re made. So I spent two years studying and have spent the last two years working towards qualifying as a solicitor. Again this has been a slight transition period. I work for a large commercial firm and at the beginning threw myself completely into the young professional lifestyle – drinks after work, out every Friday and Saturday, socialising, networking….but once again I reached the stage where it was just not enough. I once again felt this deep desire to do something more. So I joined my local Labour group and turned up to one of their meetings. This was last November.

Again I was walking into a totally new territory and it took a big step to actually make it to the first meeting. But I never looked back, and once I’d managed to speak up for some of the things I felt strongly about – the new recycling scheme that had been implemented, and the problems with student/resident relations, I was soon asked if I would stand as a candidate in the upcoming local elections. I was a bit taken aback at the request, but immediately said yes. And it has been an incredible experience and very challenging also.

I feel I’ve been challenged to stay true to my principles all along the way. When discussions turned to bitching about the other parties candidates I would be careful not to join in, and where possible would try to steer them onto a more positive level. I have always been careful to be honest in everything I have said and written – a lesson which I learned was most important when a libel suit was actually slapped on another member of my labour team. Most of all I have always sought to put the gospel into practice in everything that I do – to speak to everyone I meet with the same respect, no matter which party they represent, and to help out the other candidates whenever it has been needed, rather than simply looking to campaign for myself. And the response I have received has restored my faith in the political process. On the doorstep I have entered into discussions with the voters who have moaned and groaned and been totally negative. And I have tried to listen and to put myself in their shoes, without simply agreeing with everything they have to say. And by the end I have left on a positive note, and people have thanked me for calling by. Getting their votes, at the end of the day, has not been my priority, but building relationships and getting to know about their problems and needs.

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I am the first born in a family of 5 children. I left my Rwanda in 1994, when I was 12 years old. My family was a happy one. We had a comfortable life. In 1994 however Rwanda was ravished by a civil war and our lives were turned upside down. Together with my family we fled and walked for months and months, slept in forests under heavy rains, passed dead bodies and saw many of our own people dying with hunger and disease. My mother was 8 months pregnant and my youngest sister was born in the middle of the forest. My family managed to survive even though later on we lost contact with our dad.

With our mother we struggled as refugees in several African countries for a few years. Eventually we managed to make our way to Tanzania and my mother was able to make some money from selling beans which she grew. She saved everything in order to send my sister and I to Europe. She knew this was our only chance.

This was, I think, the hardest moment in my life – leaving her behind not knowing where we would end up. My sister and I were refugees in Holland and during that time we met people from the Focolare Movement. They shared with us their life of Love and Unity and this brought back a smile to our faces. A very important moment for me was the week we spent with the Focolare at the summer gathering, the Mariapolis. We met people who cared about us, made us feel part of their family. I remember their love in lots of small things eg in letting me go first in the shower queue. There it felt like the world had no boundaries. During that week I was particularly struck by the idea of loving one another based on Jesus’ commandment: ‘Love one another as I have loved you’. This has stayed with me and has become the basis of my life.

Eventually, after 5 years in Holland, we found our mother again - in Britain. It was a moment of incredible joy but here in Britain, it wasn’t easy at first but I was able to continue my education and last year I started university. But to achieve this it was a struggle and I was aware that this kind of situation does not affect only me but all refugee young people especially when they just arrive and feel lost. It can seem at times as though life has no future. Many young people are discouraged to carry on with their education. Many of them don’t feel part of society. For the last few years I have been working to bring first of all Rwandan young people together – to pass on the skills I have learnt, to help them to integrate and above all to share with them my conviction that we can build a new society. Through our project we also try to challenge perceptions about refugees.

One thing I felt to be important was to keep alive our culture through music, dance and poetry. Together with others we have organised two festivals which have involved 200 young people from not just Rwanda but also Burundi, Somalia, Bangladesh, Latin America and so on. We organised a talent competition and gave prizes to the best singer, best dancers etc. Instead of young people hanging around on the streets all summer and feeling at a loss they became involved. They even managed to record a CD. This has been an incredibly enriching experience for all of us and we realise how much we have to give and how much we receive in return.

I want to use my life to bring about a world where there is harmony between people, where there is consideration for others. I am sure there is a better world for everyone if people live in love and unity.

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(Latitia)
I’m Latitia and this is my husband Kurt. We’re from Northern Ireland. We have four of a family – 1 girl and 3 boys 11, 9, 6, 4 approx! I am a medical doctor, a GP and Kurt works as a Civil Servant. I was born in Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. We got married in 1992 and I moved to live In Northern Ireland. For over 2 years I worked in Fontem in the Cameroon with the Focolare. Adjusting to the culture of the tribes and their way of life was a big change from Ireland.

The challenge of living the Gospel - of making unity with people who were of different creeds, colour and tribes was ever present in Africa. The experience of Africa, a country so tangibly different had parallels to living in Northern Ireland - where on the surface people appear to have much in common. But are so deeply divided by politics, religion and culture. Divided by a conflict to an extent that so many have died, thousands maimed and everyone carries to varying degrees the cross and scars of suffering from over 30 years of what is known as The Troubles.

When I came to Northern Ireland I was aware; but from a safe distance, of what was happening. But in living there we experience on a daily basis the extent and depth of the division, the separation, the wounds of hurt that spread deep both within and between communities. People, families, communities, ordinary people have been in the grip of this turmoil now for decades. I came to live in a country district where the focal point of the village was on a definite interface where the territory of both communities ended or started. The division in the village, a very small place was a definite and visible casualty of the Troubles.

(Kurt)
We were married in July 1992 and in October 1994 we were asked to go to a local community meeting where there would be both Catholics and Protestants. The meeting supposedly was to get something for the young people particularly of the village. The village is small and consists of 160 houses. We have two pubs (one Catholic; one Protestant), 2 schools (One Catholic; one Protestant), 3 main Churches, a number of Gospel Halls and a number of other community and sporting Halls. A great diversity for such a small place. All of these buildings belong to one side or the other. None of them would freely be used by both sides. The road through the village creates an interface; where one community begins and the other ends. All through the Troubles of the past thirty years there was virtually no contact between the Catholics and Protestants. People did not mix. We were not fundamentally divided because of religious difference but due to the real and perceived allegiances over political difference-the Irish political problem.

(Latitia) Back to the meeting. This meeting was at the time when both the IRA and the loyalists were just embarking on their cease fires. It was an historic time with the main antagonists in the conflict indicating a change from what they had been pursuing over many years. It was a new dawn. It was a time of great hope. This indication of a new way was the political backdrop that enabled us to meet. Our local meeting in a sense too was historic. Here we had local people in the same room from the same place but who didn’t know each other. This was 1994 and I was new to the area. There were really two outsiders; I from the Republic of Ireland and an Englishman who worked in the area. On that night I was appointed secretary and the Englishman was selected as Chairman of a cross-community association. This election of us outsiders has often been reflected upon and in effect we had an ‘Anglo-Irish dimension’ to our new local community association. In a way they were saying we accept outsiders to help us. On the bigger political stage we in Northern Ireland have also been dependent on governments in London, Dublin, Europe, USA to help us re-build democracy, peace and reconciliation. Outside interests are needed to help break down the barriers created by generations of mistrust. Now coming to 10 years on; hundreds of meetings later I am still there as secretary. We have made great progress. Progress in terms of people accepting others. Progress in the physical appearance of our village. We, in the early days built a new play park for children and upgraded one that had been badly neglected – yes two play areas about 300metres apart. Testimony to the division of that time extended even into our play parks. Help also came from Anneka Rice during Anneka Challenge as she co-ordinated the beginning of a riverside park. Her blue Buggy, Pedro the Dog and the hype of it all was a great boast to our community. We built on the feel good factor created by her visit.

We set up clubs for the older people, programmes for the youth, training courses, tried each year to run a small community festival - a celebration of togetherness. We with a range of statutory and voluntary agencies started to address the physical neglect of the area. But we as people had to tackle the resignation, the resistance and apathy of local people. Generations who shared a belief and a resignation that things wouldn’t and couldn’t change . We strived to work on a vision for our community – one community. We have been able to access over £1m for projects – projects that are visible and make a positive impact; a visual reminder of what is possible. The money paid out may be a million but the energy, patience and sacrifices on top of that were not man made or given but God given.

Being part of a Movement that is working for inclusion and for unity transcends our human endeavours. We are in a practical way working out the belief in the Ideal – of where two or three are gathered in my name – there am I. It was at times tangible both when things went extraordinarily well or very badly to see the joy and the suffering of Christ in our work. Working to build a better community for everyone irrespective of political or religious difference was and is difficult work. Difficult in that on the bigger political canvass the prize of peace still eludes the great efforts of those with a greater political remit to help us find a way towards a better and shared Northern Ireland. Much progress has been made in our community and much progress has been made in the wider political arena of Northern Ireland. For all of that we thank God. Kurt mentioned all those community type buildings - Church halls, Orange lodges etc. Well we decided to build another one, one that Protestants and Catholics could both use.

(Kurt)
Yes, another community building would be a good idea –one for community use. Seemed logical and reasonable enough. And there was a derelict building in a wonderful location. But where did the suggestion come from – well from two politicians at different ends of the politic spectrum speaking privately to Latitia at a public meeting. Privately because they couldn’t be seen to be publicly speaking - never mind agreeing to a common proposition. We worked over 4 years to see that suggestion become a reality. There were many hurdles and obstacles to overcome. As the project was nearing completion in the Autumn of 2000 and a few weeks before the planned official opening of this new community facility we had our Catholic primary school petrol bombed in a sectarian attack. This was happening randomly across Northern Ireland. A lot of damage was done. As a result of our association with Protestants in the work we were doing we were almost being blamed and "shunned" by people of our own side. We felt a real sense of isolation and hurt. Our small community again had reverted in on itself, aligning itself along community divisions.

And then 2 weeks later there was another turn of events. There was a phone call at one o’clock in the night from the police to say that there was a fire in our community office. We live in the country. Latitia went into the village. I stayed with the four children.

(Latitia)
When I got there; there were police and the firemen but nobody else. People didn’t want to be seen, or to say anything or to be quoted as saying something. We were devastated. The next day the Press and TV cameras came and recorded a few lines and comments about the incident – an incident repeated thousands of times throughout communities in Northern Ireland.

The building which was rented was burnt to the ground. We lost all the documentation associated with hundreds of thousands of pounds of projects including our new community facility.

On the next morning, Prime Minister Tony Blair was in Northern Ireland doing his utmost at a different level to make politics work. We could have thrown in the towel. And the advice came freely from people who knew that working together would never work. Yet, when we reflected this was minor in the context of making politics work in Northern Ireland.

(Kurt)
This setback and the fear of what might happen was a reminder of the journey on a map to be made away from our conflict and division. Yet so many people in politics, community and Churches were battling; making progress and taking set-backs and more set-backs. But we were all working in a political context which was being created by the political goodwill and expertise of politicians beyond the shores of Ireland. People were willing us, all of us in Northern Ireland to move together forward. Europe had drawn up a diverse range of programmes specifically aimed at bringing peace and reconciliation. The political mix of London, Dublin, Belfast, the White House, Europe and diverse local political groupings in Northern Ireland were searching to build peace. The ending of shootings, bombings, deaths was not going to be peace. It had to be worked at by people in their everyday lives...

So the work on our new Centre continued. The opening would be delayed till this became old news. And work did progress and one year later we were almost ready to set a date.

Yes there was a problem. These new lamp posts for the street lighting were adorned with flags of one " political grouping" The contractor couldn’t paint them until they were removed. The problem was that nobody officially could remove them for fear of reprisals from that grouping. So it was over to us to see what could be done.

We had built and established a fair degree of trust with some people on the other side - including personal contact with a few who we believed had influence with politically motivated activists. I knew somebody from the other side who might know. I kept putting it off. I would ask for his advice..

I met him. What I hadn’t bargained for was that just prior to meeting him he had received a letter containing a death threat from an opposing grouping. He was upset. This was Northern Ireland again in Peace times. I knew the circumstances through which his threat had developed. He was going to see the police, the press etc. We talked for a while about his situation.

My issue of the flags seemed less important. But I had to tell him why I was there. Basically I wanted permission for their removal . No, it wasn’t his decision. Who should I approach and would it be safe for me to approach them directly? He said he would contact "his source" and prepare the way for me. I wished him well. The next day his story was in the Press.

After a few days of contemplation and agonising I picked up the courage to go and seek permission.
Two days later all the flags were removed. There was no mention in minutes that it happened.
The flags came down, the new Centre was opened, the threat didn’t materialise and both sides are being drawn together.

(Latitia)
On holiday in Scotland last year we met a couple and their family from Northern Ireland. After a couple of days we got chatting. The usual "where are you from"? "do you know it". Ah I do — I did some work there. What do you work at. I’m a painter. Were you with the contractors who painted our building? No, I was the man who painted your new lampposts. The lampposts and the flags!! We told him our side of the story as we knew it and he told us his story. Just one of hundreds of times when we felt "someone" greater had a hand in bringing us together.