Focolare Movement
elects new President

MARIA VOCE, one of Chiara Lubich’s closest collab-orators, with considerable experience in ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, was elected as the new President of the Focolare Movement on Monday 7th July 2008. On the same day Giancarlo Faletti, was elected as the new Co-President of the Movement. He has shared responsibility for the Focolare Movement in Rome for many years.


Maria Voce, newly elected
President of Focolare Movement

The General Assembly of the Focolare Movement elected Maria Voce as its first President to follow the founder, Chiara Lubich, with an almost unanimous vote. The Assembly began on 5th July at Castelgandolfo, Italy, and brought together 496 delegates from all over the world.

Assembly participants meeting in Castelgandolfo, Rome

With the death of Chiara Lubich on 14th March this year and the elections of Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti, the Focolare Movement enters a new stage in its history. The role of the new president will obviously differ from the sixty year leadership of Chiara Lubich. Chiara herself had often said it would not be just one person to replace her, but ‘a body’ of people including the General Council, together with the president and the co-president, so guaranteeing the continuity of the charism of unity.

Maria Voce was born in Ajello Calabro, in southern Italy, on 16th July 1937. She met the Movement in 1959 and has lived in Focolare communities for 44 years. She has degrees in Theology and Canon Law, and in recent years worked together with Chiara Lubich revising the General Statutes of the Movement. Maria Voce is a member of the Abba School, the Focolare’s interdisciplinary study centre, and has contributed to the recent founding of “Communion and Law”, an international network of professionals and academics who strive to bring the Focolare’s spirit of unity to the legal profession. She has also had personal experience in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.

From 1978 to 1988 Maria lived in Turkey, becoming well acquainted with the Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople. She maintains contact with the current Patriarch, Bartholomew I, with other Christian Church leaders, and with the world of Islam.

Giancarlo Faletti was born in Piedmont, Italy, on 14th September, 1940, into a family committed to promoting social development, especially for those in need. In his early years, he was very involved in youth work and in Christian activities for the poor and marginalised. At the age of 19 he was fascinated by the Focolare’s ideals of universal fraternity and unity and at 25 he decided to give his life to God as a focolarino. After completing studies in economics, he held positions of responsibility in banking. He was responsible for Focolare in various regions of Italy. He was ordained priest during his years in Rome.

The election of the General Councillors — made up of 18 men and 18 women focolarini — will take place from 9th July onwards.

Focolare Movement's
co president Giancarlo Faletti



For further details contact: info@focolare.org.uk
Celia Blackden, 020 8767 6092 or Frank Johnson, 0151 722 3981

Website: http://www.focolare.org/home.php?lingua=EN

A photo library of the assembly can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/movimento-dei-focolari/sets/72157605933058236/

The Focolare Movement

The Focolare Movement is an international movement, inspired by the gospel, working for unity in all spheres of life. For over sixty years it has drawn together people of all Christian traditions and from many of the world's religions, alongside people with no formal faith, who share the aim of building a more united world.

For more information on the Focolare Movement CLICK HERE

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