Rediscovering empathy

The +Humans +Dialogue cycle returns to the Mariapolis Loreto Center with a day focused on empathy: one more step towards a more open and united humanity.

39th Anniversary of Margarita Bavosi “Luminosa”

On the occasion of Luminosa's 39th anniversary, on March 7th, we will gather, as in previous years, at the Mariapolis Luminosa Center to celebrate the Eucharist in thanksgiving for the gift that her life was and continues to be for so many.

80th anniversary of the Focolare Movement: charisma as a gift

Thanksgiving Mass on December 7, 2023, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the birth of the Focolare Movement.

Everyone responsible for everyone

Guidelines for Training in the Protection of Minors and People in Vulnerable Situations.

Imploring the Gift of Peace: Christmas Greetings from the President of the Focolare Movement

Margaret Karram among the new members of the Dicastery

Pope Francis has appointed eleven new members of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life ad quinquennium, including Margaret Karram, President of the Work of Mary (Focolare Movement). With her, others will come to represent and enrich the universal face of the Church, alongside those already in this position. They are men and women, single and married, committed to various fields of activity and from the most diverse parts of the world: Monsignor Josep Ángel Saiz Meneses – Archbishop of Seville; Reverend Andrea D'Auria, FSCB – Director of the International Center for Communion and Liberation; Reverend Luis Felipe Navarro Marfá – Rector of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome; Benoît and Véronique Rabourdin – International Directors of Love and Truth of the Communion of Emmanuel; Mr. Joseph Teyu Chou and Mrs. Clare Jiayann Yeh – professor at the Department of Public Finance of the National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan, and founder and director of the Marriage and Family Pastoral Center of the Chinese Regional Episcopal Conference; Professor Ana María Celis Brunet – president of the National Council for the Prevention of Abuse and Support of Victims of the Chilean Episcopal Conference; Professor Maria Luisa Di Pietro – director of the Center for Research and Studies on Procreative Health at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome; and Professor Carmen Peña García – professor of Matrimonial Law at the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical University of Comillas, Madrid. The new Members, whose appointment was published on November 25, 2023, in the Bulletin of the Holy See Press Office, are added to those previously appointed and to all those still in office, whose updated names can be consulted on the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life website, in the Members and Consultors section.

Peace, the only possibility

Not one more war in the world, not one more son for war: through the eyes of mothers and fathers, a political solution for peace. Faced with the current conflict in the Holy Land, the ferocity with which it began and continues to unfold, and the deep wound it inflicts on all of humanity, the Political Movement for Unity, an international network of politicians, civil servants, diplomats, students and researchers, political party and civil society activists from 22 countries on 5 continents, committed to building a more fraternal, just, and egalitarian world, chooses to adopt a single position: that of peace, reconciliation, and the active transformation of conflicts. We offer our contribution with the strength of a permanent experience, in which politics is at the service of the unity of the human family. We are convinced that the spiritual vision of life, which goes beyond even the ties of religious affiliation, and the historical and cultural diversities that political institutions cannot deny, can be spaces for encounter and mutual recognition. People and communities have the same dignity: we want and can live together, and find solutions to our conflicts together. Therefore, we issue an APPEAL, which necessarily extends to all current conflicts: To learn more and join the appeal, visit the website of the Political Movement for Unity (MPPU). Summary of the November 8th statement. Political Movement for Unity

Merry Christmas 2023

Christmas, 2023 We wish you with all our affection a MERRY CHRISTMAS, filled with the joy of walking together. We ask the Child Jesus for the long-awaited peace in the hearts of every person and in every town on this earth. With our best wishes of hope for 2024.

The Focolare Movement celebrates 80 years

December 7, 1943, marks the official birth date of the Focolare Movement, the day Chiara Lubich consecrated herself to God forever. Eighty years ago, a small community was born in the devastation of World War II, seeking to restore peace and unity among all. It soon spread throughout the world, integrating itself into the current of the Church's New Charisms. At the heart of the Focolare Movement's spirituality and action is the Gospel, and especially Jesus' prayer: "That they may all be one" (Jn 17:21). Today, the Movement is present in 182 countries, a sign of the universality and urgency of unity and brotherhood in these fragmented and tragic times. It also includes Christians from various Churches, followers of numerous religions, and people without a specific religious orientation. On December 7, Pope Francis will receive in audience Margaret Karram, president of the Focolare Movement, Jesús Morán, co-president, and the group of leaders of the Movement [in the regions]. “Being received by the Holy Father precisely on December 7, 2023, exactly eighty years after Chiara Lubich's first 'yes' to God, is an extraordinary and surprising gift for us,” explains the president. “We want to bring to the Pope the love and affection of the thousands of people around the world who live the Charism of Unity and renew our service to the Church on this synodal journey, in collaboration with many others who wish to contribute to peace and love to alleviate the wounds of humanity.” At 6:00 p.m. on the same day, a Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore for these 80 years of the Focolare Movement, presided over by Card. Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, together with other cardinals, bishops and priests. “This day – Margaret Karram further explains – marks the conclusion of a pilgrimage that we have wanted to make to some sacred and significant places in Assisi, Loreto and Rome to give thanks, ask for forgiveness and start again with courage and hope. The Focolare communities around the world will also live this anniversary with the same feelings and objectives, to be “witnesses of closeness with fraternal love that overcomes every barrier and reaches every human condition”. [1] [1] Address of the Holy Father Francis to the participants in the General Assembly of the Focolare Movement – February 6, 2021

Conference on the First Announcement

The Episcopal Commission for the Laity, Family and Life of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) is organizing an online conference entitled: "The First Announcement as the Center of Our Pastoral Action," which will feature two very special speakers: This training event will be held on Saturday, October 21, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. It is aimed at delegates of the Lay Apostolate of dioceses, movements, associations, congregations, and synodal groups, as well as lay people of any age, priests, religious, and others interested in the First Announcement. See the poster here. The conference is free, but registration is required by filling out the following form. Secretariat of the Congress of Laity "People of God on the Move" Spanish Episcopal Conference