The Mediterranean, a meeting point

The Mediterranean faces major challenges: poverty, conflict, religious pluralism, ecological issues, and migration. But it also has enormous historical, religious, cultural, and socioeconomic resources that can help find answers and solutions to these challenges. The Mediterranean Meetings began in 2020 in Bari, Italy. In 2022, they took place in Florence, Italy. This year, 2023, they were held in Marseille, France, from September 17 to 24. The aim of these events is to bring together the Churches and all actors of goodwill (religious communities, associations, movements, universities, businesses, etc.) to revive joy and hope among the cultures and peoples of the Mediterranean. On September 22 and 23, Pope Francis was present in Marseille. In the final words of his speech, he stated: “Go forward with courage! Be a sea of goodness, to confront today's poverty with a synergy of solidarity; be a welcoming harbor, to embrace those who seek a better future; be a beacon of peace, to break, through the culture of encounter, the dark abysses of violence and war.” [To read his speech, click here.] On September 22, in the Church of Our Lady of Accoules, the Focolare Movement prepared the Vigil of Fraternity and Unity: The Art of Loving That Unites Us. The Movement's contribution to building the human family in the Mediterranean was presented. There was a moment of prayer, testimonies, and songs. Margaret Karram, president of the Focolare Movement, sent a video message, from which we highlight the following [To download the full text, click here]:

Citizens from all over Europe in dialogue

The DialogUE project, "Different allied and open identities to generate a united Europe," promoted by 14 organizations from 9 European Union states, including 10 from the Movement, is resuming its activities through an event entitled Green Care, which will take place from October 25 to 29 in Rotselaar, Brussels. This is the second installment of the Multipolar Ecology and Dialogue (between citizens of Eastern and Western Europe), which will bring together people from different countries, some of them true specialists in their field, deeply committed to the care of creation. Participants, aged between 15 and 99, will have the opportunity to share their discoveries and experiences on environmental issues such as: People from all over Europe will have the opportunity to explore paths towards a more sustainable future through dialogue, interactive moments, and collaboration. Your contribution is also valuable, as it will help shape interesting and necessary debates to transform these proposals into a collective voice representing citizens across Europe. The aim is to formulate specific proposals addressed to the European Union, focusing on specific environmental aspects. The event will include a series of workshops and creative activities, as well as a visit to the European institutions. An open house will be held on October 28th (online from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.). Event languages: English, German, and Italian. Financial aid for students is available. Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfm-2CagSeImFtgLytMaFTE-NtgGVQgrcA5hbfpjLeZdIMSww/viewform. For more information about the program and participation fees: Download the invitation in Italian. Download the invitation in English.

United World Week 2023

United World Week takes different forms depending on the places and communities around the world that promote it: exhibitions, reviews of cultural events, workshops for dialogue and ideas, solidarity initiatives, and more. Seven days are dedicated to the values of peace, fraternity, care, and unity, to demonstrate that, if we truly want it, a united world is possible. The objective is twofold: to influence public opinion locally and to illuminate our planet with hope. For the third consecutive year, the title of the Week will be Dare to Care. Because "we continue to believe, today more than ever, that a fraternal and united world is achieved only by having the audacity to care, to care, to assume the responsibility to act with concrete initiatives for people and the planet, starting from the wounds of our own territory." One of the most significant events of the Week is Run4Unity: a global sporting and tree-planting event that spans different time zones, countries, and cultures to build peace and make the planet a greener place. This year, the Laudato Si' Platform joins the initiative. United World Week is co-funded by the European Union through the AFR.E.SH project. More information is available on the United World Project website.

Water management

The meeting on Tuesday, April 25th, will discuss the case: Water and Associated Services Cycle Management. Lorenzo Correa, Civil Engineer and Coach, will be present for this session. As on previous occasions, the session can be followed online to facilitate participation from all Spanish-speaking countries. The format remains the same: a presentation of a real business management case on which attendees can express their opinions and make concrete proposals. The next session will be on Tuesday, April 25th, 2023, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Time zones: Madrid, Rome, Paris. To participate in the Zoom videoconference meeting, interested parties must confirm their attendance by email. They will receive a written summary of the case to be discussed as soon as possible, allowing them to prepare their opinions and proposals, if they wish. Instructions for joining will be sent by email on the day of the meeting. To learn more about the Group, which belongs to New Humanity, you can access their presentation. You can contact them via email. The Barcelona Business Management Group is associated with the Economy of Communion as a Circle of Communion.

Towards a culture of comprehensive protection of the person

The Focolare Movement publishes its first report on cases of abuse of minors and vulnerable adults, including spiritual abuse and abuse of authority, occurring within the Movement. It also includes information regarding reparation measures, new investigation procedures, and training activities aimed at protecting the person. The report begins with a letter from Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán, President and Co-President of the Focolare Movement: "We are writing to present a public report on the data regarding notifications and the measures we have undertaken as the Focolare Movement, due to the scourge of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable persons; and abuses of conscience, spiritual abuse, and abuse of authority over adults, from which we too have not been immune." The document, Towards a Culture of Integral Protection of the Person, will be updated annually and is published one year after the release of the results of the investigation conducted by GCPS Consulting into the serious cases of sexual abuse committed by a former French focolarino. The Focolare Movement works to adopt the necessary measures to guarantee the prevention and comprehensive protection of the person in all areas and environments where its activities are carried out. Therefore, the document now being published—the President and Co-President of the Focolare Movement explain—"is a first report on the prevention, investigation, transparency, training, and change measures undertaken by the Focolare Movement to counter this crime." The President and Co-President sincerely apologize to each of the victims and survivors on behalf of the Focolare Movement, while expressing profound gratitude to them, as well as to the victims, families, and communities involved not only in France but in all countries where cases of abuse have emerged. Thanks to their cooperation and, above all, their courage in confronting and bringing these crimes to light, the Movement is more consciously implementing new commitments and procedures regarding the protection of persons. The report consists of several parts and presents data on abuses reported to the Commission for the Well-being and Protection of the Person (CO.BE.TU.) since its creation in 2014; it systematically compiles reports up to December 2022. The report also presents data on "basic courses on the protection of the person" conducted in the various countries where the Focolare Movement operates. Another section is dedicated to priority measures already in place or in the process of implementation, in response to the recommendations of the independent investigation by GCPS Consulting. The courses and training tools for the protection of the person are available to all members of the Movement, especially trainers and those accompanying minors. Training activities have already been implemented for Movement leaders at various levels, from central management to territorial leaders in the various geographical areas. On May 1, 2023, the Central Independent Commission will begin operating and the CO.BE.TU will complete its work. The new body will be solely responsible for processing notifications, while training will be coordinated at the central and local levels by another team of experts and consultants. The report also presents the Protocol for the Management of Abuse Cases in the Focolare Movement, the Competencies of the Central Independent Commission, and the Support and Financial Reparation Lines in Cases of Sexual Abuse of Minors and Vulnerable Adults. Regarding the reporting, denunciation, and investigation procedures in countries where reporting is mandatory, the notification is immediately transmitted to the judicial authorities. If national legislation does not provide for mandatory reporting, but the facts nevertheless constitute a crime, the commission will submit the complaint to the judicial authorities immediately after verifying the plausibility of the facts, unless the victim or their parents object. In accordance with international legal standards, reporting of abuse will also occur even if the statute of limitations has expired. Download the PDF Report on the Management of Abuse Cases in the Focolare Movement

GCPS Consulting Independent Research Report

Margaret Karram: "On behalf of the Focolare Movement, I commit to responding with actions, listening, welcoming, and preventive measures to the final recommendations made by the independent investigation." The Focolare Movement announces the results of the investigation conducted by an external and independent body into the cases of sexual abuse involving JMM, a former distinguished member of the Focolare Movement in France. The investigation was entrusted on December 23, 2020, by the Focolare Movement to the British firm GCPS Consulting, an independent body whose mission has always been to help institutions improve their systems for preventing and reporting abuse. To ensure the integrity, quality, and reliability of the investigation process and its results, the Focolare Movement also appointed Alain Christnacht, a former senior French civil servant, as an independent monitor, with no ties to the Movement. At the request of the victims, the Focolare Movement entrusted the investigation to an independent commission, in the same spirit as the French Episcopal Conference, which in February 2019 had entrusted the CIASE (Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse) to conduct an inquiry into the entire French Catholic Church with the sole aim of placing victims at the center of its priorities and investigative work. The independent body received testimonies covering the period 1958-2020, which clearly show that JMM was responsible for abuses at various levels involving at least 26 victims. GCPS Consulting summarizes the work carried out for the survey as follows: “Listening to the victims has been one of the main tasks, as well as a challenge of the process, for the victims and for the investigation team, but it is the most important element. The report describes the events over five decades in which JMM sexually abused or attempted to abuse his victims, mainly adolescent boys, describing his modus operandi and also the context in which the abuse took place. The inquiry heard from other victims of abuse, some sexual and other forms of abuse, from a significant number of victims and witnesses. The report also highlights the fact that the abuse was widespread and unaddressed, even when it was reported to those responsible and in positions of responsibility. The inquiry was asked to examine the level of awareness of these incidents by those responsible at the time and subsequently, and to assess how they were addressed. The report details that the allegations were not adequately addressed, the victims were not listened to, were not treated appropriately, and opportunities to respond to JMM's abuse and prevent further incidents were missed. Finally, the report describes in detail how the Focolare Movement has recently developed safeguarding measures and makes a number of recommendations aimed at strengthening the safeguarding environment, including those related to fundamental changes at the cultural and leadership levels. After examining the report, Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement, stated: “There are no adequate words to express the shock and pain I feel for the harm caused by JMM to children and adolescents and – I must say this with great suffering – not only by him, as is evident from the results of the investigation.” Addressing the victims, she added: “At this moment, all my thoughts and words go out to you who have suffered a very serious crime that in many cases has ruined your lives. TO EACH OF YOU, EACH AND EVERY ONE PERSONALLY, TOGETHER WITH THE CO-PRESIDENT, JESÚS MORÁN, AND ON BEHALF OF THE FOCOLARI MOVEMENT, I HUMBLY ASK YOUR FORGIVENESS. We must recognize that, despite the good the Movement has accomplished throughout its history, in this area we have failed to be vigilant, to listen, and to heed the cry for help of many: this can no longer happen and is in complete contradiction with the values that the Focolare Movement, with its Christian spirituality, is called to live. I commit, on behalf of the Focolare Movement, to respond with actions, measures of listening, welcoming, and prevention, to the final recommendations made by the independent investigation. The Focolare Movement is more determined than ever to ensure that its communities around the world are safe and mutually enriching places. As the GCPS investigation points out, in 2011 the Movement began an in-depth evaluation of measures to prevent abuse and protect people. These measures were reviewed in 2014 and 2020 and will be further updated following an in-depth study of the results of this investigation. The Focolare Movement has informed the French Episcopal Conference and the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life of the publication of the report. The Movement's primary concern is to contribute as much as possible to the victims' reconstruction process, including financial compensation if necessary and required. Therefore, at the recommendation of the Church in France, the Focolare Movement has asked the Independent Commission for Reconnaissance and Reparation (CRR), a multidisciplinary body composed of civil society experts and established by CORREF (Conférence des Religieux et Religieuses de France), to accompany victims who so wish in their reparation process. Victims can now contact this body. Email: victimes@crr.contact – Tel: 09 73 88 25 71 Website: https://www.reconnaissancereparation.org To maintain its commitment to the victims of JMM, the Movement has activated a psychological support service coordinated by Dr. Alexis Vancappel for several months. This service will continue for victims who have already used this service. The Focolare Movement reports that in the coming weeks it will announce the actions and measures it intends to implement to respond to the recommendations expressed in the report. The results of the research are fully published and accessible to all on the GCPS Consulting website and on the French and international websites of the Focolare Movement. For now, the research is available in English, French, and Italian; additional languages will be added later.