Dialogue is the focus of the Focolare Movement’s second “Communion in Action Report,” the mission statement presented onthe 20th of February 2024 at the General Curia of the Society of Jesus in Rome. The document, translated into five languages (Italian, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese), is an overview of the activities and initiatives promoted by the Focolare in the year 2022, a narrative not only of the spontaneous sharing of goods, but of inspired experiences and initiatives lived worldwide, specifically for this publication, from and to the dialogues: that between Ecclesial Movements and New Communities in the Catholic Church; that between the various Christian Churches; that between different religions, with different cultures, with Institutions, and in engagement with the many global challenges.

Among the speakers at the presentation press conference, in the presence of Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán, President and Co-President of the Focolare Movement, were Monsignor Juan Fernando Usma Gómez, Head of the Western Section of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity, Dr. Giuseppe Notarstefano, National President of Italian Catholic Action, Dr. Rita Moussallem, head of the Focolare’s Center for Interreligious Dialogue, and Giancarlo Crisanti, Focolare’s general administrator. Participating via internet were Monsignor Athenagoras Fasiolo, Bishop of Terme and auxiliary of the Holy Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy, and Prof. Stefano Zamagni, economist and professor of Political Economy at the University of Bologna.

The session, which was moderated by journalist Alessandro de Carolis, was a true exchange of reflections and emphasized how such seemingly antipodal terms as “budget” and “communion” can complement each other, accounting not only for numbers but also for life.

Read the full article at focolare.org

L'articolo Communion in Action Report: communicating achievements so that good can circulate proviene da New Humanity.

Even though they were just small signs, they are so significant as to consider Dialop’s path as a sort of well-respected special observer on the part of the Catholic Church. The initiative – which began in 2014 – to foster dialogue between Christians and Marxists – experienced a significant moment on Wednesday, 10 January with a private audience with Pope Francis. It was meant to be a ten-minute greeting which would already have been a valuable achievement but Bergoglio spent 40 minutes with the delegation (eight Catholics and seven Marxists).

‘In a world divided by war and polarisation,’ the Pope began, ‘don’t back down, don’t give up, don’t stop dreaming of a better world’, because ‘it has been precisely the great dreams of freedom and equality that have produced breakthroughs and progress’. And he recommended “three attitudes”. First, ‘Have the courage to break the mould to open up, in dialogue, to new paths. Let us cultivate a spirit of encounter and listening with an open heart, excluding noone at a political, social and religious level’. Then, ‘Care for the weak. A civilisation can be ‘measured’ by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. Politics that is truly at the service of people cannot allow itself to be dictated by finance and market mechanisms’. Finally, ‘Legality. What we have said so far implies a commitment to fight the scourge of corruption, abuse of power and illegality’. And in the final greeting: ‘I wish you wisdom and courage’.

Another significant sign was the presence of Card. José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, at the opening of the Conference on Integral Ecology, held at the Sophia University Institute from 11 to 13 January. The event was part of the DialogUE Project, funded by the European Union, and had as the main theme ‘For a social and ecological transformation’. Cardinal Tolentino’s speech focused on ‘Integral Ecology in Pope Francis’.

The three-day conference at the Sophia Institute, with more than 40 talks by academics and researchers from various disciplines, brought together economic and political, philosophical and theological, scientific and humanistic aspects from different cultural visions in an exemplary exercise in dialogue. Re-reading Pope Francis’ document ‘Laudato si’ made it possible to highlight, and this is what emerged from the reflection, “the all too weak countermeasures to the climate crisis undertaken so far and the clear failure of important economic-political efforts to avoid global climate collapse”. “There is an urgent need to act quickly”, this appeal was reiterated, but it is indispensable to “start by being aware of a handicap in man’s vision even before the ecological one”.

A further indication of the importance attributed to the Dialop experience lies in the presence of the Secretary General of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, Spanish priest Manuel Barrios Prieto, on each of the 3 days of the conference.  He spoke at the concluding phase of the conference. Great attention, therefore, was paid to Dialop’s commitment to formulating a transversal social ethical programme as the fruit of dialogue between the Social Thought of the Catholic Church and Marxist Social Critique – ethics enlightened by the vision of integral ecology proposed by Pope Bergoglio.

Ten years ago, neither Walter Baier, a Marxist politician and current president of the European Left, nor Franz Kronreif, an architect and member of the Focolare Movement, both from Austria, who both initiated Dialop would ever have imagined the results of this 2024 stage. ‘The meeting with Pope Francis,’ Baier remarked, ‘opens a new chapter between the Left in Europe and the Catholic Church. And what has matured at Sophia marks the development of that dialogue because it showed how rich the knowledge we are able to mobilise is’. A particular perspective has also opened up for Kronreif: ‘Based on the path we have been able to take and the experience we are gaining, we can expand to other dialogues or integrate other subjects into our dialogue to safeguard the people, nature, justice and peace’.

Paolo Lòriga

This article was first published on focolare.org. 

L'articolo Dialop: “Courage and commitment to dream of a better world”. proviene da New Humanity.

As part of the EU-funded DialogUE project, the annual “Together for Europe” meeting also addressed issues aimed at developing advice and recommendations for EU social policies. Professor Philip McDonagh, a former Irish diplomat and director of the “Center for Religion, Human Values and International Relations” at Dublin City University (DCU) stressed the importance of Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and emphasized the contribution of Churches in public debate.  

You can now read a complete interview with prof. McDonagh. 

 What does Article 17 say and why is it important? 

Article 17 provides for a structured dialogue between the European institutions, churches and faith communities. It’s unique in the world because it’s an open, transparent dialogue on the great questions of society. 

From the point of view of the European Union, the great benefit is that this is a channel for dialogue, on the deep questions of society. A German jurist, Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde, spent many decades developing his analysis that political societies, democracies, depend on cultural conditions. You can’t pass a law saying “We will trust one another.” Trust has to be earned. It has to be created by initiatives and by education. So Article 17 is a perfect means of creating these conditions on which a good democracy depends. It’s very good for the churches and it’s very good for public authorities. The temptation for churches and faith communities is to be a little bit lost in their own internal world and Article 17 is a way out, it generates new forms of leadership within the churches. For public authorities, instead, the great danger is to be on a treadmill, from week to week, with no time to think about the high level values and Article 17 is an antidote to that. So it’s very good for both sides.  

You mentioned transparent dialogue on great questions of society. How Christian communities and the European Union can work together?   

Well, one very obvious answer is that Christian communities have social capitals. They have schools, hospitals, charities, which help people who may otherwise not be looked after very well. But I think that’s the easy answer. The more important answer is that the churches go back to the first principles and ask, what is life in society about? We have a bigger language. For example: hope. What is hope? What does it mean to live in hope, to act in hope? So that’s a philosophical contribution to the public debate.

If our high-level values would include compassion, concern, solidarity, respect for pluralism… how do you translate that into day-to-day policies when it comes to the cost of housing or renting a house for young people, for example? We tried to connect the big language of the churches to day-to-day issues, which is not easy, but it’s a much needed contribution. Of course, we’re not talking about a theocracy, we’re not talking about any church having the last word or making the final decision. But churches can provoke the right kinds of discussion. 

Some argue that, historically, Europe was funded by Christians values and the loss of it is one of the causes of today’s crisis. What’s your view on this? 

Well, I’m not so comfortable by saying that Europe is based on Christian values. There are so many terrible chapters in history that we have to be very careful about saying that. One of the learnings of the churches in the last century is that we actually share values with people from other backgrounds, we can always find a common ground, the same structural questions appear in all societies. So as Christians, we would have to have the deepest respect for Gandhi, for example, in India, who was very respectful of Christianity and was not a Christian. We have to talk the language of human values, we have to be very humble about what has gone wrong in our own history. We have to work with all people of goodwill, to work out in a new way, in new circumstances, what the key human values really are. That is the task where the churches can make a huge contribution.  

If you’re a Christian, what does the revelation in Christ bring that is new? That is not in other traditions? So that is a key question. I don’t think, though, it’s the level of mainstream values because you can usually arrive at those values at different routes. It’s perhaps more about the forgiveness of sins, the possibility of new beginnings and the sense that injustice never has the last word. It’s a faith in the ultimate truth of peace, of hope.   

How do you see the future of Europe? 

I think we have to travel in hope. I don’t think Schuman or the great foundational thinkers of Europe had a final blueprint or a single model. They wanted to develop new layers of solidarity, and not only within the present borders of the European Union.  

In the world as it is today, we have to think very seriously about multilateralism. We have to think of the world as having shared problems. So whatever direction we take in the European Union, it has to be seen as positive by the global community as a whole. And that really requires a lot of attention. What would the global South think of our ambitions for Europe?  

We have a standard of living in the European Union, which most of the Middle East or Africa would love to have. So what are our responsibilities to those countries from which migration happens towards Europe? How are we going to have peace among all the peoples of Europe? I don’t see how we can have a concept of Europe that excludes Russia. Today is very important that the European Union have a dialogue with China, a dialogue based on values. Both of us subscribed to the SDG’s (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals). That is already a large area of shared values. In this dialogue, the churches can play an important part. The churches are present in almost every country in the world and that is a very important resource when it comes to intercultural dialogue. 

But also there are other countries who run the risk of being excluded. Turkey has been an applicant join the European Union for decades. Can we have a vision of Europe that does not include all the countries of the Balkans? So perhaps part of the solution is to keep developing the European Framework of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), as well as developing the further integration of the European Union and enlarging its boundaries. So you could have two projects taking place at once, which will, hopefully, ultimately reinforce one another. 

Know more about the DialogUE Project. 

L'articolo “What is the role of Christian communities in Europe today?”, Interview with prof. Philip McDonagh  proviene da New Humanity.

On October 28th New Humanity NGO co-signed the following statement:

L'articolo There is no holy war proviene da New Humanity.

The journey 

Christianity and Socialism – two movements with very different characteristics – have been for long at loggerheads with each other, but have nevertheless both shaped world history in past centuries. It is based on the idea that the biggest challenges of the world today cannot be solved alone, DIALOP fosters dialogue of good willing persons, with secular and religious backgrounds, especially between Socialist/Marxists and Christians to create a transformative transversal ethic.

Bringing DIALOP to the World Youth Day is part of the “DialogUE Project” which, in collaboration with the European Community involves 14 civil society organizations, explores and develops the often challenging dialogue between different groups, in order to shape a Europe that is ever more an expression of that “unity in multiplicity”.

The preparation involving both Christian and Marxist-socialist experts started 6 months before the event, a committed and laborious path towards the WYD. The challenges were many, such as finding a dynamic way of mediating heavy content like conflict and communication, different languages, countries and backgrounds. “The emotion of standing before a generation that is hungry for a calming, reasoned, clear truth and hope and being able to give some of this”, Luisa Sello, one of the coordinators of the project shares her impressions.

Youth in dialogue

War and its destructive potential influence the structure of communication, transform the perception of facts, and instrumentalize language and mindsets. In such context, social media and digital technology may become traps of conspiracy and tendentious interests. Can we approach the truth? Can we react or are we convicted to destroy relationships with humans, countries, populations because of lies and misinformation? How can we keep making choices, build relationships, and stand with truth and justice?

The workshop addressed all these challenges and engaged the youth to build on proposals for the European Union, which will be collected and presented to the EU within the European Commission funding project CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme) in March 2024. After panels and dynamics discussions, the question “what can we do?” resonated among the youth. The desire of being part of a transformation as a changemaker is at the heart of each young person present.

Steven, from the USA, wants to become a priest and travel overseas to help people shared his perplexities: “I can’t even tell my parents to stop reading sources of information that are problematic. When Jesus returned from Nazareth he was rejected by his family. So many of us have lost hope. Where do we get our hope back? That’s why we’re here at the WYD.”

Adriana, a journalism student from Argentina felt encouraged by the workshop “Our role as the youth is very important to fight against disinformation and it can be done also in a fun way. If we create community we can be stronger.”

Towards a transversal ethics

The course of history depends not only on the strength of ideas but more heavily on the evolution of political and economic interests that integrate more than once only pale reflections of these ideas. The calling of Pope Francis in 2014 that inspired DIALOP to initiate a transversal dialogue continues to unfold.

When asked by a young person how to create a common ethical framework when there is so much division, Walter Baier, the President of the Party of the European Left answered: “Pope Francis said that we have to accept conflict as something natural, what we need to know is what to do with the conflict. The fact that Christians and marxists coming from very different traditions, even with very different languages, can sit together and work on a common framework is an example of dialogue.”

Angelina Giannopoulou, from transform!europe and José Manuel Pureza from Bloco de Esquerda also lectured besides Michele Zanzucchi and Ana Clara Giovani from Sophia University together with Maria Chiara de Lorenzo from the Focolare Movement. In the future, as part of DialogUE Project, DIALOP will hold other symposia on ecology and social policies. For more information, access https://dialop.eu

First published by focolare.org

L'articolo Communication in times of war: a transversal dialogue for a common ethics proviene da New Humanity.

In the afternoon of Monday, November 15, 2021, during the 41st session of the UNESCO’s General Conference, the non-governmental organization New Humanity took the floor in the General Policy Debate to share the commitment and the work that children, youth and adults have been doing in terms of global citizenship, through the reading key of a united world, that is, fraternity.

“We would be taking a step forward if we all strive to love each other’s country as our own; if we all commit to an integral ecology by taking respectful and caring actions towards our fellow human beings and towards the nature on which our lives depend. This concerns us all, regardless of our beliefs. Whether we are young or old. Whether we have power or not”.

(pdf document – New Humanity NGO speech)

New Humanity NGO at the UNESCO’s 41st session of the General Conference 

The 41st session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) opened at the Organization’s Headquarters in Paris on Tuesday, 9 November 2021 and its work is expected to conclude on Wednesday, 24 November 2021.

The General Policy Debate took place from Wednesday, 10 November morning to Monday, 15 November afternoon which was followed at the end by the reply of Audrey Azouley the reelected Director-General.

Why was this participation important?

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in official partnership with UNESCO had the possibility to send their organization’s representative(s) to the General Conference as observers at the session, and some NGOs requested to address the plenary meeting of the General Conference. New Humanity was one of the NGOs who asked to present a statement on matters within their respective competence during the General Policy Debate, and had also a statement to be presented on the SHS commission, with the consent of the presiding officer. 

To have the floor is important because it allows not only to present the relevant actions of the organization itself, but also to know the work of other organizations or projects with which synergy can be created, in order to fulfill together the objectives of the 2030 Agenda.

On this occasion, New Humanity presented three general projects that are carried out by a particular promoter (children or youth), but that at the same time are built on the basis of intergenerationality, an indispensable characteristic for the organization.

1. #ZeroHunger, in collaboration with FAO
2. Pathways for a United World as a commitment with UNESCO and the Sustainable Development Goals, and
3. Together for a New Africa, where the training in politics and a culture of fraternity and leadership of young people creates solutions from their own reading of the territory, the country and its culture.

A special invitation

At the conclusion of New Humanity’s speech, an invitation was extended to the Global Citizenship Forum, which will be held on December 6 and 7, 2021.

The NGO Liaison Committee of UNESCO, which gathers more than 400 NGO partners of UNESCO like New Humanity, organizes Forums on themes of interest to UNESCO. New Humanity is fully committed to Global Citizenship and after 2 years of work, with UNESCO and other NGOs interested in the subject, a Forum will take place online on December 6 and 7, 2021 from 2:00 to 6:00 pm. 

More information and registration form can be found here: http://www.ngo-unesco.net/forum_global_citizenship.html 

L'articolo Global Citizenship, pathway to a United World proviene da New Humanity.

In a letter dated May 26, 2021, the Governance Affairs Office of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) announced that, after “careful evaluation and consideration of the documents and information provided,” the NGO New Humanity has been granted accreditation as an “observer” with the United Nations environmental governing body. In this way, New Humanity will be able to designate representatives to participate as observers in the public meetings of UNEP and its possible subsidiary bodies.

In addition, as an accredited organization, the letter states, New Humanity will be required to submit a report of its activities to the United Nations Environment Programme every 4 years from the date of accreditation.

New Humanity carries out its environmental protection activities in particular through the cultural initiative “EcoOne“, promoted by a network of teachers, academics, researchers and professionals working in environmental sciences.

WHAT IS THE UNEP

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global authority that sets the global environmental agenda and the implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the UN system.

Its mission is to support and encourage collaboration in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life, without compromising that of future generations. UNEP is responsible for: assessing global, regional and national environmental conditions and trends; developing international and national environmental instruments; and strengthening institutions for the wise management of the environment. Its work includes, in particular, seven thematic areas: climate change, disasters and conflicts, ecosystem management, environmental governance, chemicals and waste, resource efficiency, and environment under review. UNEP works closely with UN Member States and representatives of civil society, business, and other major groups and stakeholders, always seeking new ways to leverage every collaboration for sustainable development.

by Tamara Pastorelli

L'articolo New Humanity, UNEP partner proviene da New Humanity.

Do you want to contribute to a united world, representing the United World Project and New Humanity NGO in your country and working with national and international institutions such as UNESCO and the United Nations? You are invited to join us!

Who are we ?

The United World Ambassadors program is promoted by New Humanity International NGO, a Non-governmental organization of the Focolare Movement. The mission of the NGO is to be the expression of the values, ideas and good practices that are born from the life of the Focolare Movement in every sphere of society, the idea of a united world, promoting the spirit of universal fraternity at all levels, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1987 it obtained Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Social and Economic Council (ECOSOC), and has held General Consultative Status since 2005. In 2008 it was recognized as an NGO partner of UNESCO. New Humanity NGO is one of the main promoters of the United World Project.

The ‘United World Ambassadors’ program aims at creating a worldwide network of youth who become spokesperson of New Humanity NGO at national and international level, being the bridge between local and global efforts for a united world. Specifically, the ‘United World Ambassadors’ will be in charge of establishing a collaborative relationship with national Institutions (such as the UNESCO National Commissions,) Governments, and Civil and Religious Organizations. Their task is to identify, collect and present the best practices promoted over the years in their respective countries, with the final aim of obtaining the recognition of the United World Week at the United Nations.

Who are we looking for ?

Young people between 18 and 30 years old who share a passion for universal fraternity and a united world, who are enthusiastic to learn more about international and intercultural relations and ways to have an impact by being global citizens, and by working together with others from all over the world.

Our activities and expectations: The ambassadors’ role

• Engage in an online formation program to be prepared to interact with international and other institutions.
• Collect good practices on concrete ways in which people are living for universal fraternity in our cities, countries or regions to show how a united world is possible.
• To be the spokesperson for New Humanity NGO and the United World project both locally and with the international institutions.
•  Active participation in the United World Ambassador Network, working with professionals from the New Humanity Offices all around the world and partner associations. Concretely as ambassadors we commit ourselves to learn, to share and to act for a united world. We commit ourselves to do this for at least two years to ensure the continuity of the program. In this way we make steps to realize change in our communities and in the international institutions and we have a chance to live valuable life and professional experiences together.

On Tuesday May 4th 2021, 20h-21h (Rome time) during the United World Week, we will hold a webinar on this call for those who are interested.

How to apply ?

Please fill out the application form (click here).

The application process will close on Friday June 4th 2021.

Do you have any questions ?

Contact us at: uwa@new-humanity.org

L'articolo Call for ‘United World Ambassadors’ proviene da New Humanity.

A couple of years ago, New Humanity youth launched a six-year global strategy called “Pathways for a United World” that aims to address the challenges facing our world today by placing human fraternity and reciprocity at the basis of every aspect of human life. This year, the focus is on the Pathway of Active Citizenship and Politics for Unity under the banner of #DareToCare which seems to be a suitable response to the theme of today’s celebration.

Care is the driving force that motivates young people who have initiated a call to action or involved themselves in advocacies over the years. We propose to encourage young people to engage themselves in active participation by daring them to care. It is a dare because to care means to go beyond one’s self. It calls for thinking of others and asking one’s self, “What can I do for them?” It is rooted in the recognition that each person is my brother or sister, thereby leading to the pursuit of the common good. A sense of care can go a long way and can make the world a better place to live in starting with the piece of the world where we are at. We have seen this in young people who recently called for climate action and for an end to racial injustice.

We call on the youth of the world to start looking at their surroundings and ask themselves, “What are the things that we should care about? How can we act on them?” Young people can also look at the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and examine at what aspect/s they would want to commit themselves to and contribute to achieve it by 2030 starting with where they are. Eventually, the youth will find themselves working on different aspects in various parts of the world, in the local, national or global scale but leading towards the same goal, a better world for everyone.

Join us as we take a step forward towards a more united world by accepting this invitation: #DareToCare!  To find out more, go to http://www.unitedworldproject.org/en/.

Gio Francisco

United World Ambassador, Manila

L'articolo 2020 U.N. International Youth Day proviene da New Humanity.

The leaders of the NGO New Humanity and its political section Politics for Unity Movement, civil and political components of the Focolare Movement, had in fact written to the President of the European Commission to encourage joint work in addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the support of ideas and planning also during the preparation phase of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

In her response, President Von der Leyen stressed how the EU has ensured the greatest response ever given to a crisis and emergency situation in the Union, with the mobilisation of €3.4 trillion (about €3400 billion).

The President also said that “the current change in the geopolitical context offers Europe an opportunity to strengthen its unique role as a responsible global leader” whose success ” in this era of rapid disintegration and growing challenges will depend on adapting to the changing situation while remaining true to Europe’s values and interests”.

In fact,  the President underlines in her letter Europe “is the main provider of public development aid, with €5.2 billion in 2019. In its global response to the fight against the pandemic, the EU has also pledged financial support in excess of €15.6 billion to partner countries, to be used  for external action. This includes €3.25 billion to Africa. The EU will also support Asia and the Pacific with €1.22 billion, €918 million to support Latin America and the Caribbean and €111 million to support countries overseas “. Furthermore,  the President of the EU Commission continues, “the European Union and its partners have launched the Coronavirus Global Response, which so far has commitments of €9.8 billion from donors around the world, with the aim of further increasing funding for the development of research, diagnosis, treatment and vaccines against  Coronavirus”.

President Ursula Von der Leyen’s letter to New Humanity and Politics for Unity Movement concludes with an invitation to mutual trust between the countries of the European Union and to be one big heart.

Stefania Tanesini

__________________

Click HERE to see President Ursula von der Leyen’s letter

L'articolo Van Der Leyen to New Humanity and MPPU: Europe with One Big Heart, Not 27 Little Hearts. proviene da New Humanity.