Focolare Movement

Established	1943; 81 years ago (1943)
Type	Roman Catholic new religious movement
Purpose	Universal brother/sisterhood
Headquarters	Via Frascati, 306 – 00040 Rocca di Papa, Rome, Italy
Region served	Worldwide, 182 nations[1]
Founder	Chiara Lubich
President	Margaret Karram
Main organ	Città Nuova, 37 editions worldwide[2]
Website	Focolare

The Focolare Movement is an international organisation and Christian new religious movement that promotes the ideals of unity and universal brother/sisterhood grounded in the Golden Rule. It was founded by then elementary school teacher Chiara Lubich in 1943 in Trento, Northern Italy as a Roman Catholic lay movement; it remains largely Roman Catholic but has strong links and has member of many major Christian denominations, other religions and non-religious people.

The Focolare Movement operates in more than 180 nations, has over 140,440 members and more than 4 million sympathisers.^[3] The word "Focolare" is Italian for "family fireside".^[4] While the term Focolare is the common sobriquet of the international organisation, its official name by the International Association of the Faithful of Pontifical Right, approved only in 1990, was "Opus Mariae" (Work of Mary) .^[5]

In the Northern Italian city of Trento in 1943, in the climate of violence and hatred of the Second World War and Nazi Occupation of Northern Italy (under the puppet state known as Republic of Salò), the young elementary school teacher Chiara Lubich saw God's Love as the only thing that was not fallen in rubble. With a copy of the Gospel from her spiritual father, she and few girls, while sheltering during air raids, started to live each phrase. She claimed she felt deeply Jesus' prayers "that they all may be one"^[6] and "My God, why have you forsaken me?",^[7] that will later become "the two faces of the medal that forms the movement".^[8]

A group of young girls and many others sequentially joined in helping those in the shelters and in the poorest parts of town, sharing her vision that was later called "Ideal".

Starting already in 1945, criticisms, misunderstandings and accusations began to spread against this new community in Trento. Living the Gospel, communicating experiences, sharing their few possessions and making unity their ideal, aroused suspicions of Protestantism or a new form of communism. Their radical way of living the Gospel that Chiara proposed attracted the accusation of "fanaticism", and the word "love", not customarily used in the Catholic sphere at that time, was likewise misunderstood.^[9]

In 1948, the Italian politician and journalist Igino Giordani, a member of the Italian Parliament and pioneer of ecumenism joined the group, bringing social unity and politics as new dimensions of the Ideal. Giordani is one of the co-founders, also with Fr. Pasquale Foresi, who would do a great work thanks to his theological background, known especially as the founder of New City Press in 1964.^[5]

The Movement spread rapidly throughout Italy in the post-war period. It initially spread in Northern Italy and across Europe, then worldwide. In 1958, members of the Movement began to travel to other continents at the request of people who wanted to know more about it. In 1958, it reached various countries in South America, in 1961 North America, in 1963 Africa, in 1966 Asia and 1967 Australia.^[9]

It has 140,440 members in more than 180 countries. People more broadly involved in the movement are estimated by the Vatican at 4.5 million.^[5]

After 1949, summer vacations together in Fiera di Primiero in the Dolomite Mountains led to the desire to share—materially, culturally, and spiritually. Numbers increased for these retreats, including priests and religious with a variety of spiritualities, and by 1955 this gathering took on the name "Mariapolis", a model of peace for the world under Mother Mary's patronage. In 1962 Chiara's visit to the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland made her dream of permanent towns of brother/sisterhood, "simple houses, workplaces, schools—just like an ordinary town". In 1964 Loppiano, the first permanent Mariapolis was built on land donated by Vincenzo Folonari, near Florence. It has grown to include 900 people of worldwide origins and diverse occupations, married and single, priests and religious, who work and study together and strive to live in exemplary Christian charity.

According to the data published by the Focolare Movement, twenty four other such towns have sprung up worldwide.^[10] Some have specific emphases: ecumenism (Ottmaring, Germany;^[11] Welwyn Garden City, Great Britain); ecology (Rotselaar, Belgium); interreligious dialogue (Tagaytay, Philippines); multi-ethnic harmony (Luminosa, New York; Križevci, Croatia); or inculturation (Fontem, Cameroon; Kenya; Ivory Coast).^[12] In these towns religious and cultural differences are respected, to exemplify Jesus' dream: "Father, may they all be one, as you and I are one."^[13]

In November 1956, an uprising of the Hungarian people was brutally suppressed. Chiara responded by calling for an army of volunteers for the cause of God, “volunteers of God”: "A certain society has attempted to erase the name of God, the reality of God, the providence of God and the love of God from people’s hearts. There has to be a society that can put God back in his rightful place (…). A society that witnesses to only one name: God."^[14] Thus, the "volunteers of God" came to life, the first of 18 branches within the Focolare Movement.

Groups met according to their area of engagement and, with Chiara's inspiration, began centers for politics, economy, medicine, and art. These later developed into a wider movement that Chiara launched in 1968 with the name “For a New Society” and later changed to “New Humanity.^[9]

The Focolare Movement has branched out to address a variety of groups including families, youth, and different religions. Special projects have sprung up within the movement, such as the "Abba" school,^[15] Young People for a United World (now Youth for a United World), Teens4unity,^[16] Economy of Communion (involving 800 companies), evangelism within small cities, social work, the Igino Giordani Centre,^[17] and 27 publishing houses.^[18] Pope Francis in praising Economy of Communion called on it to change "the rules of the game of the socio-economic system."^[19] John L. Allen Jr. has observed that it is hard to "pick a fight with a focolarino. ...They tend to be open, ego-free, and just relentlessly nice."^[20]

The president of the Focolare Movement, who is always a Catholic lay woman^[5] is Margaret Karaam, who succeeded the second president (after Chiara Lubich) Maria Voce in 2021.^[21][22][23] In accordance of the female presidency there is a male vice-president, at this moment Jésus Moran.

At a reorganizational meeting in 2014 newly elected council members had an average age 16 years younger than that of the previous council, and the 30 council members came from 20 different countries. In Pope Francis' address to the reorganizational meeting, he said: "The Work of Mary, that everyone knows as the Focolare movement, was a little seed in the Catholic Church’s womb, that in the course of the years has brought to life a tree which now extends its branches in all the expressions of the Christian family and also among members of different religions and among many who cultivate justice and solidarity together with the search for truth." Francis went on to describe elements of the movement as contemplation, going out to engage in dialogue and formation of youth. Of contemplation he said: “We need to contemplate God and the beauty of his love,” keeping in mind that “to contemplate means to live together with brothers and sisters, breaking with them the bread of communion and fraternity,” since “contemplation that leaves people outside is a lie, it is narcissism.”^[23]

Les Jours, an online investigative news site, published a series of articles concerning abuse within the movement. In light of allegations of sexual abuse brought against Jean-Michel Merlin, a consecrated member in France, the Focolare Movement contracted with GCPS Consulting to look into the matter.^[24] In October 2020, three senior officials of the movement stepped down amid questions regarding their handling of complaints.^[25] Focolare subsequently initiated an internal investigation into the number of cases of claimed abuse.^[26]

The Focolare magazine, entitled Città Nuova ("new city"), began at the 1956 Mariapolis from the desire of people to stay connected to the spirituality and the movement as a whole. In one of its first editorials, Chiara expressed her vision for it: "We would like to collect all the various experiences of people who are bringing unity all over the world (…) so that the good that one person does will become the common good and the common good will belong to each individual."^[27]

New City Press, established in 1964, is the official publishing house for the Focolare Movement, publishing books, periodicals, and e-books.^[28] Among its publications are the Spirituality of Unity series, featuring the works of founder Chiara Lubich, and Understanding the Scriptures, Bible commentaries by scholars such as Daniel J. Harrington, Dianne Bergant,^[29] Robert Karris,^[30] and Ronald Witherup.^[31] NCP publications include: the academic journal Sophia twice a year; three quarterlies – Gen's on ecclesial commitment^[32] as well as New Humanity,^[33][34] and Unity and Charisms;^[35] the bimonthly Teens for children; and the monthly periodicals Città Nuova (published in 38 different national or regional formats; known as New City in the UK, and as Living City in the US, where its editor is Jon M. Sweeney) with opinion and dialogue,^[36] Big Smart Kids including inserts for educators, and Gospel of the Day.^[37] Focolare also publishes Economy of Communion, a quarterly magazine and website.^[38]

During the short life of the Focolari Movement, many Catholic members have been proposed for sainthood status to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

• Chiara Badano [Luce] – (1971–1990), Young Layperson of Sassello; Member (Italy)^[39]

• Jerzy Ciesielski – (1929–1970), Married Layperson of Archdiocese of Kraków; Member (Poland-Egypt)
• Maria Orsola Bussone – (1954–1970), Young Layperson of Archdiocese of Turin; Member (Italy)
• Daniela Zanetta – (1962–1986), Young Layperson of the Diocese of Novara; Member (Italy); declared "Venerable": 23 March 2017
• Nguyễn Văn Thuận – (1928–2002), Bishop of Nha Trang; Cardinal; Associate (Vietnam-Italy)

• Chiara Lubich [Silvia] – (1920–2008), Layperson of the Diocese of Frascati; Founder of the Focolare Movement
• Igino Giordani [Foco] – (1894–1980), Married Layperson of the Diocese of Frascati; Cofounder (Italy)
• Albertina Violi Zirondoli – (1901–1972), Married Layperson of the Diocese of Fiesole; Consecrated Member (Italy)
• Alberto Michelotti – (1958–1980), Young Layperson of the Archdiocese of Genoa; Member (Italy)
• Carlo Grisolia [Vir] – (1960–1980), Young Layperson of the Archdiocese of Genoa; Member (Italy)
• Maria Cecilia Perrin de Buide – (1957–1985), Married Layperson of the Archdiocese of Bahia Blanca; Member (Argentina)
• Margarita Bavosi [Luminosa] – (1941–1985), Layperson of the Archdiocese of Madrid; Consecrated Member (Argentina-Italy)
• Renata Borlone – (1930–1990), Layperson of the Diocese of Fiesole; Consecrated Member (Italy)
• Santa Scorese – (1968–1991), Young Layperson of the Diocese of Bari-Bitonto; Associate; Martyr (Italy)
• Dario Porta – (1930–1996), Priest of the Diocese of Parma; Member (Italy)
• Manuel Pascual Perrin – (1925–2000), Married Layperson of the Archdiocese of Bahia Blanca; Member (Argentina)
• Ginetta Calliari [pt] – (1918–2001), Layperson of the Diocese of Osasco; Consecrated Member (Italy-Brazil)
• Domenico Antonio Mangano – (1938–2001), Married Layperson of the Diocese of Albano; Member of the Volunteers of God – Focolare Movement (Italy)

• Bowie, Fiona (2003). "An anthropology of religious experience: spirituality, gender and cultural transmission in the Focolare movement". Ethnos. 68 (1): 49–72. doi:10.1080/0014184032000060362. ISSN 0014-1844. S2CID 144380573.
• Urquhart, Gordon (1999). The Pope's Armada: Unlocking the Secrets of Mysterious and Powerful New Sects in the Church. London: Bantam Press. ISBN 9780593033883.
• That All May Be One: origins and life of the Focolare Movement, New City Press, New York, 1969

• Living City Magazine magazine published by the Focolare
• Pag-asa Social Center Foundation Inc one of the social expressions of the Focolare