Pope Francis met this morning with Bishops who support the Focolare movement today at the Vatican Apostolic Palace. The movement, whose charism is to build unity and communion, was founded by Chiara Lubich in 1943 in Trento (Italy).
The Bishops are meeting in Rome to discuss the theme “Mutual love among Christ’s disciples.” The Holy Father reminded the bishops that they are called to bring to the meetings the “broad range of the Church” while ensuring that what is received benefits the entire Church.
“Today’s society has a great need for the testimony of a style of life, from which their transpires the novelty offered to us by Lord Jesus: brothers who care for each other in spite of their differences of character, origins, or age,”the Pope said. “This testimony gives rise to the wish to be involved in the great trajectory of communion that is the Church”.
Drawing from Blessed John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter, “Novo Millennio Ineuente”, the Holy Father stressed the need to “make the Church the home and the school of communion’. Doing so “reveals the “deepest yearning of the Father: that all His sons live as brothers; and it reveals the will of Christ, that ‘that all of them may be one’.
Concluding his address, Pope Francis thanked the bishops for the visit invoking his blessing and entrusting them and the Focolare movement to the Blessed Virgin Mary. (J.A.E.)
