Beyond Polarization
January – March 2023 – no 18 2023/1
Not infrequently,
diversity bewilders
and disturbs us,
and sometimes hurts us.
If we embrace it
with humility, however,
it can be of enormous service to us:
it breaks the sense of
self-absorption
and opens us up
to what lies
beyond ourselves.
EDITORIAL
Beyond
‘Mental Dualism’
Hubertus Blaumeiser
POPE FRANCIS
Harmonizing opposing differences
Three excerpts taken from various interventions by Pope Francis. The first is from the apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (no. 117), the second from his October 11, 2022 homily marking the 60th anniversary of the Vatican Council II and the third from Francis’ recent conversation with editors of the American Jesuit magazine, “America Magazine
CHIARA LUBICH
Creating space for diversity
This Focolare Word of Life commentary was written by the author in December 1986 and still resonates powerfully today. It offers us a key for addressing the multiple polarizations in ecclesial, political and social spheres as well as in our communities. It is no accident that Chiara Lubich speaks of this Gospel passage as “one of the most challenging points of the Christian message . . .”
JENS-MARTIN KRUSE
How to live diversity among
Christians of different confessions
The author, a former pastor of the Lutheran church in Rome, writes about how his experience became an opportunity to grow into a passion for ecumenism and to establishing mature relationships in which differences were transformed into moments of mutual enrichment.
MARIA DO SAMEIRO FREITAS
Vietnam: Learning to have
harmony in relationships
The author recounts the impact on her of more than twelve years of life in Vietnam and the challenges to her European way of thinking and relating to the people helped her to see cultural diversity as a means of enrichment.
ADRIANA MASOTTI
The digital ‘6th Continent’
and the Synod
The digital ‘6th continent’ is a term used to describe the online world where, like other ‘influencers’, young evangelisers are active. Their role has been acknowledged and their unique contribution is being included in the current synodal process.
MARINA (ELSE) CASTELLITTO
30 years of life and
‘learning’ in Africa
Else Castellitto, focolarina, lived and worked in Africa for 30 years. She gives her experience of trying to relate to others with a culture different from her own and how she came to love and understand the people of Africa.
IRENE RAOELISON
#Togerther2023
The author reports on how the prayer vigil scheduled to take place in St Peter’s Square on the 30 September 2023 came about and how it hopes to be an ecumenical, inter-generational and inter-cultural event.
ANDREW RECEPCION
The challenge to be a home
and a school of communion
On the 40th anniversary of the Scuola Epi, the Center of Spirituality for Priests and Seminarians of the Focolare Movement in Tagaytay (Philippines),
Fr. Andrew Recepcion walks us through its 40-year history.
