MARIA
VOCE - First year as President
“If you’ll interview me, I wish to invoke
my right to remain silent,” she joked. Thus María
Voce, a lawyer by profession, welcomed the journalist
who met her. She was elected last July 7, 2008 by 496
Focolare delegates from all over the world as the new
Focolare President to succeed Chiara Lubich. Below,
Paolo Loriga chats with Maria “Emmaus” Voce
about her first year as president of the Focolare Movement.
What has changed for you after being elected
president?
Basically,
my life has not changed, because I try to be coherent
with my decision to give all my life to God, and with
the commitment to live Chiara’s charism. What
has changed is that I have a different task now. I am
aware that I have a greater influence than before, and
this challenges me to be more faithful and coherent
to our Ideal.
During
your first year of office, has your relationship with
Chiara changed in some way?
Yes, it has. Before, I had Chiara before me as
an example, and I looked up to her. I tried to follow
all that I understood from her words and from her being
and the relationships she had. Now that she is no longer
here, Focolare members and other people look to me,
wanting to find Chiara. And I admit that she is, indeed,
in me. It is difficult to explain, but when I meet others,
I feel the presence of Chiara inside me, and so I can
relate to them without betraying her message.
When
you visit the tomb of Chiara, what do you do? Do you
ask her about things, give thanks, or listen to her?
I
do none of those things. I am simply present there.
When I visit her tomb, I am with Chiara. Sometimes perhaps,
I ask her something, give thanks or listen to her, but
the truth is that I am with her.
What’s
your daily schedule like?
My day is just like that of the other members from the
Center of the Movement – very much influenced
by the programs that we receive from outside: meetings,
situations, unforeseen events, etc.. Anyway, I always
find time for Mass, for prayer, meditation and work,
as well as for the Focolare, or the community where
I live. I also find time to cook, clean the house or
do other ordinary tasks.
The
office of the president also has its share of problems
and makes decisions. Since you are now the president,
how do you handle problems?
With a problem or a request, I try not
to let too much time pass before acting on it. I examine
the matter at once with the one who proposes it, or
else I write them an e-mail or talk
with them on the phone to better understand what their
reasons are and what proposals people expect. Next,
I consult my collaborators, before anyone else the co-president,
and then the other members of the Center. Sometimes
we discuss it all together, when it is a rather important
question, at other times I consult one or the other
member, depending on what the question requires. And
thanks to those consultations we can offer an answer,
which we believe is what God wants for that particular
problem, despite its being a partial answer, or at times
one, which would require a more thorough evaluation
later.
You
have made very few trips abroad considering the global
reach of the movement. Why is that?
I had two reasons for that: In the beginning, I suggested
to all the collaborators of the Center to keep their
trips to a minimum this year, because the first thing
we had to do was to build a deep unity with one another;
so that in this way, we would be better able to serve
the Movement. The second is that, I am not the only
person who goes on trips. When a counselor in charge
of following the Movement’s development in a certain
geographical area makes a trip, it is as if I made it
with him or her. I try to be attentive to the will of
God as manifested through the circumstances.
You attended the Synod of the Bishops on
the Word. What was that like for you?
I saw the great thirst that the Church has to see the
Word of God lived. All of us want to bear witness to
the life of the Gospel, but to live the Gospel in the
most varied situations in the world is a challenge that
the shepherds of the Church expect from lay people too.
So for us, it is an invitation to a greater commitment
to live the Gospel and bear witness to it. You visited
the Ecumenical Council of the Churches last March 2009.
That meeting was in line with what Chiara had started.
Their invitation confirmed the desire of the people
in the ecumenical movement to continue the relationship
of collaboration with the Focolare that already been
established with Chiara. They want to maintain this
dialogue which is a prelude to the possibility of a
complete and visible unity among Churches. In a previous
interview made after your election, you once explained
the style that would characterize your presidency: “To
prioritize personal relationships”. Has that been
difficult to implement? It has been tedious, because
it’s not something established once and for all;
rather it requires starting over every day. Laborious,
but not difficult. To prioritize relationships is a
guideline for me in my action and my contacts with others.
Some days one is more willing to welcome others, while
other times one has at heart and in mind other situations
that may prove to be more difficult to put aside.
At
your side is Focolare co-president Giancarlo Faletti.
How is your shared responsibility?
This year, there has been a constant and growing unity
with Giancarlo, so we could really share difficulties,
projects and doubts on one thing or another. This testimony
of unity which has been observed in all circumstances,
has contributed to many positive developments, with
the commitment of other collaborators as well.
When
a founder dies, his/her work usually passes through
a difficult period. Some personalities of the Church
are worried about what will happen to the Movement after
Chiara.
What do you say about this?
We too were concerned about this, but now I can really
say before God that I have seen the Movement grow in
numbers, in the activities that it now carries out and
in the commitmentcomingfromall.Weare not living in a
period “after Chiara”, but here there is
a continuity of the Movement that originated from Chiara’scharism.Andthisisaproofof
the perennial relevance of God’s gift, whichassuresusthataslongasthere
is a person who lives this charism, the Movement will
go ahead.
What
criticisms about the Movement you do worry about more?
I have the impression that as a Movement , we have grown
quickly in the public manifestations and external activities
of the Focolare. Chiara had to found everything that
God suggested to her, but we realize that we are still
unable to develop all that Chiara has started. We realize
that the people of the Movement, beginning with myself,
are quite inadequate before the great goals of a work
of God. For that reason, we are called to better understand,
which activities are necessary to the Movement, to establish
them on a solid basis, and then to carry them out. But
maybe we don’t have to do everything at the same
time, nor all of it at once.
Are
you already doing something about this?
I think that we are now returning to the importance
of our personal witness, our daily conversion to the
life of the Gospel, and the formation of authentic communities
where relationships are vital and really strong. After
this, the big public manifestations will follow.
What
was the greatest comfort you received from the members
of the movement?
It is the insistence of everyone on sharing my responsibility.
They all tell me: “What can we do to help you?”
For example, a nine-year-old girl has written me: “Don’t
be afraid! You have all our support.” Then this
is a great comfort: if a girl is able to give me all
her support, certainly I can count on that of many others.
People
everywhere are worried and disoriented people. What
can Chiara’s legacy offer them?
It can offer them the reality of a family. Being a family
and helping that all those who come in contact with
the Movement become part that family is what gives security,
hope and solidarity to people when they are faced with
trials, problems and doubts. The absence of a family
is much felt nowadays. When I was in Bari, southern
Italy, a television journalist concluded saying that
Chiara “has left a strong message: Be a family.”
I liked that adjective “strong”. This strong
message offers those with whom we come in contact a
family that can support them, that they can count on
at all times.
In
his recent trip to the Holy Land, Pope Benedict XVI
underlined the importance of the dialogue among different
religions, with each one preserving their own identity.
Which is the specific contribution of the Movement in
this regard?
I believe that it is the desire, but also the ability
of the Movement’s charism to establish reciprocity;
that is to say, to help the faithful of other religions
love us as we love them, and through this to create
a privileged relationship based on the command, “Love
one another.” When this is realized, Jesus is
present and He doesn’t set up one religion against
another, he doesn’t confuse religions; rather,
he illuminates. He enlightens all of us in our journey
towards that complete truth that God wants to give to
humankind. In this way, we dialogue without confusion,
without syncretism and also without opposition, with
a light that permits us all to continue advancing towards
a transcendent truth.
Have
you been in a situation where you felt especially inadequate?
Yes! Every day (she laughs). I have never felt at one
point in time “especially” inadequate, in
the sense that I always feel inadequate. I even feel
inadequate today while answering your questions. One
has to accept one’s limits, without worrying about
how or where to find a way to become adequate. What
is necessary is to live well the will of God. I accept
the fact that I am inadequate, I trust in the grace
of God and go ahead.
What
do you do for relaxation?
I like to listen to music, especially to opera and to
Neapolitan songs. I also like going for walks, being
outdoors, as well as “messing” around in
the kitchen, preparing different kinds of jams and drinks
with my mom’s or grandmother’s recipes.
I also like to knit sweaters.
How
about the most amusing episode that has happened to
you?
It happened to Giancarlo and myself while we were traveling
by plane from Zurich to Douala. Giancarlo was talking
to a lady and he later introduced me to her, telling
me that she knew something about the Movement. The lady
turned to me saying, “I heard you have lost your
founder, Chiara.” And she added, “How is
the new president? Is she a difficult person?”
I didn’t know what to answer, but Giancarlo explained
the situation to her. Then the lady, quite overcome,
stood up and didn’t stop apologizing for her gaffe.
Paolo
Loriga with Mattias Buffo Folquer
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A
milestone for Ecumenism
Several events were held in Augsburg, Germany last
October 30-31 to celebrate the joint declaration of
the Doctrine of Justification. The document had been
signed in Augsburg ten years ago on October 31, 1999
by the World Lutheran federation and the Roman Catholic
Church.
“A milestone” and “a sign of hope
in a suffering world” was how the event last October
31, 1999 was described by Pope John Paul II and Pastor
Noko, the secretary of the World Lutheran Federation,
respectively.
The
signing of the “joint declaration” brought
down one of the bastions of the 450-year-old division
between Lutherans and Catholics. Chiara Lubich had been
present that day as a witness, and as a leading figure
in a growing ecumenical journey based on the “dialogue
of life” that helped prepare the ground for the
doctrinal agreement. Even before receiving the “Augustinian
peace prize” in 1988, twenty years earlier today,
together with Pfarrer Hess, Chiara had founded the ecumenical
center of Ottmaring (near Augsburg), which has become
a sign of hope for Christian unity in the 40 years of
its existence. Focolare President Maria Voce was in
Germany from October 29 to November 4 to mark the anniversary
of the historic agreement, and to commemorate of Focolare’s
ecumenical work: the start of the process of communion
among movements from different churches.
On
the day the declaration was signed, forty leaders of
movements and communities born within the last 100 years
in the Evangelical Lutheran church met with Chiara Lubich
and Andrea Riccardi, the founder of the Catholic St.
Egidio Community.
These
encounters were the prelude to “Together for Europe”
gatherings, a process now shared by more than 240 movements
and communities of various Christian traditions all
over Europe.
After
the great gatherings of 2004 and 2007, similar events
have taken place in many European countries. Following
such meetings in France, Slovakia, Ireland and Italy
was the event in Würzburg, Germany on November
7. Their common aim was to witness to the possibility
of fraternity in Europe. This is demonstrated by “unity
in diversity,” where each movement or community
brings a specific YMCA in Munich. Gerhard Pross of the
YMCA in Esslingen added, “We were born for this…”
meaning that the communion is a contribution
to the unity of the churches and of European society.
The atmosphere at Ottmaring was of warm friendship,
with much rejoicing over what has been achieved and
what the future holds.
Bishop
Christian Krause, former president of the World Lutheran
contribution of practical service and spiritual experience
arising from a common desire to live the gospel life.
Focolare
President Maria Voce, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary
of the “Joint Declaration on Justification”
and the start of the “Together for Europe”
meetings was in Ottmaring, the Movement’s ecumenical
“little town” near Augsburg, Germany. She
explained: “The things of God are often born in
a hidden way in silence. However, Church leaders can
now see a sign of hope in what we have achieved together.
We are experiencing the spiritual presence of Jesus
among us and we want to bear witness to it. This can
be a sign of hope for the world too.”
She
added, “It is no coincidence that the tenth anniversary
of the “Joint Declaration on Justification”
is being celebrated at the same time… Our common
witness is of great importance.”
During
her visit, the ecumenical importance of the common witness
of these movements was frequently mentioned. “The
gift of unity that we are experiencing among us has
not been given to us for our own purposes, we must witness
it to the world,” said Thomas Römer of the
Federation, and one of the ten
Signatories of the “Joint Declaration”,
strongly emphasized the importance of communion among
movements. He said, “The contributions of the
institutional church and of the church of the charisms
are equally important. We Bishops are right behind you.
Continue to be the people of God on the move!”
Maria
Voce met with forty Evangelical Lutherans, Orthodox
and Reformed Christians involved in the Focolare Movement
in Germany. They had two hours of open dialogue in a
family atmosphere, with the certainty of being understood
by one another. Maria Voce answered their questions,
urging them to make a new commitment to unity, and to
look beyond the inevitable difficulties along the journey
towards full unity. “In a small boat you have
to keep still during a storm. If you move too much,
you may fall in the water, or even turn the boat over,”
she said, “You have to hold on tightly to the
boat until the storm passes.”
This
evocative and persuasive image led one of the participants
to comment, “I have understood that it is time
to love one another more.”
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A
new stage in collaboration with the World Council of
Churches
One of the fruits of the Swiss visit of the Focolare
President, Maria Voce.
Closer collaboration between the World Council of Churches
and the Focolare Movement in the field of spirituality,
ecumenical formation and interreligious dialogue, in
the commitment to overcome violence, and in the economic
arena – these were the results of intense series
of meetings in a warm, expectant atmosphere—on
Sunday, March 8 at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey
and afterwards in Geneva—with the new president
Maria Voce.
This
was a new stage in the process started by Chiara Lubich
on her visits to Geneva, the first made shortly after
the Second Vatican Council, and the last trip in 2002,
which in the words of Samuel Kobia, the General Secretary
of the World Council of Churches, as he welcomed Maria
Voce, “left a mark on the whole council staff.”
It was a process that opened the way to collaboration
on many fronts, first and foremost in spirituality.
In the dialogue with representatives of various departments,
what emerged was the worldwide dimension of the Council,
the most important ecumenical body in the world.
After
intense discussions, Maria Voce expressed her appreciation
of their strong commitment, not only in the field of
theology and evangelization, but also for their witness
in the struggle against poverty and war, in the ecological
arena, and in the dialogue between religion and culture.
Faced
with such urgent problems, people need a spirituality
“that is beginning to emerge in the business and
political world,” as Dr. Kobia affirmed, defining
the Focolare spirituality of unity a “gift of
God,” because it helps Christians recognize the
face of Jesus crucified and abandoned wherever there
is division and no apparent hope. Through mutual love,
it “makes Christ himself present, who reconciles
us and creates a new community with his love.”
Maria
Voce spoke of this Presence at her morning meditation
during the ecumenical service dedicated to the theme
of the Word of God: “Wherever He is present.”
She said, “There is light, vitality, commitment.
It is Christ among us who brings unity, because it is
He himself who makes us ‘one’, ‘one’
in Him.”
In
welcoming Maria Voce, the general secretary recalled
with emotion his last meeting with Chiara Lubich in
her home a year ago, a few months before she died, saying
he was sure “her charism will continue to inspire
us.” He welcomed the new president “with
the same spirit of mutual love.”
She
was also received warmly during afternoon meetings with
the general secretaries for the WorldAlliance of Reformed
Churches, the World Lutheran Federation, of the Conference
of European Churches (KEK) and the World Federation
of Christian students. On the previous evening, several
leaders of the Christian Churches present in Geneva
had taken part in a dinner as guests of the World Council
of Churches. There was a common urgency, at this time
of deep tensions and divisions, to offer the world a
witness of unity.
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