The headquarters of Pedrinhas (SP, Brazil) Hope Farm welcomes young people and adults who are facing various stages of recovery from drug addiction and other forms of addiction and social unrest. There could not have been a better place to host the conference. UNIRedesthe platform of NGOs, social, humanitarian projects and cultural agencies inspired by the spirituality of unity of Chiara Lubich in Latin America. 140 people were present, representing 37 of the 74 associated organizations of UNIRedes, active in 12 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The aim of the meeting was to present the work of these years to Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán, who were present at the meeting; to define the next steps common to all the associated organisations and to strengthen the link with the Focolare Movement in order to be able to share, even beyond the Latin American continent, the experience gained.
UNIRedes: a network of networks
Maria Celeste Mancuso, Argentine, international co-responsible of the New Humanity Movement, explained that UNIRedes It is not just a super solidarity project: “It is also a space that generates a cultural reflection to identify the anthropological and epistemological categories necessary to generate a new culture of care for the person and for Latin American societies.” For this reason, cultural agencies inspired by the charisma of unity, such as the Sophia University Institute (Loppiano, Italy); its local headquarters Sophia Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC); and the ASCES UNITA University Center of Caruaru (Pernanbuco, BRA) are also fully part of the project.
Virginia Osorio, from Uruguay, one of the initiators of the project, explains its origins: “The continuous political and economic changes in our countries made our organisations increasingly fragile and isolated. With UNIRedes we have found a place where we can mutually strengthen each other and share suffering and hope. Our last project was for Genfest: hundreds of young people volunteered in many of our organisations, experiencing first-hand experiences of fraternity and closeness to the poorest.”
The common root: “dying for one’s own people”
The roots of UNIRedes are not based on geopolitical or economic analysis: we must go back to the early 1970s, when the Gen, the young people of the Focolare, like many of their contemporaries in many countries, wanted to change the world by contributing to equality, justice and dignity.
Chiara Lubich, who met with them frequently, had supported and confirmed the need to make a peaceful social revolution, especially in Latin America, a continent that she saw identified with this special vocation. She told the young people of the Focolare that: “Everyone must feel that we must die for humanity, but it is necessary that we find our local Forsaken Jesus to die for our people.”[1].
“This is how many people found themselves in the outskirts of cities, in the favelas, in any place where poverty took away people’s dignity,” says Gilvan David, a Brazilian from the Latin American UNIRedes articulation group. “The first NGOs were born and in the meantime we tried to structure ourselves, but it was not enough: ‘You come to us – the poor told us – but then you leave and leave us alone. ’ To respond to this cry, we began to work in a network with local public policies and, at the same time, several priests who lived the spirituality of unity also founded social projects: Brother Hans with the Fazenda da Esperança, Father Renato Chiera with the Fazenda da Esperança, and Father Renato Chiera with the Fazenda da Esperança. Minor’s Home and others.”
A “unique” Latin America
“Later, the first groups of organizations were born,” Gilvan David continues. “Add Fraternity‘, which collected the projects of some Spanish-speaking countries; the civil association ‘Comprehensive Promotion of the Person(PIP) in Mexico, and the Brazilian social organizations that continued to grow, finding their own identity and space for service. These were not easy years, but we began several itineraries in different territories of Latin America to support their social commitment that later merged into UNIRedes. We have met several times, but the founding meeting was in 2014, with the presence of Emmaus Maria Voce and Giancarlo Faletti, then president and co-president of the Focolare Movement. On that occasion Emmaus said: ‘You give the Movement a new visibility, a new meaning to its action, you are a testimony for those who look at you from outside; you give full visibility to the Charism through concrete actions.’ I would say that it was then that we recognized ourselves as a unique reality for all of Latin America: we find ourselves embraced by the charism of unity.”
There were many substantial contributions that have shaped this congress, together with the presentation of the different associated organizations.
Juan Esteban Belderrain: from inequality to hope
The Argentine political scientist Juan Esteban Balderrain analyzed the scourge of inequality, of which Latin America holds the world primacy. “It is about building a vision of this continent that is based on hope, and this is possible because, if we look at the deepest root of the problem of inequality, we find the loss of reference to that God who is love and who helps us understand that we are brothers and sisters of one another and respect for nature, which is also an expression of his Love. Referring to the 20th century, Paul VI said that it was a blessed time because it demanded holiness from everyone. I believe that these words are also valid for ours.”
Father Vilson Groh: the “mysticism of open eyes”
For more than 40 years, Father Vilson has lived in the “morro”, a favela in Florianópolis (Santa Catarina, Brazil), carrying out social projects especially for young people. He spoke of the “mysticism of open eyes”: “We must bring our organizations to the dark basements of our peripheries; be a hope there. The Genfest has brought the perspective of “together”, which Pope Francis promotes. This requires a patient, resilient path; it calls for being firm in the search for the common good. Unity is superior to conflict – the Pope always says – and unity is plurality. We bring diversity within our organizations: the charism of unity is a door for the wounded Christ to open spaces.”
Vera Araujo: Latin America, builder of fraternity
The Brazilian sociologist’s intervention focused on a positive vision that recognizes Latin America’s cultural and human heritage and offers it as a gift to the world.
“UNIRedes has its origin in the charism of Chiara Lubich and can become an incredible opportunity for the rest of the world as well: unity seen not only as a religious value, but also as a force capable of effectively composing the human family, creating interaction between the multiplicity of people, preserving distinctions in the context of social realities. Here the charism of unity does not offer an easy solution, but rather a sense, a meaning, a Person: Christ Forsaken on the Cross.
«To love well –Chiara said– We must not see in the difficulties and injustices of the world only social evils that must be remedied, but rather discover in them the face of Christ who does not disdain to hide under all human misery.»[2].
Susana Nuín Núñez: the path of the people and social movements
The Uruguayan sociologist described the path and the social, political and economic wealth of the peoples of the continent and of some social movements. “These networks, which have the most varied physiognomies and developments in social practices or in the academic world, act in a complementary way, generating an indisputable sociocultural fabric of a multiform community character of which Latin America is the bearer.” She also underlines the peculiarity of UNIRedes, which for more than ten years has been a social subject that cares for, revolutionizes, transforms and influences based on the Gospel and the word of unity.
Margaret Karram and Jesus Moran: UNIRedes is part of the Focolare Movement
“Those who want to live the Gospel in this region are always in crisis because they constantly see inequalities” – he highlights Jesus Morán: “Unity cannot fail to take into account this reality. How do we build unity on this continent without taking into account those who are discarded by society? What you do as UNIRedes must characterize the entire Movement in this region; your work for unity is not credible if it does not also happen through social works. Of course, we will not be the ones to solve social problems. The only thing we can do is help people convert to love. If we touch hearts, someone will capture the spirit and in freedom will understand how to live the Gospel.”
Margaret encourages UNIRedes to continue forward: “Now we must understand how to make your life and your example reach everyone in the world. Citing a conversation with Chiara Lubich from 1956, she reiterated that the Movement, in its social commitment, must not forget that the key to solving the problems that the Charism of Unity offers lies in the novelty of reciprocity rather than in justice. It promotes sharing, putting in common among all the little or much of what is available to create a greater Common Good that, in addition to solving social problems, produces that human and spiritual fulfillment that only happens in communion among all. Finally, Margaret launches a proposal: “Add a new article to your Charter of principles and commitments: a solemn pact of brotherhood to propose it to those who want to be part of UNIRedes: we are here to bear witness to our mutual love and only if we have this love will the world believe.”
“UNIRedes speaks to us of hope” – concludes M. Celeste Mancuso – “It is a transversal and synodal proposal for an organizational network that can inspire similar models for those existential peripheries in other parts of our vast world. In this way, we can think about building global networks of fraternity that promote the common good.”
Stefania Tanesi
[1] Chiara Lubich at the “Gen School”, Rocca di Papa (Rome, Italy), May 15, 1977
[2] Chiara Lubich, For a Civilization of Unity. Speech given at the Congress “A Culture of Peace for the Unity of Peoples”, Castel Gandolfo, (Rome) 11-12 June 1988
