Receiving the bishops who are friends of the Movement, Francis points out that “when a person realizes that reciprocal love between Christians is possible and is capable of transforming inter-personal relationships, he or she feels drawn to discover or to rediscover Christ".

Vatican City ( AsiaNews) - " Today's society has a great need for the witness of an lifestyle which displays the novelty of that commandment to love one another, given to us by Christ: brothers who love each other despite the differences in character, provenance or age. .. This witness gives rise to the desire to be involved in the great parable of communion that is the Church". These were the words of Pope Francis today as he met with the bishops friends of the Focolare Movement, meeting this week in Castel Gandolfo for their 37th international meeting on the theme: "Reciprocity of love between the disciples of Christ."

The Pope reminded the Bishops that they are "called to bring to these meetings the wide-ranging breath of the Church" and to ensure that "all efforts are for the benefit of the whole Church".

Referring to the theme of the meeting, he noted that when a person realizes that reciprocal love between Christians is possible and is capable of transforming inter-personal relationships, he or she feels drawn to discover or to rediscover Christ, to be open to an encounter with Him, is spurred to go beyond his o herself to reach out to others and spread the hope that he or she has received as a gift". Inspired by Blessed John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Novo millennio ineunte, the Pope recalled that the task of  "making the Church the home and school of communion" is really critical to the effectiveness of any commitment to evangelization: it reveals "the Father's deep desire" that "all his children live as brothers and sisters", "the will of the heart of Christ", that "all may be one" and "the dynamism of the Holy Spirit, its free and liberating power".

"Nurturing the spirituality of communion also helps to make us more in pursuing ecumenical and interreligious dialogue". In this perspective, the hope of Francis was that the conference of Castel Gandolfo "be a propitious occasion to grow in the spirit of collegiality and - he concluded - to derive from reciprocal love cause for encouragement and renewed hope".

 

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