Pope Leo XIV says "...the poison of" - "conflict tends to pollute hearts...and must be countered with the evangelical witness of unity, dialogue, forgiveness, and peace" FULL TEXT to Focolare

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the participants in the General Assembly of the Work of Mary, Focolare Movement, which will take place from 1 to 21 March 2026, at the Mariapolis Centre in Castel Gandolfo (Rome).

FULL TEXT speech that the Pope gave to those present during the meeting:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!

I am pleased to meet you this afternoon, after your participation in the General Assembly of the Focolare Movement. I greet President Margaret Karram, re-elected for a second term, and the new Co-President, Father Roberto Eulogio Almada. May the Lord bless your service!

You have all been drawn to the charism of the Servant of God Chiara Lubich, which has shaped your personal existence and the style of your community life. Each charism in the Church expresses an aspect of the Gospel that the Holy Spirit brings to the forefront in a specific historical period, for the good of the Church herself and for the good of the entire world. For you, it is the message of unity: unity among human beings that is the fruit and reflection of Christ's unity with the Father: "May they all be one; as you, Father, are in me and I in you" ( Jn 17:21).

You live this spirit of unity first and foremost among yourselves, and you witness to it everywhere as a new possibility for a fraternal, reconciled, and joyful life among people of different ages, cultures, languages, and religious beliefs. It is a simple yet powerful seed that attracts thousands of women and men, inspires vocations, generates a drive for evangelization, as well as social, cultural, artistic, and economic works, and is a leaven of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. This leaven of unity is sorely needed today, because the poison of division and conflict tends to pollute hearts and social relationships and must be countered with the evangelical witness of unity, dialogue, forgiveness, and peace. Through you, too, in recent decades, God has prepared for himself a great people of peace, who, at this very moment in history, are called to act as a counterweight and a barrier to so many sowers of hatred who drag humanity back to forms of barbarism and violence.

In addition to this important testimony of unity and peace, you, dearest ones, are also entrusted with the responsibility of keeping the charism of your Movement alive in the post-foundation phase, a phase that does not end with the first generational transition following the death of the foundress, but extends beyond. During this time, you are called to discern together which aspects of your common life and your apostolate are essential and therefore must be maintained, and which are the tools and practices that, although long-established, are not essential to the charism, or that have presented problematic aspects and must therefore be abandoned.

This phase also requires a strong commitment to transparency from those in positions of responsibility at all levels. Transparency, in fact, is both a prerequisite for credibility and a requirement, as the charism is a gift of the Holy Spirit for which all members are responsible. They therefore have the right and duty to feel a sense of belonging to the Work to which they have joined with total dedication. Remember, too, that member involvement is always an added value: it stimulates growth, both for individuals and for the Work, brings out the latent resources and potential of each individual, and empowers and promotes everyone's contribution.

The responsibility of common discernment, entrusted to all of you, also encompasses how the charism of unity should be translated into community lifestyles that highlight the beauty of the newness of the Gospel and, at the same time, respect the freedom and conscience of individuals, valuing the gifts and uniqueness of each. We can reflect on the fact that Jesus, in his priestly prayer, after saying "may they all be one," added "may they also be in us" ( Jn 17:21), thus referring the unity among the disciples to a higher unity, that between the Father and the Son. This means that the unity you seek to live and witness to is realized primarily "in God," in the fulfillment of his holy will, and consequently in the shared commitment to communion and community life, supported and guided by those entrusted with this service. Unity is a gift and, at the same time, a task and a calling that challenges everyone. Everyone is called to discern God's will and how the truth of the Gospel can be realized in the various situations of community or apostolic life. And in this journey of discernment, everyone must exercise fraternity, sincerity, openness, and above all humility, freedom from themselves and their own perspectives. The unity of all in God is an evangelical sign that is a prophetic force for the world.

Unity, then, should not be understood as uniformity of thought, opinion, and lifestyle, which could actually lead to a devaluation of one's own convictions, to the detriment of personal freedom and the ability to listen to one's conscience. Chiara Lubich affirmed that the premise of every norm is charity (see Preface to the Statute). It is therefore necessary that unity always be nourished and sustained by mutual charity, which demands magnanimity, benevolence, and respect; that charity that does not boast, is not puffed up, nor seeks its own interests, nor takes account of wrongs received, but rejoices only in the truth (see 1 Cor 13: 4-6).

Dearest ones, let us together thank the Lord for the great spiritual family born from the charism of Chiara Lubich. For the young people present in your groups, who see clearly the beauty of the call to be instruments of unity and peace in the world. For the families, who have been renewed and strengthened by the presence of Jesus in the midst of their family life. For the bishops, priests, and consecrated persons who have seen the gift of their ministry and their religious life renewed through contact with your Movement and your spirituality. For the many men and women focolarini who, often with heroic dedication, continue to live a life of prayer, work, dialogue, and evangelization throughout the world, following the model of apostolic life of the first Christian generations. And we give thanks for the countless fruits of holiness, known and unknown, that the return to the Gospel, promoted by you, has brought to the Church over all these years.

I encourage you to continue on your journey and I bless you from my heart, invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary for all of you, that she may protect you and always accompany you with her motherly help. Thank you!

I heard you like to sing: so let's sing together the prayer that Jesus taught us: "Pater noster"...

Blessing. Thank you! Best wishes.

https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2026/03/21/0221/00427.html