The presence of a strong charismatic leadership is one of the elements that characterize the movements and ecclesial communities that were born during the period of the Second Vatican Council. The Focolare Movement is no exception to this typology, which is becoming more and more apparent in studies and reflections on recent Catholic movements. Its founder, Chiara Lubich, was a reference point, both spiritual and human, for millions of people. These were people both in the movement, born from her charism, and in the whole Catholic Church, without forgetting those from other Christian communities, believers of different religions, and those without any religious reference. Lubich showed a style of leadership that was innovative for her time, particularly within a Catholic Church that was still totally male-centered, showing that she was capable of interrelating with popes and cardinals, but also with rabbis and imams, Buddhist abbots and Hindu swamis. She dealt with politicians and economists, entrepreneurs and cultured people, addressing issues such as human rights, social justice and international relations without ever showing embarrassment or using trivial concepts. Moreover, as far as the movement she founded is concerned, she was able to nurture it, watch it grow and keep it united with its dissimilarities and variety, instilling a constant spiritual inspiration that was also expressed in concrete structures and setup of a new ecclesial reality that gradually developed in an articulate and complex manner. Then, over the years, emerged the prophetic dimension of a woman, who was born in a traditionally Catholic world such as that of Trent in the 1920s. She was capable of breaking down walls and overcoming barriers of gender, ethnicity, language, culture, religion, and political conviction. Universal fraternity was the hallmark of her leadership at both the ecclesial and secular levels, spheres that were never opposed but were always reconcilable and indispensable in their respective areas.

Faced with this, it was not easy to identify women ̶ the presidency of the Movement is by statute entrusted to a woman ̶ capable of carrying on the work of the foundress from Trent. Yet, the three general assemblies of the movement held after Lubich’s death were able to find two personalities with a remarkable spiritual and human profile. Maria Voce (Emmaus) was the name that emerged in the aftermath of the foundress’ death, in the atmosphere of an assembly capable of untangling the big knot of choosing between continuity ̶ electing one of Lubich’s first companions who was still living ̶ and novelty ̶ passing on to a later generation. At the end of a process that was anything but simple, the figure of Maria Voce emerged, thanks, above all, to the charismatic intuition of Pasquale Foresi, whom Lubich had always considered a co-founder of the Movement, capable of motivating the generation of founders to have the courage to take a step back. The new president immediately made it clear that her task would be to carry on Lubich’s legacy with all her strength and ability, acknowledging, however, that she did not have the charisma of the foundress. No one could expect what only Lubich could give. A second aspect that characterized Maria Voce was the commitment she showed, right from the start, to proceed along the paths opened up by the foundress, giving an important central role to the Movement’s commitment in the ecumenical, interreligious and secular, as well as ecclesial spheres. This was a guideline throughout the two mandates of the focolarina from the southern Italian region of Calabria, who always kept the Movement open to its great ideals, founded on the principle of universal brotherhood. At the same time, Maria Voce sensed that it was urgent to undertake an internal operation within the Focolare, to ensure that the Movement could connect with the times. Therefore, a revision process began so that the local communities would become protagonists in the Movement and to ensure greater creativity in living the spirit of the charism. Such processes are never simple nor obvious and, combined with the sense of inevitable spiritual bewilderment due to the loss of the charismatic leader, they can take years and have complex and even painful developments. Consequently, as some sociologists of religion have noted, both in the Focolare and in other movements, processes of internal bureaucratization were set in motion. These have often slowed down the life of the Movement and clouded the charismatic clarity of the first decades. Finally, in the twilight of Maria Voce’s presidency, episodes of abuse, both physical and of authority, began to emerge. This made it necessary to start a process of serious and thorough internal review.

Margaret Karram, elected by a courageous vote at the General Assembly of 2021, received this legacy. Karram, in fact, belongs to the generation of the ‘youth’ who have come to know the Movement thirty or forty years after its foundation. Moreover, she is a Palestinian and an Israeli citizen, an expert in Judaism, but also a protagonist of important experiences of dialogue at various levels. She began her mandate simultaneously with the escalation of the issue of abuses and excesses of authority. At the same time, she had to face inevitable problems emerging from the fact that, with time, the charismatic phase steadily moves farther away. This means a significant decrease in vocations and radical personal choices within the Movement, a notable rise in the average age of its members, the abandonment of commitments made by those who were disappointed by the abuses and related problems. Last but not least, there was some kind of emergency regarding the economic and strategic sustainability of structures and projects, which dangerously gave people the possibility of losing sight of the prophecies laid out by the charism. Karram is facing all this with courage and, above all, with great faith. She has dedicated her first annual reflection to prayer, underlining that it must remain at the center of the life of those who wish to follow the charism of unity. With great humility, rooted in a deep faith, the new president tackled the painful issue of abuse and, above all, devoted ̶ and continues to do so ̶ time and effort to guarantee and enhance personal relationships. The challenges to face are many and, also, unprecedented. In fact, this is the first time in the Catholic Church that a post-foundational period is being experienced by movements of spirituality founded and formed ̶ for the most part ̶ by lay people.

However, in front of this complex situation, it is necessary to have the courage and the ability to distinguish between the truly charismatic dimension of the message left by Lubich and that which can, instead, be modified or set aside. The great temptation is that of closure and self-absorption. Pope Francis himself continues to warn the movements against them. Only adherence to the charism that has been able to read the signs of the times can ward off a closure that would mean drying up the ‘spring of living water,’ as Lubich herself often liked to define a charism.

Roberto Catalano