The scourge of abuse – sexual abuse of minors, or abuse of power, spiritual abuse and abuse of conscience of adults ̶ has unfortunately also assailed the Focolare Movement in these eighty years of its existence.

In the past, this issue did not have the importance it has today, thereby producing very serious consequences everywhere ̶ in the Church and in many social milieus. These included a lack of real recognition of the crime, cover-up, little or no public disclosure, partial or inadequate measures in handling the cases or minimal attention given to the victims. As regards our Movement, the intensity of the pace of apostolic activities somehow veiled consciences, thus reducing the ability to see the crimes committed.

With the awareness that we have today, we can say that there has been a lack of formation and awareness-building in the Movement towards a responsibility, shared by everyone, first and foremost, by its leaders, to uphold the dignity of every person. Therefore, when the Movement gradually became aware of the reality of abuse, starting from the second decade of this century, the result was a big shock, disbelief, and sometimes denial. Learning of such an evil, done to children, minors or vulnerable adults, through abusive processes, was and still is a pain that is difficult to bear. This is undoubtedly the most painful trial that the Movement is facing in these recent times.

It is possible to know the story of abuse in the Focolare Movement by reading the report entitled “Towards a Culture of the Integral Protection of the Person,” published in March 2023 on the Movement’s official website. This document also contains important notes on chronology, context, agencies set up to deal with the issue, procedures adopted and commitments made to the victims, the Church and society in general.

With immense pain, we had to acknowledge that, in some cases, there was a deficient, partial or even twisted understanding of the spirituality or charism of unity that God gave to Chiara Lubich. What is worse is that, on some occasions and in given circles, this was instrumentalized to abuse the other. Carried along by the force of the charism, we did not stop to deeply and carefully evaluate what was happening. In this sense, with a little less self-absorption, we could have availed ourselves more of the help of the Church and its millennial experience in the legal, institutional and even theological fields.

In the delicate and arduous path that we have taken in recent years, the Movement has adopted the line of ‘zero tolerance’ on abuse, first of all, of minors. To this end ̶ as stated in the aforementioned document ̶ in addition to implementing significant improvements in the agencies responsible for the protection of persons (a decisive structural element), we are developing regulations and activating paths in areas like integral formation, communication, reparation and accompaniment of victims. Without forgetting the abusers. We know that there is still a long way to go, but we will not stop working on this. We are saying this sincerely and responsibly. In this regard, we are assisted by external agents specialized in this field and by the permanent and valuable dialogue with our superiors at the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life.

Naturally, it is not enough to implement structural changes and improve the various courses of action. It is even more important to try to understand the causes that led to this crisis. How is it possible that in a movement whose cardinal point is unity, articulated as love for our brothers and sisters and mutual love, situations of abuse have occurred? To put it simply: what went wrong in the transmission of the charism of unity that would have prevented the occurrence of abuses within the Movement that grew from it? This is a fundamental question that we must answer as far as possible. We have already started to address this sensitive issue in an inter- and trans-disciplinary manner. We believe that a positive outcome of this analysis will be crucial to prevent further abuses. Only then will we be able to say that we have read this dark page of our history all the way, and that a new era has truly begun.

Of course, faced with the immense pain of the victims we have come into contact with, one would be tempted to look only at the mistakes and crimes committed. I must say that this is not happening, thanks also to the invaluable help of the victims themselves, who are accompanying with truth and patience the necessary journey of purification and healing that the Movement is taking. This is despite the many difficulties and challenges due also to the great cultural differences among its members found all over the world. It is a path worth traveling up to the end so that the Charism of the Focolare can continue to offer its typical contribution to the Church and humanity where it is most needed: unity where it is lacking, peace where there is conflict, dialogue where there are barriers and walls. In fact, we are witnesses that the spirituality of unity has given birth in the Church and in society to a current of evangelical life that has spread its benefits in the most diverse cultures of the five continents. It does this by carrying out social, economic and humanitarian works, and opening fertile spaces for dialogue within the Catholic Church, at an ecumenical, interreligious and cultural level. For all this, we are grateful to God.

Finally, we cannot hide the commitment and, I dare say, the personal holiness of many who live the spirituality of unity on a daily basis, under the most diverse conditions. It is for them and, in particular, for those portions of the world that need fraternity and peace today, more than ever, that we reaffirm our commitment to do everything in our power so that the scourge of abuse may be eradicated also from the Focolare Movement.

Jesús Morán