Video panorama of the Mariapolis
Pictures : Rosaire Vaillancourt /Vera Ngan
Music : Nick Cianfarani
Editing : Luk Magnus
Link to the article by Margaret Karram "Let us not be at peace until we bring about peace! Jul 23, 2024
Video Love builds Peace
Duration: 3:15 Written by Nick Cianfarani Arrangement by Vinnie Lamagna Video by Walter Kostner - Holy Land 2007 Leads vocals by Elisa Fontana
Third day: Peace through interreligious and intercultural dialogue
Experiences by Rosanna Furgiuele
Love Others As Yourself
I have recently come to understand this idea in a much clearer and deeper way.
I represent the Focolare Movement and the Archdiocese of Toronto on an interfaith committee called the Christian Jewish Dialogue of Toronto. For almost 50 years, it has been working to promote interfaith understanding and friendship.
Following the conflict in the Middle East on October 7, a series of antisemitic incidents and acts of vandalism occurred in several synagogues and Jewish schools in Toronto. These events have had a devastating effect on our Jewish friends.
Although I denounced this violence on all concerned, and expressed my solidarity with my Jewish colleagues, I could not feel what they were feeling.
It was only when I attended a funeral in a synagogue, had to call ahead to give my name, and was greeted at the entrance by armed guards for a security search, that I understood what our Jewish friends were going through. I can walk into any Catholic church in Toronto or anywhere in the world, and I would not see armed guards at the door. I have a freedom that many Jews do not have.
When a Jewish member of this committee said that she felt Catholic and Christian members did not support the Jewish cause, I felt a terrible sense of guilt and suffering. It was then that I realized that I had failed to “enter into the skin of the other; to see the world as he sees it; to live the other to the point of feeling his suffering”.
Recently, when I received an invitation to an evening of solidarity against hatred, an event organized in a synagogue that had been vandalized, I was convinced that I had to take part, to join forces against antisemitism and show that hatred has no place in Canada. Although the date was not convenient for me, and the synagogue was far from my home, I knew I had to take part to better understand my Jewish brothers and sisters, to feel their pain, and to become one with them.
Some of the speeches moved me to tears. It was a moment of great unity and a special grace that touched my soul and broadened my heart. “To love the other as oneself”, a principal commandment of our faith, is also an essential key to dialogue and unity.
I understood that dialogue and openness towards others foster mutual understanding and respect between different religious communities. I have experienced first-hand that interfaith events that bring people of different faiths together to discuss common values and concerns dispel misconceptions and build bridges of understanding and cooperation.
A Parish Experience
I belong to a bilingual parish ‒ Portuguese and English. The majority of parishioners are Portuguese. Although I understand the language and am able to participate in Masses celebrated in Portuguese, I began to feel uneasy about the priority given to Portuguese at the expense of English.
I am part of a committee preparing the 150th anniversary of our parish. I am the only member of the committee who is not of Portuguese origin. Often, meetings are held in Portuguese and, although I can understand what is being said, I cannot express myself eloquently in Portuguese. It has been a difficult experience because of our cultural differences. I often felt excluded and that my suggestions were not welcome. Many of the proposed activities evoked special devotions from different regions of Portugal. As a Canadian, I could not identify with them.
These meetings had become a source of suffering for me. I realized that all cultures prioritize different values, and that most of the time, when we see examples of cultural misunderstanding, it is usually because one culture is looking at another through its own cultural prism. That is what I was doing. I knew my attitude had to change. I have learned that committing oneself to living and building peace is no easy task! It takes courage and commitment. I realized that when there is no unity, I have to look for what unites us and be an instrument of unity, take the first step, be the first to take the initiative. The healing of wounds can only happen when we embrace Jesus Forsaken.
Now when I attend meetings, I go with the sole intention of loving and seeing Jesus in every member. I strive to keep an open mind, listen well to others and have a strong desire to understand them better. This attitude helps me to overcome particularisms and make efforts to build unity, ensure the harmony of the committee as well as my inner peace.
HERE THE LINK FOR THE VIDEO OF THE IMPRESSIONS OF THE GEN 3 ABOUT THEIR TRIP TO ITALY AND THEIR GEN 3 SCHOOL IN TRENT
Click HERE
