Historical background

In 1960 Chiara Lubich is invited to Darmstadt (Germany) by some Evangelical pastors to share her spiritual experience. The audience is surprised to hear of the great importance she gives to putting the Word of God (the Scriptures) into practice.
Chiara is immediately invited to spread her evangelical experience into the Evangelical-Lutheran world.

Later, some Anglican priests participated in a meeting of Catholic and Lutheran members of the Focolare Movement and are touched by the atmosphere of warmth established among these Christians who recognise each other as brothers and sisters because of the same Baptism they share in common, even though still separated by centuries of divisions. They too wish to remain in contact and deepen the relationship with the Movement.

London, July 1966. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey receives Chiara Lubich in an audience and encourages her to spread the spirituality of unity of the Focolare Movement among Anglicans. Later, Chiara has audiences with his successors: Archbishops Coggan and Runcie and the present Primate Dr. George Carey.

They strongly encourage her to continue working within the Anglican Communion.

Also members of the Reformed Church in Switzerland and Holland adhere to the spirituality of the Movement.

Bishops from various Christian Churches who are friends of the Focolare Movement, from different countries, gather every year, since 1982, from different countries, for a meeting of dialogue centred on the ecumenical spirituality of unity.

1961 marks the beginning in Rome of the Ecumenical Centre "Centro Uno" with the purpose of co-ordinating the ecumenical activities of the Movement. Igino Giordani will be the director until his death in 1980.

The "little towns" of the Focolare Movement and ecumenism

Ottmaring, Germany, 1965. The first Ecumenical Centre of life for Catholics and Evangelical Lutherans starts with the blessing of the Catholic and Lutheran Bishops of the area.

Other "ecumenical little towns" follow soon after: that of Baar ( Zurich), Switzerland and that of Welwyn Garden City (Hertfordshire), U. K.
In 1981, as a result of the ecumenism of life lived by people, from different Churches, courses on ecumenism began to be organised in some countries where various Churches coexist. These courses are conducted in an atmosphere of mutual love, respect and appreciation.
Chiara Lubich, speaking on the need of educating people to unity, emphasised the need of agreement among the people to reach full unity among Christians of different denominations: "We know how throughout history - she said - several ecumenical initiatives have failed because the people were not prepared and therefore did not give their essential consent to the achievement of unity".
Since then, courses on ecumenism are conducted in the U.K., Germany, Switzerland, Italy, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Philippines.
Courses on the Oriental Churches have been held in Beirut (1966) , in Egypt and Algeria (1997).

Recent Developments

April 1997. 1.200 Christians of 70 different Christian Churches coming from 56 countries of the five continents, speaking 17 different languages gather at the Mariapolis Centre in Castelgandolfo (Rome), Italy for a congress promoted by the Focolare Movement Ecumenical Centre. A "dialogue of life, of the people" is pointed out: a dialogue based on the effort of a people committed to live intensely the common Christian heritage and the spirituality of unity shared by all as a contribution to the full communion among all Christian Churches.
Since 1960, over fifty ecumenical meetings have been held in Europe, gathering people from the Orthodox Churches, from the Ancient Oriental Churches, from the Anglican Communion, from the Evangelical-Lutheran Churches, from the Reformed Churches, from the Free Churches, from the Catholic Church and many other Churches and ecclesial communities.

Graz, Austria, June 1997. During the II Assembly of the Churches of Europe, Chiara Lubich outlines an ecumenical spirituality for the reconciliation of Christians.

November-December 1998. Chiara Lubich’s visit to Germany