Bishop Leahy’s take on the Focolare General Assembly

 The 2026 General Assembly of the Focolare was a real moment of starting again, a turning point in a commitment to unity, Bishop Brendan Leahy told a community gathering of the Focolare on Sunday 19^th April.

The Assembly ran from 1^st – 21^st March and brought together 320 delegates from the five continents. Invited by the President Margaret Karram, Bishop Brendan attended some of it and was struck by the universality of the meeting – like the Hindu woman in one of the conversation groups he was part of, or the diversity of those addressing the retreat at its start, including a scholar from Jerusalem and a Muslim. Bishop Brendan addressed the Assembly himself on the topic of Synodality and Lorna Gold, on Laudato Si’. Other key issues like the family, governance, outreach, co-responsibility, abuse issues were addressed.

During the Assembly Focolare President, Margaret Karram reviewed the last five years, reminding the participants of the 2021 final document – not to forget the cries of the poor, the planet and young people. It was also in 2021 that at the Audience with the Assembly that year, Pope Francis had compared the Movement to a tree that ‘grows in dialogue with reality’.

In her talk, Dr Karram took up the image of a tree, referring to a chestnut tree outside her home which changes with the seasons – from dry, burnt and lifeless looking in winter, to the sprouting of leaves in spring, followed by its fruits – the chestnuts. ‘Chestnuts cannot be picked from the branches,’ said Margaret Karram, ‘you have to wait for the shell to open and fall to the ground. Looking at that tree, I sometimes felt as if Someone were saying to me. “Don’t worry if it seems that there are trials overshadowing the life of the movement. The Work of Mary (the Focolare Movement) is a sturdy tree with deep roots. Have faith, everything has its moment and fruits always come in the times and the ways that God has established”.’

During the Assembly there was a recognition that 18 years on from the death of its foundress, Chiara Lubich, the Movement has come of age. ‘Of course, Chiara sets the tone, she is the inspiration, she’s the foundress, but the members of the Movement have now to take on responsibility for the missionin today’s world,’ said Bishop Leahy.

Moving on to the so called ‘Turning Point’ in unity, Bishop Leahy spoke of how many practical issues to do with the Movement had been discussed during the second week.  ‘We know just like the Church everywhere there are problems, there are issues. Also in the Movement there are issues to do with abuse: sexual abuse, but also abuse where people have experienced a lack of respect for their dignity; they have felt at times too they haven’t been listened to properly.’  At the Assembly these issues were aired.

The Assembly was told also of how both prior to and during the Assembly, Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán, the Co-President, had been in contact with the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life which oversees the Focolare and approves changes to its statutes. From these meetings, it was clear that instead of moving directly towards considering the amendments and changes to the Statutes of the Movement, “there needed to be a conversion in how members of the Movement understand and live unity’ said Bishop Leahy. ‘Everything else is secondary. The question that emerged was, “has the understanding of unity been authentic? Are the relationships with one another such that they promote unity?”.’

And that became a turning point in the Assembly, he continued, because there was a new recognition that everything else is secondary. The Movement, after all, what has it got to offer in the world, if not the witness of love for one another that makes unity possible? There may be all kinds of activities being carried out by the Movement in the world, but if there isn’t real unity in relationships between people animating those activities, well then everything else is in vain.

This call re-energised the Assembly, with a greater appreciation of the individuality and diversity of each person and a ‘new courage to get up and go out again with unity’.  At its conclusion, Margaret Karrem referred to the observation by the theologian Piero Coda, Secretary General of the International Theological Commission, that he felt the Assembly marked a move from Holy Saturday to the dawn of Easter Sunday.

On 21^st March, the 320 participants met with Pope Leo.

See To Participants in the General Assembly of the Focolare Movement (21 March 2026)

At the audience, the Pope told those present that there is  ‘a great need for this leaven of unity today, (…..) as a counterweight and a bulwark against the many sowers of hatred who are dragging humanity back to forms of barbarism and violence’ and he thanked God for the ‘many Focolare members who, often with heroic dedication, continue to live a life of prayer, work, dialogue and evangelization throughout the world’ and ‘for the countless fruits of holiness, known and unknown’.  (Currently there areover 30 official beatification causes of people who were in the Movement.)

Summing it up Bishop Brendan concluded: ‘I felt the Pope was saying to us:  “Look, there’s work to be done, you have challenges. This is a great charism, get on with it. You might be discouraged by the fact that there can be difficulties and criticisms, but remember, great fruits of holiness have also come out of this Movement.”

The charism comes from deep roots. Everyone is called to do his or her part certainly, but knowing that God has his times and places. But for us now, the call is to an authentic, radical mutual love, that makes possible a real unity in God.’