We were over whispering at the Loggia and people thought we were crazy, we were whispering to ourselves whispering these words like a curse, "the new ordinary of Corpus Christi is into Focolare?" But what Rocco won't tell you, because he can't tell you, is that there is a problematic aspect to the Focolare movement. Most of you who are self-described Traditionalists probably know that Focolare is a movement of masonic proportions rooted in the heretical Sillonist Movement condemned by Notre Charge Apostolique. But this site isn't just for you, we're trying to inform other people, we hope, things that we pick up that the ordinary person in the pew won't see and doesn't realize, actually teaches some things that are contradictory to what the Church teaches. Now before you go on accusing us of setting up a parallel magisterium of our own creation, take the time to find out what Focolare stands for. You don't have to be a fire breathing traditionalist to be upset about a cultic, pentecostal group like Focolare. I wouldn't want my children participating in it and you shouldn't either.
And don't be participating in ad hominem attacks, y'all.
Reference works dealing with the phenomenon of Focolare:
The Pope's Armadas...
Christian Order...
32 comments:
Not Houston, Corpus Christi. Cardinal DiNardo is the Archbishop of Houston-Galveston.
So what's so awful about Focolare?
It promotes universalism or the idea that there is salvation outside of the Catholic Church.
Also that 'unity'with false religions and heretics is possible. It completely ignores the necessity for unity of faith.
As a gen myself, I want to tell the writer of this that they are looking at the focolare in an ignorant way. The focolare is about living "jesus forsaken" and becoming one with everyone around you. This movement supports peace for all and is a vital part of interfaith communications. And I can't speak for the focolare as a whole but with my life as a gen I see that there is beauty in everyone and trying to find unity with people that are not catholic is talking about the ideals that are shared throughout religions. Mostly, what I am saying is that to see the beauty of the focolare you have to experience it, I welcome you all to seek out the focolare center near you and talk to them because the only way to sway such opinions of faith that all of you have, is to experience it. Check out and see what something is before you go around calling it a cult, it is a movement founded within the catholic church, that does branch out into interfaith dialog.
Focolare is heretical as it promotes religious indifferentism. When people start coming to their senses about these sorts of things, it'll be too late for the legions who stepped forward with their time and treasure to support an ecclesiastical parasite.
I am very traditional in my Catholic faith. We live 1/2 mile from Thomas Aquinas college in Santa Paula, California, a very Orthodox Catholic college and I attend Mass almost every Sunday there. My parish, St. Sebastian's, in Santa Paula has a daily rosary (led by me), a weekly Divine Mercy group (led by me), and weekly adoration of the Blessed Sacrament which I participate in. I also attend daily Mass. I am a member of the Focolare Movement and can attest to the sound solid spirituality of the charism, the center of which is Jesus Forsaken. This group has had the approval of all Popes from Pope Pius XII. Pope Pius XII, Pope John XXIII, and Pope Paul VI all had relatives in the movement. Pope John Paul II called the founder, Chiara Lubich, every year on the feast of St. Clare. He loved the movement very much. The "economy of communion" mentioned in Pope Benedict XVI' encyclical "Caritas in Veritate" is from the Focolare idea of businesses living the Gospel. This group has solid Catholic roots and lives Jesus' last Priestly Prayer that "all may be one" as He and the Father are one. I don't know where you are getting your information but you are very misinformed.
Are you saying it doesn't promote religious indifferentism?
By religious indifferentism do you mean this?
"The term given, in general, to all those theories, which, for one reason or another, deny that it is the duty of man to worship God by believing and practicing the one true religion."
If so, then, no, the Focolare Movement does not practice religious indifferentism. It recognizes the Catholic Church as the one true Church established by Christ. It does look at what is common in other faiths and sacred writings with the dogma and teachings of the Catholic Church in order to be able to live together with others of different beliefs the Truth found in Sacred Scripture with the reflective truth in these other faiths to bring all of God's children into one family. It is a way to live the Gospel so that others can see the Truth that God is Love and Father of all. If these others of different beliefs by being loved by members of the Focolare as God loves them (or as close as we can come to that Love as is humanly possible) come closer to living God's will for them, then we have brought the Kingdom of God forward in the world.
What you're describing is exactly religious indifferentism. Other religions aren't sacred, there's nothing holy in them at all and the practitioners of these religions will be damned unless they come to the Catholic Church before death.
This is the kind of non-sense Focolare promotes, various forms of "interreligious dialogue" and "social justice" all of which are codewords for Freemasonry.
http://www.focolare.us/us/component/content/article/47-what-is-the-focolare-
No, it is Catholic teaching. The Church recognizes that God has sown seeds of His Truth throughout the world among all of His children. The Focolare uses these seeds as a bridge to bring people of other faiths or convictions to God. So, unless you have an argument with the Church and its teachings, there should be no obstacle here.
The Focolare has had its rules and statutes approved by the Church as a Catholic organization - not an ecumenical organization. Chiara Lubich wanted the Focolare movement, known as the Work of Mary in the statutes, to be definitively Catholic. Her dream was to bring to God the whole world.
I can assure you that I am not a Freemason nor would I tolerate such in an organization. The Focolare is definitely not a Freemason group.
P.S. We will have our first blessed in the beatification of Chiara Luce Badano, a gen (young person) of the movement who died at the age of 18 on October 7, 1990. Her heroic sanctity will be recognized by the Church when she is beatified September 25, 2010. Do you really think that the Church would beatify a Freemason?
There are no sources of sanctification outside of the Catholic Church. Your ideas are those of freemasonry. The Church has never sanctioned what you're describing and It never will.
It's unlikely that Chiara Lubic will be beatified as you suggest, and it would be impossible for her, in any case, to be a Freemason since membership is restricted to men.
Chiara LUCE Badano is being beatified in 10 days. She was a member of the Focolare movement.
FYI: These links are about Chiara Luce Badano.
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=35900
http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/2883
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=102344
Here is a nice short video of Chiara Luce Badano.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_RRZns2_4k
In case you are interested, the following is from a press release from the Focolare movement.
The celebrations linked to Chiara Luce’s beatification are signs of the life-giving vitality of the Church and of God’s love for all young people. These events will be broadcasted live at: www.focolare.org and EWTN Europe International Specials www.ewtn.com. A listing of U.S. link-up venues at www.focolare.us.
You are welcome to disseminate whatever information you have as long as it isn't misleading.
We have different ecclesiologies and it's becoming apparent that the various lay movements are, as they have been in the past, forces for continued radicalisation of the Church and a departure from its Mission.
Focolare is deceptive in its own Missions, it's not clear what that Mission is. We think it's to make Focolare grow, and to promote its Sillonist and revolutionary ideas in the Church by infiltrating Chanceries, educational institutions and parishes.
http://www.focolare.net/
Also, I recommend any current members of Focolare especially to read this book. It's written by a non-Catholic, but is accurate and factual:
http://www.amazon.com/Popes-Armada-Unlocking-Mysterious-Powerful/dp/157392699X
I dispute that the "Focolare is deceptive in its own Missions." It has had its rules and statutes approved by the Church. Are you questioning the Church's wisdom in approving the movement?
There's a lot of evidence that proves that Focolare is deceptive and if Focolare's apparent legitimacy were a measure of the Church's infallibility, I wouldn't be a Catholic.
It actually doesn't make much sense to support an organization that basically values its own existence more than the parent organization, and actually undermines the Church's mission by suggesting, quite falsely, that there is salvation to be had outside of It in its many scandalous events and its own mission statement.
The Focolare does not suggest or overtly state there is salvation out of the Church. Salvation and grace come through the Church as Pope John Paul II clearly stated. The Focolare is in complete unity with the teachings of the Church. If it were undermining the Church, why would it be a movement very dear to several popes including Pope Benedict? What proof do you have that any of this is otherwise? Do you doubt the wisdom and judgment of the Church?
Another article about Chiara Luce Badano's beatification from Zenit:
http://www.zenit.org/article-30467?l=english
One of such sanctity could not have been imbued with the heresy you are accusing the Focolare of. Perhaps if you cannot understand the spirituality and the charism given to the movement you could just accept the wisdom of the Church in sanctioning such a movement. A very holy Dominican priest would often exhort us at Mass to not be more Catholic than the Church. I try to follow his very wise advice, remembering that this is the Church Christ founded and that I am nothing while He is everything.
you are totally off the wall-let people do their own research and make their own decisions-the Focolare to quote you is about as "pentecosal" as you ahve called it-as the man in the moon-and as for the rest which have said -are you dreaming? How odd then that the Movement has over 20 people up for canonization-and one already beatified..hum...
God Bless you any some day you will come to the light..I hope.
Legionnaires of Christ is an example of an organization that had Papal approval and yet devolved into a cult and worse. So pointing to Papal approval cannot guarantee anything.
The stated mission of Focolare is ambiguous, calling for "collectively" coming to God, etc. Of course, this can be construed in an orthodox way as implying that everyone will come to God through conversion to Christ, however, and this is very important, this is only implied. The phrasing and emphasis on all other faiths and atheism also makes it possible to interpret the intent of this organization as universalist. For example. Sue writes: "there is beauty in everyone and trying to find unity with people that are not catholic is talking about the ideals that are shared throughout religions." The risk should be evident, that the focus is on the ideals shared by all religions rather than on the Catholic faith, that the expression "trying to find unity with people that are not catholic" is not the same as trying to evangelize and bring people to the Catholic faith. There is a sense that the salt of Catholic faith will lose its saltiness when sublimated to a goal of seeking unity and finding ideals of other faiths.
As a follow up, beatification is not a matter of papal infallibility. For a thorough explanation, see this blog which cites extensively from the Catholic Encyclopedia:
http://mundabor.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/canonisation-beatification-and-papal-infallibility/
To summarize: beatification means we may believe the beatified to be in heaven. It does not guarantee that the individual's teaching was free from error. Blessed Chiara's beatification does not mean we should accept without question the current activities of Focolare.
If it is written by a noncatholic, I don't think it is worthy to be recognized as accurate or factual. It has become clear to me that people who grew up nonCatholic have little or no knowledge or understanding of what Catholics really teach.
Focolare is well-known for its emphasis on religious indifferentism, and that book actually cites individuals who are Catholic. In any case, it seems to me that non-Catholics can tell the truth about bad organizations like Focolare.
Precisely
Very Bergoglian!
Very anthropocentric indeed! Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world.
This is precisely what happened to tbe Church in the event of Vatican II' opening it's windows not to the Holy Spirit but to the spiritus mundi.
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