Since 1966, the Focolare Movement is present in Asia, which is globally recognized as the cradle of the world’s ancient civilizations and religions. Hence, the Movement is deeply involved in interreligious dialogue at all levels. As of 2005, statistics show that barely 3% of Asia’s six billion population is comprised of Christians, of which approximately 75% is found in the Philippines. Such tremendous responsibility was highlighted by Pope John Paul II during his visit to the Philippines in 1981. Thus, he challenged the Filipino Catholics to become the evangelizers of Asia.
In December 1981, Chiara went to Japan upon the invitation of the late Rev. Nikkyo Niwano, founder of the Japanese Buddhist lay association “Rissho Kosei-kai’, to share her christian experience to 10,000 of its leaders. From Japan, Chiara visited the Focolare communities in Korea and Hong Kong, where the majority practice other religions such as Buddhism, Confucianism. Shintoism. and Taoism. Arriving in the Philippines she was overwhelmed by the many churches, Shrines, a lot of children going to confession and communion, many priests, religious men and women. In her unforgettable talk to 3, 000 members of the Movement, she as if she found a gold mine! Here, she said: “we can find — kind of — spiritual oil wells. There is much light and much energy from this source for the whole of Asia.
She continued: “What can we do about it? Asia is immense. The only one capable of doing something is Jesus. So Jesus must come back. He said after His resurrection ‘I will be with you till the end of the world .. if we love one another, the Risen One is here in our midst . So we must learn the art of putting Him in our midst: the art of loving one another..
To challenge us, she gave us two examples taken from nature. Just in those days she had received a table lamp with the base made of a bent bamboo root. Chiara said:
‘You must always look at the bamboo: bend yourselves with your brothers: but never break: to make yourselves one with all. While going around Tagaytay, she observed that when the banana plant bears fruit the trunk dies. Thus Chiara commented: ‘Also Jesus had his ‘cluster’ that he cultivated well. They were his twelve Apostles: then the disciples and then all the people with whom He came in contact. He had formed them well like the banana plant. Then he died for them. This is the measure — to be ready to die for them. If this kind of love will be reciprocal among us, the Risen One will remain among us. Sooner or later Asia will fall. Where? Into the net of Jesus.”
Further on she said: “It seems that Jesus is telling us: Do you want to conquer those who do not believe and those who believe differently? Make yourselves one with them just like the bamboo. Get to know them: don’t despise them… They also have small bits of truth. Try to know this truth and blow powerfully with love that it may be a direct blow from the Love that comes from above.
And so what do we have to do in order to get to know them? The first thing is to make a school now to know these religions, these cultures, these customs.” Hence the birth of the School for Dialogue with Oriental Religions.
Since 1983, the S.O.R. has conducted 48 courses on Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shamanism in the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand with over 6,300 participants. The School is officially recognized by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue as a Center for Interreligious Dialogue in the Philippines. For its formation programs, the S.O.R. is a recognized partner of the Philippine Catholic Bishops’ Conference Episcopal Commission for Interreligious Dialogue. Furthermore, it is a valued collaborator of the Offices for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue, for Education, and for Human Development of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (F.A.B.C.).
Over the years, the members of the Movement have strived to initiate, nourish and strengthen inter-religious dialogue in various forms – dialogue of life, action, theological exchange and religious experiences.
In the last courses, we also wanted to go deeper with some fundamental and existential themes in every religion, and in the spirituality of unity, such as the theme of this year, “The Significance of Suffering in the Religions of Asia.” These Courses were then repeated in various zones, highlighting the aspect which was more important in the respective zones. The task of SOR is “To go deeper into the spirituality in that field which then interests everyone in the whole world. Therefore, first the spirituality, then the doctrine, … to say clearly what the Church thinks through the Vatican Council II and the Council for Interreligious Dialogue, etc.
It seems to us that from the beginning SOR has helped create a new open mentality which has grown in people in proportion to the incarnation of the life of the charism. In 1982 –Chiara confided to a group of focolarini: “I feel that I am founding here the first school for the evangelization of Asia, to concur with the Church in the evangelization of Asia as Work of Mary… Because there is something that goes around in my head which belongs to the far future, very much in the future, but I do not see the impossibility that here a little city will rise where there is dialogue among the religions. As there is one among the Churches.
In these years we have seen how many people of the Work of Mary have opened themselves to knowing, listening, and have been involved in many projects with people of other religions.
We have launched the Interreligious Summer School 2016: TOWARDS A CULTURE OF DIALOGUE, to engage especially the youth in interreligious dialogue in coordination with Sophia and hopefully with the University of Santo Tomas. We hope to hold it in Mariapolis Peace in Tagaytay.
