UlVESCO PRIZE 1996

FOR PEACE EDUCATION

UNESCO PRIZE

1996

FOR PEACE EDUCATION

SHS-97iWSIl2

UNESCO PRIZE 1996

FOR PEACE EDUCATION

UNESCO

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The ideas and opinions expressed by the laureate of the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education 1996 do not necessarily reflect the views of UNESCO

Published in 1997 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP

Q UNESCO 1997

Printed in France

CONTENTS

Speech by Mr Paul Smoker, President of the International Jury

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Message from His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Sodano

Secretary of State at the Vatican, to Monsignor Lorenzo Frana, Permanent Observer at UNESCO,

on the occasion of the award of the UNESCO Prize 1996 for Peace Education

to Ms Chiara Lubich 11

Message from Mr Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, President of the Italian Republic, to Mr Giancarlo Leo, Ambassador of Italy to UNESCO

to Ms Chiara Lubich 15

Message from His Excellency Bartholomew I,

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinole, to Mr Fedcrico Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO

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Speech by Ms Francine Fournier, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO

for Social and Human Sciences 23

Speech by Ms Chiara Lubich

Laureate of the UNESCO Prize 1996 for Peace Education 29

Brief description of the work of the laureate

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APPENDICES General Rules Governing the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education

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Laureates of the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education 198 l-l 996

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SPEECH BY

Mr PAUL SMOKER President of the International Jury 1996

Lloyd Professor of Peace Studies and World Law

An tiocb College, U. S. A.

Mr Director-General, Ms Lubich, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

HEN, in July of this year, the International Jury gathered w here at UNESCO to consider the candidates for the 1996 UNESCO Peace Education Prize, we were presented with

extensive dossiers of 29 distinguished individuals and organisations from 26 countries spanning four continents. The credentials of all the candidates were outstanding, but one person, Ms Chiara Lubich, stood out as a candidate of truly exceptional stature. I have had the honour of serving on the International Jury for a number of years, and have, in previous years, participated in prolonged discussions and debates among jury members as to the relative merits of candidates. But this year there were no such debates, not because the other candi- dates lacked the necessary credentials - on the contrary they were clearly an outstanding group of people - but because the candidature of Ms Lubich was truly exceptional. In fact the Jury came to its unanimous decision in record time, recommending Ms Lubich to the Director-General in the strongest possible terms.

The criteria the Jury is instructed to use as framework for its recommendation to the Director-General requires the laureates to have distinguished themselves through outstanding and internation- ally recognized action extending over several years in the fields of: - the promotion of conscience in the cause of peace; - programmes of activity designed to strengthen peace education by

enlisting the support of public opinion at international and regional levels;

- the promotion of public awareness of the problems of pcacc through the media and other effective channels;

- the launching of important activities contributing to the strength- ening of peace;

- education action to promote human rights and international understanding;

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- any other activity recognized as essential to the construction of the defences of peace in the minds of people;

- and activities carried out in accordance with the spirit of UNESCO and the United Nations Charter. It was clear to the International Jury that Ms Lubich, in her own

right and through the Focolari Movement, had made outstanding contributions over many decades, not in just one or two or three of these ways, but in all of them.

The Focolari Movement founded by Ms Lubich has grown into a vast movement spanning 180 independent countries, with more than 100,000 members, and 2 million adherents. Its objective is to make,a contribution to peace and unity between persons, between genera- tions, and between different social classes, with the active personal and collective participation of children, young people and adults. In an age when ethnic, and religious differences too often lead to violent

conflict, the spread of the Focolari Movement has also contributed to a constructive dialogue and creative interchange between peoples of different cultural backgrounds and religious faiths, a dialogue very much in harmony with the mission of UNESCO.

In recommending Ms Lubich to the Director-General, the International Jury was also acknowledging that peace education should not just take place in schools, colleges and universities. It should also find a home in the family; the church, mosque or synagogue; the community, the work place, and the streets and everyday life of every town and village in the world. Peace education is not just about learning from books in the classroom, it also involves learning to live, work, and play together, respecting each others’ dif- ferences, honouring each others’ traditions, cherishing each others’ non- violent ways to mediate our conflicts and overcome our difficulties.

Mr Director-General, this is why we are gathered here this evening to honour the 1996 UNESCO Peace Education Prize Laureate Ms Chiara Lubich, Founder and President of the Focolari Movement. She continues the tradition of UNESCO Peace Education Prize laureates - Robert Muller in 1989, Rigoberta Menchu Turn in 1990, Mother Teresa in 1992 - a tradition of dedicated service to the whole human family, peace without frontiers, peace.

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MESSAGE FROM

HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL ANGELO SODANO

Secretary of State at the Vatican (read by)

MONSIGNOR LORENZO FRANA Permanent Observer at UNESCO

on the occasion of the award of the UNESCO Prize 1996 for Peace Education

to Ms Chiara Lubich

Monsignor, On 17 December Ms Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolari Movement, will receive the UNESCO Prize 1996 for Peace Education. I should be grateful if on this occasion you would convey to her the following message sent to her by His Eminence the Secretary of State at the Vatican on behalf of the Holy Father:

“Madame Chiara Lubich, Foundress of the Focolari Movement,

s you receive the UNESCO Prize 1996 for Peace Education, the A Holy Father shares in your joy and that of all the members of the Focolari Movement. In awarding you this honour, the

international community expresses its appreciation for all your work in favour of peace, reconciliation and friendship between peoples.

It was from the Gospel, from love for Christ and the Virgin Mary, that you drew the guiding principles for your movement, which has been of great prophetic value ever since its beginnings during the Second World War . . . Following the example of the first Christian communities, you proposed to the men and women of your time to respond fully to Christ’s call: to live a life of fellowship in the world, at the service of unity among peoples, respecting the dignity of each person, particularly the poorest and most undervalued, who are so much in need of a source of love in order to refind hope and to develop their own talent and their spiritual life.

That our contemporaries today may still listen to the invitation of the Lord and become apostles of peace and friendship among people!

Entrusting you to the intercession of the Mother of our Saviour, His Holiness wholeheartedly bestows his Apostolic Blessing upon you, upon all the members of the Focolari Movement and upon those who are with you on this felicitous occasion. I myself through my prayers share in the prize-giving ceremony in honour of your patient efforts as a missionary of peace, and I ask you to accept my warmest regards in the Lord.”

‘CARDINAL ANGELO SODANO’

I thank you for your collaboration and assure you, Monsignor, of my most cordial regard.

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MESSAGE FROM

Mr OSCAR LUIGI SCALFARO, President of the Italian Republic,

TO Ms CHIARA LUBICH (read by)

Mr GIANCARLO LEO, Ambassador of Italy to UNESCO

Ms Fournier, Ms Lubich, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I t is a great honour for me on this extraordinary occasion to read the message that the President of the Italian Republic wished to send to Chiara Lubich.

The message. reads: “With great satisfaction I learned that the UNESCO Prize 1996 for Peace Education is to be conferred upon you, the first Italian to receive it, for the commitment of the Focalari Movement to the aims of inter-religious dialogue, peace, solidarity and unity among all people.

While expressing heartfelt congratulations for this important recognition, I extend my warmest greetings, and the hope that your activity and witness to the fundamental values of the human person in the light of Christian inspiration, may reach always greater horizons;

Oscar Luigi Scalfaro”

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MESSAGE FROM

HIS EXCELLENCY BARTHOLOMEW I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, to

Mr FEDERICO MAYOR, Director-General of UNESCO

Peace and grace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Your excellency,

I have the honour of reading the message sent by His eminence Bartholomew, Patriarch of Constantinople. “To Frederico Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO: May the peace and grace of God

the Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always. We received with satisfaction the news that the Honourable Ms

Chiara Lubich, founder and leader of the Roman Catholic interna- tional Foundation, Focolari, has been proposed as a candidate for the UNESCO Prize 1996 for Peace Education, and with this patriarchal letter we wish to extend the warm support of the Ecumenical Patriarcate for this candidature.

This is in appreciation of the strong ties established over many years with this foundation of our Sister-Church. WC recognize that its message strikes a strong and deep chord within souls, especially in the heart of young people, bringing great benefit, and this is augmented by the charismatic figure of chiara and by the zeal and faith of her dedicated followers.

We are therefore convinced that the choice of Chiara Lubich from among the other distinguished candidates will be a source of encourage- ment for the continuation of her work and for her Movement, and indeed for the common good.”

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SPEECH BY

Ms FRANCINE FOURNIER Assistant Director-General of UNESCO

for Social and Human Sciences

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Mr Director-General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

0 n behalf of the Director-General, I take great pleasure in welcoming you to the Home of UNESCO on the occasion of the 1996 Peace Education Award.

I am pleased to greet the President of the International Jury, Mr Paul Smoker, Professor of Peace Studies at Antioch College in the United States of America and former Secretary-General of the International Peace Research Association. Please convey my sincere gratitude to your fellow members of the Jury for the work they have done and for the judicious choice made.

As the Christmas Feast approaches we continue to be shocked by the dramatic news which reaches us from different regions of the world. Have two World Wars not been sufficient to make all peoples aware that the only way forward for humanity is by means of dia- logue and reconciliation? It would seem not! Yet let’s know how to pick out of the myriad news reports, the impressive amount of good news which filters through from all four corners of the world. UNESCO for example -as many other large and small organizations, both lay and religious, international and regional -works tirelessly to construct peace and this is true also of the Focolari Movement which we are honoured to have here today.

Albert Camus, in his Literary Nobel Prize speech in Sweden in 1957, said, and I quote: ‘ . . .Every generation without doubt believes in its dedication to rebuild the world. My generation however knows that it will not do this. Its task is perhaps a greater one. It consists in preventing the world from destroying itself... Faced with a world which is in danger of disintegrating, in which our great inquisitors risk establishing forever the kingdoms of death (this gcncration), knows that in a mad race against time, it must restore peace which is not servility, between nations, reconcile work and culture once more and establish again with all people an ark of alliance.’

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I I _ - u_- . . _ _ .- - -__ _____- - . ,_ . .- . . _

T h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f e d u c a tio n , th e n a tu ra l sciences, th e socia: a n d h u m a n sciences, cu l ture a n d commun i ca tio n , a t th e serv ice o f p e a c e is U N E S C O ’s fu n d a m e n ta l m a n d a te .

Es tab l i shed in 1 9 8 0 thanks to a gift f rom th e ‘J a p a n S h ipbu i ld ing In d u s try F o u n d a tio n ’, th e U N E S C O Pr ize 1 9 9 6 fo r P e a c e E d u c a tio n is a w a r d e d th is year fo r th e s ixteenth tim e . As you know , every year it recogn izes a p a r ticu lar ly o u tsta n d i n g activity wh ich in th e spirit o f U N E S C O ’s consti tut ive Ac t a n d th e Un i ted N a tions C h a r te r , has wide ly sensi t ized pub l ic op in i on a n d m o b i l ized awareness fo r th e p r o m o tio n o f p e a c e .

Fo r m o r e th a n 5 0 years, Ms Ch ia ra Lub i ch has wo rked to th is e n d . A l ready in 1 9 4 3 , in th e ho r ro r o f wa r in T ren t, Italy, w h e n th e a i r ra ids o n h e r to w n w e r e p a r ticu lar ly n u m e r o u s a n d dead l y , Ms Lub i ch to g e th e r with a g r o u p o f f r iends fo u n d hersel f fa c e d with w h a t real ly m a tte r e d a n d b e g a n a d iscovery o f th e va lues con ta i n e d in th e gospe l .

This was th e b e g i n n i n g o f w h a t wou ld b e c o m e a g r e a t m o v e m e n t: th e Foco lar i M o v e m e n t, to wh ich th e P o p e has acco rded a truly u n i q u e pr iv i lege in th a t, accord ing to its sta tu tes, its P res iden t wil l a lways b e a w o m a n .

Today th e Foco lar i M o v e m e n t is r ep resen te d in 1 8 0 c o u n tries in th e 5 con tin e n ts a n d n u m b e r s s o m e 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 act ive m e m b e r s a n d s o m e 2 m il l ion a d h e r e n ts a n d sympa thizers. Cu r ren tly its m e m b e r s b e l o n g to a b o u t 2 0 0 di f ferent churches: C a thol ics, P r o testants, Angl icans, O r thodox as wel l as o th e r re l ig ions: Jews, Musl ims, H indus, Buddh i s ts, S ikhs, e tc., in add i tio n to th o u s a n d s o f o thers.

This M o v e m e n t wh ich con tr ibutes to p e a c e a n d m u tua l u n d e r - sta n d i n g , erects b r idges b e tween indiv iduals, b e tween g e n e r a tions , b e tween socia l c lasses a n d b e tween peop les . Fifty years a g o in th e g l o o m o f a i r - ra id shel ters a n d th e te r ro r o f wa r , a y o u n g schoo l teacher f rom T ren t cher i shed a h o p e b e y o n d th e u n d e r s ta n d i n g o f h e r tim e b u t o n e wh ich was r o o te d in h e r fa i th in G o d a n d in th e va lue o f th e h u m a n p e r s o n . This h o p e has b e c o m e real i ty with th e d e p th it has acqu i red th r o u g h h e r init iative. T h e Foco lar i M o v e m e n t is i n d e e d a p o w e r fu l g e n e r a to r o f p e a c e .

This is th e work o f Ch ia ra Lub i ch , Found ress a n d P res iden t o f th e Foco lar i M o v e m e n t. In 1 9 7 7 in L o n d o n , Ch ia ra Lub i ch rece ived th e T e m p l e to n Pr ize fo r P rog ress in Re l ig ion a n d P e a c e . A g a i n in L o n d o n , in 1 9 8 1 , th e Cross o f th e O rde r o f S t A u g u s tin e . A t Ista n b u l , in 1 9 8 4 , th e Byzan tin e Cross; in G e r m a n y in 1 9 8 8 , th e Ecumen ica l A w a r d ‘Ce leb ra tio n o f th e P e a c e o f A u g s b u r g ’. S h e is a n Hono ra ry

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Dxtor of the Universities of Lublin and Manila. She is the author of :mmerous spiritual works which are translated into many languages. The Focolari Movement publishes 22 magazines which promote Peace Education in several languages.

Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my privilege to present Ms Chiara Lubich - in recognition of

her work to promote Peace Education, reconciliation and trust between people of all continents, all religious, spiritual and philo- sophic traditions - with this statue executed by the Catalan sculptor FENOSA, a symbol of Peace, together with a cheque which repre- sents the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education.

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SPEECH BY

Ms CHIARA LUBICH Laureate of the UNESCO Prize 1996

for Peace Education

Madam Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Social and Human Sciences,

Mr President of the International Jury, Your Excellencies; Ladies and Gentlemen,

F IRST of all my respectful greetings and sincere thanks to all those who thought of conferring on me this year 1996, the prestigious UNESCO Prize 1996 for Peace Education.

Allow me now to offer this eminent gathering some of my own thoughts.

I am not going to speak to you of the history and structure of the Focolari Movement which alongside other worthy and valuable orga- nizations makes its own contribution to bringing unity and peace to our world at this time. The citation for the award indicates your knowledge of this already. Rather I would prefer to speak to you about the secret of the movement’s success.

This lies in the new wa’y of life it proposes, a new lifestyle which is inspired by profound Christian principles, but which also empha- sizes parallel values in other faiths and cultures and which has been adopted by millions of people. It has in fact brought to this world of ours which needs to find or reconstruct peace, a certain measure of peace and unity.

I am speaking of a new spirituality which is both relevant and up to date. It is the spirituality of unity.

But how relevant is peace, unity? As we all know and can see for ourselves, the world today is

fraught with much tension: between North and South; in the Middle East; in Africa. There is war, the threat of ever more conflict and of the other evils which are characteristic of our times. And yet in spite of this, today, quite paradoxically, it seems that the world reaches out towards unity and so also towards peace. It is a sign of the times.

The existence of the many international bodies and organizations, as well as the efforts of those divided countries which are attempting to achieve internal unity are all evidence that this is the case.

It can be seen too in the religious sphere in initiatives such as the

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World Council for Religion and Peace and especially in the Christian world where the Holy Spirit is urging the different churches and ecclesial communities towards unification after centuries of disin- terest and struggle.

The Ecumenical Council of Churches underlines unity as indeed did the Second Vatican Council whose documents repeatedly empha- sized the idea.

This desire for unity was also visible in certain ideologies which today no longer have their previous power but which neverthclcss were attempts to tackle the major world problems in a global fashion.

Modern means of communication also play their part in creating an awareness that the world is one community, one family.

So yes, this tendency can be seen in the world. And this is the context in which to look at the Focolari Movement and its spirituality.

It is not something to be lived by the individual in isolation, but rather within the community, together with others. It has a distinct community dimension.

It is deeply rooted in some phrases from the gospel, phrases which are interlinked. Here I will mention just a few.

Those who share this spirituality also share an understanding of the essence of God: A God of Love, a Father.

In fact, how would it be possible to imagine peace and unity in the world without a vision of humanity as one family. And how can it be seen as such without the presence of a common Father.

It requires us therefore to open up our hearts to God who is Father, who does not abandon his children to their own designs but desires to accompany them, protect them and help them. A Father then who reads the heart of each person and follows each one person- ally, counting even the hairs of one’s head... never burdening us with more than we can bear but rather carrying our burdens Himself.

He does not leave the renewal of society to us alone but takes it upon Himself. To believe in His Love. This is what this new spiritu- ality asks us to do. To believe that we are personally and immcnscl> loved by Him.

To believe. And from the thousands of choices life offers us, to choose Him as

the Ideal of our lives and with intelligence to adopt the attitude that eventually everyone will be obliged to have when they reach the destiny to which they arc called, that is, Eternity.

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But obviously it is not enough to believe in the love of God, not enough to have chosen Him as one’s Ideal. The presence and loving care of the Father of all, calls each one to be a daughter or son, loving the Father in return and living out day by day the Father’s loving plan for one’s life, that is to carry out His Will.

And we know that a father’s first desire is for the children to treat one another as brothers and sisters, to care for and to love one another. They should know and practise what can be described as the art of loving.

We are asked to love the other as ourselves because ‘You and I’, said Gandhi, ‘are one and the same thing. I cannot hurt you without harming myself’.”

He wants us to be the first to love, without waiting for the other person to love us first.

It means knowing how to ‘make ourselves one’ with others, to make their worries, their thoughts, their sufferings, their joys, our very own.

But if this love for the other is lived together, it becomes mutual. And Christ, the Father’s ‘Son’ par excellence, brother of each man,

has left a norm for humanity: reciprocal love. He knew how necessary it was so that there might be peace and unity in the world, so that there might be one family.

Certainly today whoever attempts to shift the mountains of hate and violence faces a huge and heavy task. But what is beyond the strength of a million isolated and separate people appears possible to people who have made reciprocal love, mutual understanding and unity the motivating force of their lives.

And there is a reason behind this. Another important and precious element of this new spirituality

which is linked to reciprocal love, is something which surprises but which is also proclaimed in the Gospel. It says that if two or more are united in true love, Christ Himself who is Peace is present among them and therefore in them.

And what greater guarantee, what greater opportunity can there be than this for those who want to be instruments of fraternity and peace?

This reciprocal love, this unity, which gives great joy to those who practise it does however call for commitment, daily exercise and sacrifice.

* WILHELM MOCHS, Parole de1 wore, Milan, 1996, p. 82.

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And for Christians this is where one particular word appears in all its brilliance and power. It’s a word that the world dots not want to hear, a word it considers foolish, absurd, futile.

This word is ‘The Cross’. Nothing good, nothing useful, nothing fruitful for the world can

be achieved without meeting and accepting weariness, suffering, in a word, without the Cross.

It is no joke to commit oneself to living and bringing peace! It calls for courage, knowing how to suffer.

But certainly if more people accepted suffering out of love, the suffering that requires love, it would become the strongest means to invest humanity with its highest dignity which lies in being not a muddle of peoples side by side and frequently in conflict with one another but rather in being a single people.

But God, our Father has not left us without sources of help in this arduous task. We know what the Church always makes available to us Christians.

And we cannot forget Mary who is also present, loved and venerated in other religions. Mary the Mother of Jesus and of every man and woman and in whom we can find inspiration, consolation and strength. It’s a mother’s job to build up and keep the family together time and time again.

This community spirituality is not necessarily linked to a Church. It is universal and so can be lived by many.

A number of fruitful dialogues have emerged through the spiritu- ality: with Christians from many churches, with believers of different religions and with people of different ideological and philosophical persuasions. The values in which they believe are also upheld in the spirituality and together we grow towards that fullness of truth which draws us forward.

And because of this spirituality, men and women of almost every nationality, wherever they might be, arc slowly but surely trying to be those seeds of a new people, of a world of peace with greater commit- ment above all towards the least, the smallest, the poorest; seeds of a more united world.

May God, Father of all, make these efforts of ours fruitful togcthcr with the peace efforts of all who work towards this sublime goal. And as Pope John Paul II said on the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations - and it is just as relevant now on the fiftieth anniversary of UNESCO - ‘That the closing of the century and the coming millcn-

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nium, might see the building of a civilization worthy of the human person, a true culture of freedom and peace.

‘We can and must do this!’ - he continued - ‘and we shall see how the tears shed this century have prepared the ground for a new spring- time of the human spirit.‘*

I would like to conclude by saying that the award I receive today will be used to further unity and peace and will finance the building of a centre for interreligious dialogue on the campus of one of the movement’s little towns which is in the Philippines and which is called ‘Pace’ - ‘Peace’.

Chiara Lubich.

* CJ L’Observatore Romano, a French-language weekly, No. 41 (2387) of 10 October 1995, p. 7.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK OF THE LAUREATE

CHIARA LUBICH A l$e - a woman’s work

T RENT: 1943. Chiara Lubich, 23 years old, was a young primary school-teacher. Without even realizing what was taking place, she gave birth to a vast international movement. In the midst of

the Second World War, after a night of heavy bombing, she was over- whelmed by this conviction: ‘Love overcomes everything’. She under- stood that there was no time to waste. With a few friends, they went to the poorest quarters of the town and, carrying the few things they had, they spent their time alleviating the tragic consequences of the war.

In the air-raid shelters where they went several times a day, the Gospel -although they knew it by heart - appeared to them in a new light. ‘Love one another.. .‘, ‘ Whatever you wish the others should do to you, do it yourself to them.’ Each one of these phrases could be put into practice. Chiara was especially struck by the words about unity, that would become her life’s programme.

This call to unity has reached 187 countries, under the name of the Focolari Movement. Chiara Lubich had no intention to found anything and yet, thanks to her, a movement which goes far beyond any human project has developed. Today it reckons 100,000 active members (adults, youths, children). Twenty small model towns, estab- lished in the five continents, express way of living, of working and of building new relationships in a society governed by the law of love.

In the 6Os, when young people were rebelling against everything and everybody, Chiara understood their most genuine longings. She challenged them to live the most radical love: Love each person as himself and each other’s countries as its own. This ideal of a united world has become the goal of the new generations.

Very soon people of all Christian denominations got to know the Focolari. Many of them (in Germany, in England, in the Middle East, etc.) discover with joy the common heritage they share in the Christian churches.

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People from other convictions, either religious or not, have adhered to the Movement as well, especially since the Templeton Prize was awarded to Chiara Lubich, in 1977, in recognition to her work and dialogue with people of different religions and cultures. In 1994 she was nominated as Honorary President of the World Conference of Religions for Peace.

The foundress of the Focolari invited the members of this institu- tion to promote contacts with believers of all convictions, and also with men and women of good will, and to make the commitment to work together for justice and peace.

Since the very beginnings of the Focolari Movement, Tgino Giordani, an Italian writer and politician, played a prominent part next to Chiara Lubich, contributing in particular to let the spirituality of unity penetrate the concrete reality of work and of society as a whole. As a result several projects were launched in the Philippines, in Cameroon, in Brazil and in other countries.

One of these operations emerged in 1991, when Chiara Lubich went to Brazil and visited the Araceli model town, near SZo Paulo. In front of the vast social problem, which is crucial in that country, a question arose: Could not some businesses put in common part of their gains, as the members of the Focolari Movement were already doing with their own goods? These gains could be used in order to help the people who are in need by providing jobs, lodgings, etc., while developing the businesses at the same time, so that they should become more efficient. And so the benefits would be spent in devel- oping structures meant to bring up people with a new outlook for, Chiara repeats, ‘a new society cannot be created without new people’.

This project for an economy of sharing, called ‘Economy of communion’, raised enthusiasm in Brazil. In a few months about forty businesses linked themselves to the small Araccli town. At present 500 managers of small or medium businesses, in various countries of the world, decide freely to put in common part of their gains. This contribution, which is modest but real, is a first step towards the eradication of poverty and its consequences.

In Asia, in Africa, meeting points are created in order to establish a dialogue with the traditional cultures and religions, to discover and to deepen together the values and the wisdom inherent in them.

As a recognized writer, Chiara Lubich received the Prize of the Union of Italian Publishers and Booksellers in 1995. Her books arc translated into 30 languages. In the cultural field, two international

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music groups, issued from the Focolari, the Gen Rosso and the Gen Verde, convey through their shows - gathering tens of thousands of people, under every latitude - the message of peace and unity among people launched by Chiara Lubich in 1943.

So, more than 50 years after the choice of Chiara and her friends to put love in the first place in the various expressions of life - personal, collective, social.. . - the seed of this ideal has become a tree with numerous branches.

At the beginning of the year 1997, Chiara Lubich’s journey to Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan was marked by the award of several Honorary Degrees: in Social Communications (Bangkok), and Theology (Manila and Taipeh), but above all by very rich encoun- ters with the Buddhist world.

In the month of May, during the trip of the foundress of the Focolari to the United States, several outstanding events took place. On 18 May, Chiara Lubich was invited by the Imam Warith Dcen Mohammed (the spiritual leader of 2 million black Muslims in the U.S.A.) to speak in the Harlem mosque (New York), where she gave a talk to 3,000 people of that community.

On the request of Rabbi Jack Bemporad, and of the Centre for Understanding between Christians and Jews, she was awarded (in the State of Connecticut) an Honorary Degree in Human Sciences for her contribution to the Judeo-Christian dialogue Finally, she delivered a speech in the United Nations Headquarters, in New York, in the course of a Congress organized by the World Conference of Religions for Peace.

These latest events show that the spirituality of unity is an answer to profound quests, far beyond the Christian churches. Surely, the future holds many more surprises...

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APPENDICES

General Rules Governing

the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education*

Article 1 - Aim The aim of the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education is to promote all forms of action designed to ‘construct the defences of peace in the minds of men’ by rewarding a particularly outstanding example of activity designed to alert public opinion and mobilize the conscience of mankind in the cause of peace, in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the United Nations Charter.

Article 2 - Prize (a) The Prize, which shall not be divided save in exceptional circum-

stances, shall be awarded to an individual, a group of individuals or an organization.

(b) The Prize shall be awarded annually. (c) The Prize shall be worth approximately $60,000, the exact amount to

be decided each year on the basis of the interest accruing from the fund.

(d) A prize not awarded in any given year may be awarded the following year to a second laureate.

(e) The Prize shall be awarded for an indeterminate duration. Should UNESCO decide to cease awarding the Prize, the balance of the fund shall be returned to the Foundation.

Article 3 - Fund The sum of US $1 million donated by the Japan Shipbuilding Industry Foundation has been placed in a UNESCO special account and only the annual interest shall be used to finance the Prize and the activities of the Jury responsible for awarding it.

1. Adopted by the Executive Board of UNESCO at its 110th session (September-October 198C).

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Article 4 - Designation of laureates The laureates shall be designated by the Director-General of UNESCO on the basis of proposals submitted by an international jury.

Article li -Jury The Jury shall consist of nine personalities from different regions of the world chosen from the participants or guests at the Peace Forum held in 1979, or other meetings or events devoted to peace organized by UNESCO, or from representatives of the major information networks and specialists in peace education.

The members of the Jury, who shall be appointed by the Director- General for a period of three years, shall serve as the International Commission for Peace in the Minds of Men; the Commission may under- take any other form of activity in the way of study, research and the pro- motion of public awareness within the field of peace education as defined in Article I of the present rules.

Article 6 - Criteria for the awarding of the Prize (a) The laureate shall not be subject to any kind of discrimination on the

grounds of nationality, religion, race, sex or age. He shall have distin- guished himself through outstanding and internationally rccognizcd action extending over several years in the fields of: - the mobilisation of consciences in the cause of peace; - the implementation, at international or regional Icvcl, of pro- grammes of activity designed to strengthen peace education by enlist- ing the support of public opinion; - the launching of important activities contributing to the strength- ening of peace; - educational action to promote human rights and international understanding; - the promotion of public awareness of the problems of pcacc through the media and other effective channels; - any other activity recognized as essential to the construction of the defences of peace in the minds of men.

(b) The laureate shall be chosen for activities carried out in accordance with the spirit of UNESCO and the United Nations Charter.

Article 7 - Nomination of candidates (a) Member States of UNESCO, intergovernmental organizations, non-

governmental organizations granted consultative status with UNESCO and persons whom the Director-General deems qualified in the field of peace may nominate an individual, a group of individ- uals, or an organisation considered to merit the distinction of this Prize by virtue of their activities.

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(b) The closing date for the submission of nominations shall be fixed by the Director-General each year.

Article 8 - Selection of the laureate and date for the awarding of the Prize The Jury shall meet during the three months following the closing date for the submission of nominations to make its recommendations to the Director-General concerning the selection of the laureate for that year. The date for the awarding of the Prize shall be fixed by the Director- General in consultation with the laureate during the year in question.

Article 9 - Ofjcial ceremony A prize-giving ceremony shall be organized. The address delivered by the laureate on that occasion shall be published by UNESCO.

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LAUREATES OF THE UNESCO PRIZE FOR PEACE EDUCATION

1981-1996

1981 Ms Helena Kekkonen (Finland) and the World Organization of the Scout Movement

1982 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (STPRI)

1983 Pax Christi International

1984 International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)

1985 General India Jit Rikhye (India) and the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research (Federal Republic of Germany)

1986 Professor Paula Freire (Brazil)

1987 Ms Laurence Deonna (Switzerland) and ‘Servicio Paz y Justicia en America Latina’

1988 Brother Roger of Taize (France)

1989 Dr Robert Muller (France) and the International Peace Research Association (IPRA)

1990 Ms Rigoberta Menchu Turn (Guatemala) and the World Order Models Project (WOMP)

1991 Ms Ruth Leger Sivard (United States) and Cours Sainte Marie de Hann (Senegal)

1992 Mother Teresa of Calcutta

1993 Ms Madeleine de Vits (Belgium) and The Graduate Institute for Peace Studies (Republic of Korea)

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-.-

1994 The Venerable Prayudh Payutto (Thailand)

1995 The Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolutions (ASPRI) (Austria) The European University Centre for Peace Studies (EPU) (Austria)

1996 Chiara Lubich (Italy)

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The cover design represents the statuette designed by the Spanish sculptor FENOSA

for the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education