Pope Francis meets with 500 Focolare members

A warm greeting welcomed Pope Francis as he entered the Vatican's Clementine Hall.

The Pope met with 500 members of the Focolare movement. They are the participants of the Movement's General Assembly, celebrated in Catesgandolfo.

Italian Maria Voce, the re-elected President of the Focolare movement, affectionately greeted the Pope. 

MARIA VOCE
President, Focolare Movement 
'Holy Father, how exciting! We're very happy to be here and to tell you, in person, our affection and our daily prayers for you, Your Holiness, and for your mission�.

The Pope, for his part, greeted Maria Voce with a touch of humor. 

POPE FRANCIS
'In a special way, I greet Ms. Maria Voce, who has been re-elected President for another six years. I hope she makes it!�

During the audience, they told the Pope that his exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, was very much present during their General Assembly. The Pope asked them to continue to go out in search of 'a humanity with many woundsâ?. He also reminded them that the work started by Chiara Lubich comes from the Holy Spirit. 

POPE FRANCIS
'This Work was born from a gift of the Holy Spirit, the charism of unity, that the Father wants to give to the Church and to the world, to help achieve with incisiveness and prophecy the prayer of Jesus: 'So that all may be one.'�

The Pope then greeted Maria Voce and the vice president, Jesús Morán. For both of them, the meeting with Pope Francis was a special moment.

MARIA VOCE
President, Focolare Movement 
'I was struck by the fact that he underlined the going out to mankind, bringing our charism of unity, that is, mankind near mankind. Contemplative yet in the midst of the people.�

JESí?S MORíN
Copresidente, Movimiento de los Focolares
'The Pope practically confirmed, promoted and has given us a new direction in respect to what we have been working on.â? 

The General Assembly of the Focolare Movement will officially conclude next Sunday. The movement, which was founded by Chiara Lubich in 1943, has more than two million members in almost 190 countries around the world. 

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