Chiara Lubich was a woman who played a crucial role in the Catholic Church of the 20th century. She was born in the 1920s, and her lifestyle drove her to bring about great changes as much in the Church as in society.
Her concern for unity made her want to “live on the borders of difference.” Thus, she founded the Focolare, one of the most important Catholic movements which holds dialogue between religions at its core.
Now, 10 years after her death, her full works are being published in the “Opere di Chiara.” They compile the essence of her thoughts into 14 volumes.
DONATO FALMI
Director, “Opere di Chiara”
“What we find is the genuine thought of Chiara and her experience. The importance of being a woman in this sense is that she is a testimony of the laity and of the Church as the people of God joined together by the Gospel.”
Her writings reflect how Chiara Lubich lived the Gospel in her daily life and was able to present it to the world in a fascinating way.
FABIO CIARDI
Editor, “Parole di Vita”
“The genius of Chiara is that she democratized the Gospel. She brought it close in a time when the Gospel was confined to the Church, difficult to access, and she made it accessible to people.”
For some, Chiara Lubich was a forerunner to Pope Francis' ideas, since she also argued the Gospel should be visible in everyday activities.
FABIO CIARDI
Editor, “Parole di Vita”
“More than distributing Bibles, what she wanted was to spread a living Gospel. She wanted people to become the true Gospel. I think that is also Pope Francis' objective, to make the Gospel not a book, but rather a way of life.”
Chiara Lubich's beatification process began nearly three years ago. It's a quickly advancing process, which is why the documents proving its validity will arrive at the Vatican very soon.