by Masuo Nezu

These are personal reminiscences about the late founder Rev. Nikkyo Niwano from his former chief secretary, Masuo Nezu, now in retirement. During his years of service, the writer accompanied Rev. Niwano on dissemination tours, interreligious cooperation activities, and peace promotion work, both in Japan and overseas. This series recalls not only heartwarming episodes from the founder's everyday life, but also the spiritual insights derived from his words and deeds.

19

Interreligious Dialogue as the Will of God--
Meetings with Ms. Chiara Lubich

In many places in the world, the Focolare Movement based in Italy has very friendly relations with Rissho Kosei-kai. The official Italian name for this Roman Catholic lay movement is Opera di Maria. In Rome, in February 1979, Founder Niwano met for the first time with its founder and president, Ms. Chiara Lubich.

It was during the course of Rev. Niwano's "Peace Pilgrimage" in Rome, after he had attended the international executive committee meeting for the third assembly of the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP) in Princeton, N.J., that month.

Rev. Nikkyo Niwano enjoyed a chat with Ms. Chiara Lubich (left) at the Horin-kaku Guest Hall when she visited Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters in Tokyo on November 14, 1985.

At that time, they talked for about an hour. Ms. Lubich later said: "Through talking with Rev. Niwano for the first time, I became convinced that it is the will of God that the Focolare Movement should work for interreligious dialogue." She also recalled, "We were invited to the WCRP by Rev. Niwano. The Focolare Movement has entered into a cooperative relationship with this large religious movement and ever since has been actively participating in some of its various activities."

Two months later, in April, Rev. Niwano went to London to attend the award ceremony at which he would receive the Templeton Foundation Prize for Progress in Religion, which Ms. Lubich had received in 1977. After the ceremony at Windsor Castle, a public ceremony was held at the historic Guildhall. At that time, when Rev. Niwano arrived at the hall, many Focolare members greeted him with applause. At the reception held after the public ceremony, young members of the Focolare Movement surrounded Rev. Niwano to congratulate him and enjoy chatting with him in a friendly way.

Every month Ms. Lubich used to send a message from the headquarters in Italy to well over a hundred Focolare Centers around the world by radio. In this way, people in the Focolare Movement in the U.K. had received the news of Rev. Niwano's receiving the prize.

Even on first meetings, Focolare members are very friendly and outgoing and talk to the person they have met as if they were long-term acquaintances or even family members. A kind of communal feeling is experienced instantly with them.

Beginning from that encounter in London, whenever Rev. Niwano went to various places around the world, Focolare people always showed up and brought happy conversations with many smiles. In time, the daughters of President Nichiko Niwano would visit and stay for days at a time at the Focolare community at Loppiano, near Florence, where they experienced deep religious exchanges.

The participation of the members of the Focolare Movement in the WCRP was realized at the Third Assembly held in Princeton, N.J., in the same year that Rev. Niwano first met Ms. Lubich. Not only did their representatives attend, but some served on the staff of the secretariat and as volunteers in other capacities. Their contribution was remarkable and has become absolutely indispensable for world assemblies of the WCRP ever since.

The friendliness, jovial manner, and deep kindness of Focolare members toward others is commonly felt everywhere in the world. It almost gives others the impression that they are meeting with people who are "Focolareans," rather than Italians, Americans, or French people.