Fifty years after the tragic events surrounding the crushing of the Hungarian uprising, a proposal of life for a new humanity has been made: that of universal brotherhood. Some 11,000 people from 92 countries participated in the international rally promoted by the Focolare Movement in the Hungarian capital on 16 September. Its programme and aims were presented at an international press conference by Ilona Tóth and Csaba Ferentzi, Hungarian delegates of the movement, Maria Ghislandi and Augusto Landucci, in charge of volunteers, and Lucia Fronza Crepaz, former parliamentarian and president of the political Movement for Unity. The Day of Universal Brotherhood, which was celebrated in the new SportArena of Budapest, was preceded by two days of “Volontarifest” which brought together 9000 volunteers from all over the world. In part it is just the birth of the volunteer service that links the history of the Focolare Movement with Hungary: the “volunteers of God” – a branch of the Focolari – were established on the initiative of Chiara Lubich as a response to the outcry of the Hungarian people following the invasion of the country by Soviet troops in November 1956. A project called “Brotherhood with Africa Action” was also launched, with the aim of promoting the social and cultural development of the African continent, through study grants.
