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Ulisse Caglioni, of the Focolare Movement, who died on 1 Sept 2003, is the
inspirer of an outstanding experience of dialogue between Christianity and Islam.
The archbishop of Algiers, Henri Teissier, said: "Ulisse's faithfulness
to the evangelical love of neighbour allowed him to discover and to live deep
Islamic-Christian friendships, leaving a mark of God on these experiences.
Ulisse was born in 1943 and became a member of the Focolare in 1964. At 24 he
went to live in Algiers, at Tlemcen, where he initiated the first community
in a Muslim territory, with two companions.
In 1970 Ulisse wrote on his diary: "…I try to live well the present
moment, making good use of the most difficult moments, that offer me the possibility
of living a bit better the pure love". Ulisse had an availability that
showed through all those little practical gestures that his ingenuity worked
out. To relate to his brothers was the most important thing, a sacred thing.
Teresa Sala is the person coordinating the activities of the Movement in Algeria.
She does not hesitate to state that Ulisse "helped me to penetrate the
heart and soul of this people.
"Tlemcen will become "a place of encounter, of dialogue and of spirituality,
an oasis of peace". These are the words of a Muslim, Sidi Ahmed Benchouk,
who was at the time prefect of the region of Tlemcen (Orano), and wanted to
be present for the last farewell to Ulisse. "You were a marvelous example
of coherence", he continued, " between what we say, what we do and
what we are. You came towards us melting a sea of ice and knocking down walls
that separated us, in view of building an indestructible bridge".
His Muslim friends wrote to Chiara Lubich, immediately after his death: "Ulisse
was for us the bond between Christianity and Islam. We have learned to listen,
without prejudice, without judging anyone. He taught us to do everything for
the sake of love. He taught us to be love. He testified always his faith in
God. He was for us the model of a believer. He created such a unity that overcame
differences, to the point that many said: "Ulisse is a true Muslim!"
- not because they did not know his faith and his vocation, but because his
life as a believer had made of him a man of God".
Ulisse remained in Algeria for more than thirty years and he left the country
only when a serious illness was discovered to have struck him: he must have
contracted it when he worked in a factory as a labourer. His witness lives on
in that land that he loved so much.
From "News", of the Focolare Movement, 15.09.2003
