In an hour marked by the darkening shadows of global conflict, a profound encounter in the highlands of northern Thailand has offered a luminous alternative to the grammar of war.
From Feb. 20-22, as the world watched with bated breath the escalating tensions between Israel, the United States, and Iran, the Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya Buddhist University (MCU) Lamphun Campus hosted a landmark conference together with Focolare Thailand titled “Dialogue as a Way of Life.”
While the international stage resonated with the rhetoric of retaliation, over 100 participants—Buddhist monks and nuns, Catholic priests, religious sisters, and students—gathered to prove that religion, when lived through the charism of unity, remains a potent instrument of peace rather than a casualty of politics.
Call for pruning
The resonance between Catholic social teaching and Buddhist practice was made tangible through the testimony of Phramaha Thanawat from Wat Phra That Si Chom Thong.
Drawing from his experience at the “One Human Family” meeting in Rome, the monk reflected on the words of Pope Francis regarding the necessity of “pruning” what is superfluous in religious life.
“The Holy Father’s call to shed the unnecessary has become a daily practice in our temple,” Phramaha Thanawat shared, illustrating how the spirituality of unity transcends dogma to touch the practicalities of monastic discipline.
This spirit of “pruning” was further enriched by memories of the late Great Master Phramaha Thongratana, known affectionately within the Focolare as “Luce Ardente” (Glowing Light).
His life remains a bridge, proving that one can be fully Buddhist while deeply embodying the Focolare’s spirituality of communion.
Laboratories of fraternity
The conference served as a window into Loppiano, the Focolare’s “little city” near Florence in Italy.
Established by Chiara Lubich in 1964, Loppiano functions as a global laboratory for coexistence. Young monks, including Phrakhru Manoon Pariyatsunthorn and Phramaha Thanawat, alongside Associate Professor Kraisorn Saenwong, shared their experiences of living with Focolare members.
These encounters highlighted a “style of coexistence” that offers a blueprint for multicultural cities: a life where work, study, and prayer are all oriented toward the “Ideal” of unity—a stark contrast to the divisions currently fracturing the Middle East.
Historic covenant
The spiritual exchange reached its institutional zenith with the signing of a Covenant of Cooperation between Focolare Thailand and MCU Lamphun. This formal agreement pledges:
∙ The promotion of love-inspired dialogue and compassionate service.
∙ Regular exchanges to foster unity in diversity.
∙ Collaborative efforts to position religion as a primary catalyst for global peace.
The University Director welcomed the Focolare community with open arms, declaring the institute as their “permanent home” for interreligious encounters.
Walking in the footsteps of the great master
The program included a pilgrimage to Wat Rampoeng Tapotaram, where, 29 years ago, the late Great Master Ajahn Thong first invited Chiara Lubich to share her Christian journey with his disciples. His words then remain the North Star for everyone today:
“When we are in the darkness, and someone brings us light, we do not look at whether they are male or female, or what their origins are.”
In a display of “dialogue of life,” the participants joined in a merit-making ceremony at the temple of Ajahn Thong. Christians and Buddhists stood in silent solidarity, offering prayers for the Queen Mother, Pope Francis, Chiara Lubich, and Luce Ardente.
As the sun set over the pagoda, a procession of saffron robes and lay attire moved in solemnity, carrying messages of commitment. A Buddhist collaborator captured the essence of the moment, noting that the Gospel promise—“Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there”—felt palpably realized.
This gathering was more than a meeting; it was a realization of the Work of Mary becoming increasingly colored by the saffron of the Sangha. Both traditions departed with a shared resolve: to breathe as one, gazing outward toward a world where “all may be one.”
