“What is needed to nourish peace is the conversion of heart. Peace cannot exist if hatred and selfishness are not overcome from within. To meet this fundamental challenge, the role of religions is crucial. Religions should draw out of their depths all the spiritual strength they possess, so as to lead humanity toward solidarity and peace.”
-CHRISTINA LEE

Christina Lee is the Co-Director of the Center for Interreligious Dialogue at the international headquarters of the Focolare Movement in Italy.
In that capacity, Ms. Lee coordinates a wide range of events that emphasize interreligious dialogue and spirituality.
In recent years, she has organized interreligious symposiums with Hindus, Buddhist, Muslims and Jews at the Movement’s international congress center in Castel Gandolfo (near Rome), as well as in Japan, Thailand and Israel.
Ms. Lee is committed to promoting ideals of unity and universal brotherhood among people of different races, cultures and religions.
She also serves as a member of the General Council of the Focolare Movement.

Ms. Lee was born in March 1944 in Seoul, South Korea.
At Seoul National University, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy and took postgraduate courses in theology.
Motivated by her desire to discover meaning in her life as well as the lives of others, Ms. Lee joined the Focolare Movement in 1967.
Since that time, Ms. Lee has made it her life’s work to ensure that religious traditions do not cause division and conflict, but rather offer precious spiritual resources in order to support the unity of the human family.

From 1967 to 1976, Ms. Lee served the Focolare Movement in South Korea and in Australia.
She was then sent to Japan to launch the Focolare Center in Tokyo, where she directed the Movement’s Japanese initiatives for seven years.
In 1983, Ms. Lee was called to the international headquarters of the Movement, and for nearly 30 years has worked to develop and strengthen interreligious dialogue around the world, with a particular emphasis on shared spirituality.
To that end, Ms. Lee worked closely with Chiara Lubich, the Movement’s founder, and accompanied her to many significant interreligious events worldwide.

Ms. Lee is a prolific speaker and writer, and has represented the Focolare Movement at various conferences and symposia, such as the the Community of St. Egidio’s Interreligious Meetings (Warsaw, 1989), the Parliament of the World’s Religions (Barcelona, 2004), the World Council of Churches (Geneva ,2005), the Assemblies of the World Council of Religions for Peace (Melbourne, 1989; Riva del Garda, 1994; Amman, 1999; Kyoto, 2006) and the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace (Yogyakarta, 2002; Manila, 2008).

Through her far-reaching work with the Focolare Movement, Ms. Lee is mindful of the words of Chiara Lubich: “The world needs an invasion of love and this depends on each one of us.
The human being is the reservoir of this precious element.”