This was announced by the movement's press office in Augsburg on Saturday.
Voce was the second president of the Focolare Movement after founder Chiara Lubich, who died in 2008. Voce's funeral is planned for Monday (23 June) at the International Focolare Centre in Rocca di Papa (Rome).
The current Focolare President Margaret Karram spoke of her great sadness. "As the first President of the Focolare Movement after our Founder, she was able to manage the difficult transition of our work from the founding to the post-founding phase with intelligence, foresight and the necessary determination."
In-depth knowledge and humour
Karram paid tribute to Voces' "wisdom in a subtle, reserved manner". And: "In addition to her profound spiritual, theological and legal knowledge, she was also gifted with a deep humanity and warmth of heart and had an engaging and always respectful sense of humour." Voce was appreciated by many people, including Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.
According to its own information, the Focolare Movement has around 120,000 members in 182 countries worldwide. According to its statutes, it is always headed by a woman.
Following the death of founder Lubich, the Italian Voce was elected President in October 2008.
She was re-elected in 2014 and led the movement for a total of twelve years, the maximum term of office.
In 2021, Margaret Karram (63), a Palestinian from Israel, was elected President.