MEOR Director’s Activities for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025 and in early February

The Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, has been busy since the beginning of the 2025, particularly with events around the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18-25 January 2025).

Rev. Laferty met with students from Centro Melantone on 17 January in the MEOR offices to discuss MEOR’s work, Methodist understandings of ecumenism, and Christian unity in Rome. Centro Melantone brings students from Protestant churches in Europe to study in Rome for one year with courses at the Waldensian Faculty of Theology and Pontifical universities in Rome. The group was accompanied by the Centro director Rev. Patrick Spitzenberger.

MEOR along with the Legation of the Armenian Church to the Holy See, Anglican Centre in Rome, and Reformed Churches Ecumenical Office in Rome organized a webinar – “Experiences of the Fraternal Delegates at the Synod on Synodality” – to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Five fraternal delegates to the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church, called the Synod on Synodality, shared their experiences during a webinar on 20 January 2025.

Rev. Laferty also met with Methodist students from the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Institute Bossey on 23 January during their study trip to Rome during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. There were three Methodist students on the trip from Korea, Nigeria, and the United States. Rev. Laferty shared about MEOR’s ministry and Methodist-Catholic relations.

Also during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Rev. Laferty attended a number of prayer services and events, including Vespers at the Pontifical Beda College, Vespers at Pontifical Irish College, the prayers for unity with the Catholic Diocese of Rome, the Unity Service of the Churches Together in Rome, and a lecture at Centro Pro Unione.

MEOR welcomed Mr. Daniel Mohr, a Global Mission Fellow with The United Methodist Church, for the final days of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Mr. Mohr is on placement with the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe, based in Vienna, Austria. During his visit to Rome, Mr. Mohr met Fr. Martin Browne OSB, official for Methodist relations at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, who shared about Christian unity from the Vatican’s perspective, Catholic-Methodist relations, and emerging themes in ecumenism.

Fr. Martin Browne OSB (left), official for relations with the World Methodist Council, and Mr. Daniel Mohr (right)

Rev. Laferty attended the farewell service for H.G. Abp Ian Ernest, the director of the Anglican Centre in Rome and representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury, on 24 January 2025. A reception followed. Rev. Laferty presented a portrait of Charles Wesley to Abp. Ian on behalf of the MEOR Forum as a token of gratitude for Abp. Ian’s support and collaboration with MEOR.

Pope Francis invited local clergy and representatives of churches and Christian world communions to attend Papal Vespers on 25 January, the feast of the conversion of the Apostle Paul, at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls. Rev. Laferty was in attendance and was greeted by Pope Francis before the Vespers.

Rev. Laferty is the secretary and a member of the Committee on Faith and Order of The United Methodist Church. He is seconded to a project to revise the church law of The United Methodist Church with the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters. The meeting took place in Atlanta, USA, 27-29 January 2025.

During the final week of January, MEOR provided programmatic, organizational, and logistical support for meeting of the European partners of the Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa (PROCMURA). The European partners are chaired by Rev. Dr. Andrew Ashdown, Africa partnership coordinator fot the Methodist Church in Britain. On 30 Rev. Matthew A. Laferty met the PROCMURA chairperson Rev. Robert Goyek from the Lutheran Church in Cameroon and PROCMURA general adviser Bishop Nathan Samwini from the Methodist Church Ghana.

MEOR director Rev. Matthew A. Laferty (left) with PROCMURA chairperson Rev. Robert Goyek (Lutheran Church in Cameroon), Dorina Waldmeyer (Mission 21), PROCMURA general adviser Bishop Nathan Samwini (Methodist Church Ghana), PROCMURA European partners chair Rev. Dr. Andrew Ashdown (Methodist Church in Britain) on 30 January 2025. Photo by M. Laferty/MEOR.

During the Jubilee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Security Personnel on 8-9 February 2025, Director Laferty met a number of military chaplains including two Methodist chaplains – the Reverend Canon Michael Parker KHC CF, Chaplain General to His Britainnic Majesty’s Land Forces, and Capt. James Dance CHC, regional chaplain based in Naples Italy, for the United States Navy. Rev. Canon Parker is a minister in the Methodist Church in Great Britain and Capt. Dance is a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Director Matthew A. Laferty (right) with the Reverend Canon Michael Parker KHC CF (left), Chaplain General to His Britainnic Majesty’s Land Forces, and H.E. Mr. Christopher Trott (center), H.M. ambassador of the Holy See, on 7 February 2025.

Director Matthew A. Laferty (right) with Capt. James Dance (left) of the U.S. Navy and Ms. Laura Hochla (center), charges d’affaires a.i. at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, on 8 February 2025 at Villa Richardson in Rome.

Bishop Eduard Khegay, bishop of Moscow and Eurasia in The United Methodist Church, visited Rome from 9-10 February 2025. Read more about his trip.

Bishop Eduard Khegay (center) with Rome-based clergy in front row and visiting missionaries Revs. Kim and Choi in second row. Photo by M. Laferty/MEOR.

Rev. Laferty attended the Mass to commemorate the 57th anniversary of the Sant’Egidio Community on 13 February 2025. The Mass was held at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls.

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