Category: News

Pope Francis met a delegation of 10 bishops from the United States from three different Methodist churches on Wednesday, 6 March 2024, following the weekly General Audience. Each bishop was greeted individually by Pope Francis and had a few moments to speak to him.

The bishops come the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, and The United Methodist Church, all members of the World Methodist Council.

Along with the bishops, Director Matthew A. Laferty, Dr. Jean Hawxhurst, and Mrs. Melissa Beard were greeted by Pope Francis as well.

Read more about the bishops’ entire study pilgrimage in a related story (click here).

Photos by Vatican Media. All rights reserved.

The bishops who participated in the study pilgrimage were:

• African Methodist Episcopal Church
  Bishop Jeffrey N. Leath, AME ecumenical officer
• Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
  Bishop Lawrence L. Reddick III of the Eighth Episcopal District (Texas and Jamaica) and senior bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
  Bishop Teresa Snorton, CME ecumenical and development officer
  Bishop Marvin Frank Thomas, Sr. of the First Episcopal District (Arkansas and Tennessee)
  Bishop Sylvester Williams, Sr. of the Third Episcopal District (the Midwest)
• The United Methodist Church
  Bishop Sally Dyck, ecumenical officer of the Council of Bishops
  Bishop Tracy Smith Malone of the Ohio East Episcopal Area and incoming president of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church
  Bishop Jonathan Holston of the Columbia Episcopal Area (South Carolina)
  Bishop Frank Beard of the Illinois Episcopal Area
  Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi of the Pittsburgh Episcopal Area

The delegation was also accompanied by Director Matthew A. Laferty, Dr. Jean Hawxhurst, and Mrs. Melissa Beard.

From 29 September through 1 October, thousands of young adults from across Europe and the world converged on Rome for an ecumenical weekend of prayer, learning, fellowship, and pilgrimage. The event was called ‘Together’. The ecumenical vigil of prayer on St. Peter’s Square, which brought together leaders from all the major Christian world communions, was the highlight of the weekend.

The Methodist Chuch in Britain sent 8 young people from England and Wales. They released this recap video at the end of January 2024. Director Matthew A. Laferty who was a member of the ‘Together’ coordinating committee is interviewed in the video.

Pope Francis, bishop of Rome and supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church, greeted the Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, before the Christmas Eve Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica on 24 December 2024.

Photos courtesy of Vatican Media. All rights reserved.

The Revd Ivan Abrahams, general secretary of the World Methodist Council and co-chair of the MEOR oversight committee, brings a message of hope in his 2023 Christmas greeting.

The World Methodist Council (WMC) joins the call of the United Nations secretary-general, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme (WFP), International Red Cross, Religious Bodies and other International Agencies for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.

We believe in the universal values of peace, justice and equality and decry the violence as Israel continue to dispense collective punishment for the Hamas October 7 attack on civilians in southern Israel.

The WFP warns of “the immediate possibility” of mass starvation in Gaza where more than twelve thousand people have died, thousands more injured and more than a million displaced.

We recognize that that the cycle of violence is rooted in decades of dispossession and call on people of conscience everywhere to oppose the war in Gaza and the killing of Palestinians in the West Bank and other occupied territories.

As reminded by Scripture, we were chosen by God, before anything was created (Ephesians 1:4). We are the signate of God’s creation and believe in the sanctity of all human life. We pledge to respect and protect the human rights of all persons especially Palestinians to live peacefully in the land of their birth.