The latest report from the Methodist-Roman Catholic International Commission – God in Christ Reconciling: On the Way to Full Communion in Faith, Sacraments, and Mission – is now availabe in Italian. The original report was published in May 2022 in English, the working language of the commission.
VATICAN CITY (MEOR) – World Methodist Council president Rev. Prof. Jong Chun Park and Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome director Rev. Matthew A. Laferty joined Pope Francis and other senior church leaders alongside thousands of young people on Saturday, 30 September, for an ecumenical vigil of prayer in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
The initiative came from Br. Alois, head of the Taize Community, during his address to a special assembly of Catholic bishops in October 2021; the special assembly opened a two year-long Catholic global listening project under the theme of synodality. Br. Alois stated on 9 October 2021, “would it be possible that at a certain point, in the course of the synodal process, not only [Catholic] delegates but the whole people of God, not only Catholics but believers from the various Churches, could be invited to a large ecumenical gathering? For in baptism and by the Holy Scriptures, we are sisters and brothers in Christ, united in a communion that is still imperfect but quite real, even when there are theological questions still to be resolved” (read full speech here).
Responding to Br. Alois’ question, Pope Francis asked the brothers of the Taize Community to organize an ecumenical vigil of prayer before the opening of the Catholic bishops’ synod in October 2023 as a sign of all the baptized walking together toward unity in Christ. The Taize brothers worked in close partnership with 60 world communions, church movements, and Christian organizations, including the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, to organize the event and the weekend program. Director Laferty served as a member of the event’s organizing committee. MEOR provided office space for the event headquarters as well as accommodation for event staff.
Director Matthew A. Laferty (far right) processing into St. Peter’s Square with church leaders, including Archbishop Urmas Viilma of the Lutheran Church of Estonia, Archbishop Ian Ernest of the Anglican Centre in Rome, and Rev. Christian Krieger of the Protestant Federation of France. Photo by Synod.va. Used by permission.
A companion weekend program called “Together” was also organized for young people ages 18-35 to reflect on relevant themes facing church and society. The Together weekend included a series of workshops and a Christian praise and worship concert in the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. Rev. Park spoke at a workshop on placing the society’s vulnerable at the center of our communities. Eli Ataf from the Methodist Church in Britain was a MC for the concert in the Cathedral of John Lateran. Over 3,500 people registered for the weekend program.
Alongside Rev. Park from the World Methodist Council and Pope Francis, other church leaders present for the prayer vigil were Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholemew I, and Lutheran World Federation general secretary Anne Burghardt, as well as leaders from Oriental Orthodox, Pentecostal, Baptist, Old Catholic, and Evangelical churches.
During the prayer vigil, music from the Taize community was sung. A special chant “Adsumus Sancte Spiritus” was composed for the vigil, based on a prayer attributed to St Isidore of Seville (c. 560 – 4 April 636) (listen to the chant here); the Isidore prayer has a long history of being used at various Councils, Synods and other meetings throughout the history of the church. Rev. Park, as head of communion, was honored to sit alongside Pope Francis during the prayer vigil. Rev. Park also offered prayers for peace in Korean language, his mother tongue, during the prayer petitions.
Rev. Prof. Jong Chun Park, president of the World Methodist Council, leads prayers during the Ecumenical Vigil of Prayer in St. Peter’s Sqaure in Rome on 30 September. Photo by Synod.va. Used by permission.
Director Laferty, reflecting on the prayer vigil, said, “the ecumenical vigil of prayer was a historic moment in our pursuit of the unity of the church. While it is commonplace to see leaders from different churches pray together, never before have we witnessed the diversity of church leaders representing all major strands of Christian faith pray publicly together. It was a moving, encouraging, and momentous moment.”
According the Taize brothers, 18,000 people attended the ecumenical vigil of prayer in St. Peter’s Square.
Top photo: Heads of churches offering a blessing at the end of the ecumenical vigil of prayer on 30 September . Photo by Synod.va. Used by permission.
The Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, gave a short interview on the upcoming ecumenical event and prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, on 30 September.
The Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome hosted senior leaders from the World Methodist Historical Society and the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities from 3-6 September 2023. The delegation included Dr. Amos Nascimento, chairperson of the World Methodist Council Education Committee and executive secretary of the Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities, the Rev Dr Greg Bergquist, IAMSCU general officer, Dr. Ashley Boggan D., general secretary of the World Methodist Historical Society, and Dr Ulrike Schuler, GBHEM LEaD Hub Europe director. WMHS and IAMSCU are programs of the World Methodist Council.
MEOR arranged the following meetings:
Visit to the Waldensian School of Theology in Rome which trains ministers for the Methodist-Waldensian Church in Italy. We met Rev Dr Eric Noffke who is a New Testament scholar and represents the theological school to the Methodist Theological Schools in Europe network.
Briefing by Rev Luca Baratto from the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy about their work and the presence of Protestant churches in Italy
Tour of the Historical Archives of St. Peter’s Basilica where the group saw both historical records and artifacts from the Basilica, including a letter written by Michaelangelo and the pieces of the former ciborium above Peter’s tomb
Briefing and exchanging by Bishop Paul Tighe and officials from the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education about Catholic education and educational networks
Tour of the Vatican Library and meeting with Bishop Angelo Vincenzo Zani, the Librarian and Archivist of the Roman Catholic Church
Briefing by Fr Martin Browne OSB, Vatican official for Methodist relations at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, about Methodist-Catholic international relations
Rev. Bergquist also preached at Ponte Sant’Angelo Methodist Church in Rome on 3 September.
Additionally, the delegation greeted Pope Francis on 6 September following the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square.
The Church Leaders Group (Ireland) in collaboration with the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome and Ecumenical Partners in Rome cordially invites you to an ecumenical prayer service to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement on Thursday, 28 September 2023at 10:00 at the Waldensian Church at Piazza Cavour (Via Marianna Dionigi 59, 00193 Roma).
A major development in the peace process in Northern Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement brought peace to the region and self-government in Northern Ireland through power-sharing.
The heads of the Catholic, Methodist, Anglican, and Presbyterian Churches will co-preside at the ecumenical prayer service. Church leaders participating in the ecumenical prayer service in Rome are:
H.E. Archbishop Eamon Martin Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland (Catholic Church)
The Rev. David Turtle President of the Methodist Church in Ireland
The Most Rev. John McDowell Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland (Church of Ireland)
Rt Rev Dr Sam Mawhinney Moderator Presbyterian Church in Ireland
The Rt Revd Andrew Forster Bishop of Derry and Raphoe and President of the Irish Council of Churches
The Church Leaders Group (Ireland) comprises the Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland Primates of all Ireland, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, and the President of the Irish Council of Churches. All of these represent all–Ireland denominations with churches across the whole of the island of Ireland. The Group came into existence in the late 1960s when the Church Leaders recognized the value in working together in light of the urgency of political developments of the time. Since then, those holding these offices have met frequently, united in their identity as disciples of Jesus and their shared commitment to work together for the common good.
Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome 