Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome

The Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, Reformed Churches Ecumenical Office Rome, and Anglican Centre in Rome with the Taize Community, Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity of the Holy See, and Office of Ecumenism and Dialogue of the Vicariate of Rome held an ecumenical prayer service for the sick and suffering and for the health of Pope Francis on Friday, 21 March 2025 at Church of San Lorenzo in Piscibus near the Vatican. Over 75 people from various Christian confessions attended the prayer vigil.

The Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, offered the first prayer of the service, praying, “Living God, we come before you from different Christian confessions to pray for the sick and the suffering, for the health of all church leaders, and, at this time, for your servant Francis, Bishop of Rome, who is beset by illness.”

The liturgy for the prayer vigil was written by Br. Matthew, an Anglican and prior of the Taize Community, following the liturgical rubrics of the Taize Community. Music from the Taize Community was sung throughout the service, including “Adsumus, Sancte Spiritus,” “Laudate Omnes Gentes,” and “Bonus Est Confidere.”

Many prayers were offered during the vigil for the sick and suffering. The gathering prayed for all the sick; the health of all church leaders; caregivers, and all medical personnel; all people who are suffering in situations of war including people of Ukraine, Gaza, Congo, Haiti, Nicaragua; those affected by global warming and the exploitation of the world’s resources; all the baptized; the unity of the church; and the health of God’s servant Francis, Bishop of Rome.

Music was provided by an ecumenical group of musicians – Mr Conner Drennen of St. Paul’s Inside the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome, Rev. Sarah Mae Gabuyo of Ponte Sant’Angelo Methodist Church in Rome, Ms. Stefanie Gabuyo of the European Methodist Council, and Fr. Cristobal Fones SJ of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

In addition to Rev. Laferty, there were official representatives from partner bodies who attended and led the service – Rev. Tara Curlewis of the Reformed Churches Ecumenical Office Rome, Archbishop Flavio Pace of Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Mons. Marco Gnavi of the Office of Ecumenism and Dialogue, Fr. Jim Litchicum of the Anglican Centre in Rome, and Br. Matthew of the Taize Community. Br. Matthew was accompanied by three other Taize brothers – Br. Benoit, Br. Marek, and Br. Matthias. There were representatives of various Orthodox churches including Archbishop Khajag Barsamian from the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Roman Curia, and the Vatican diplomatic corps who also attended.

The ecumenical prayer service was an expression of the continued initiative of the ‘Together’, a project initiated by Br. Alois of the Taize Community which included a weekend program of dialogue and unity in September-October 2023 and a prayer vigil on 30 September 2023 in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. The ‘Together’ Initiative assembled senior church leaders from all major Christian confessional families to pray together and for each other. The 2023 prayer vigil included the President of the World Methodist Council, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Ecumenical Patriarch, a representative of the Waldensian Evangelical Church, and the Bishop of Rome, plus many other senior church leaders.

Photos by Hureem Salas/ACR