Several groups visited the MEOR offices during the first week of November 2024.
A group of Methodist, Lutheran, and Catholic volunteers from Infopoint Kirchen – Offener Himmel in Salzburg, Austria, visited Rev. Matthew A. Laferty and the offices of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome on Wednesday, 6 November 2024, where Rev. Laferty shared about MEOR’s ministry of ecumenial dialogue, cooperation, and hospitality. ‘Offener Himmel’ is an ecumenical project of the Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg and the churches of the Ecumenical Working Group of Salzburg. The Rev. Dorothee Büürma, pastor of the Salzburg United Methodist Church, led the group.
On the same day, Pope Francis greeted the group following the Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, accompanied by Rev. Laferty.
Rev. Laferty also welcomed Rev. Steve Stockman and Fr. Martin Magill from the 4 Corners Festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 6 November 2024. The 4 Corners Festival seeks to inspire people from across Belfast to transform it for the peace and wellbeing of all. It features innovative events designed to entice people out of their own ‘corners’ of the city and into new places where they will encounter new perspectives, new ideas and hopefully meet new friends.
Rev. Laferty also arranged several visits for Rev. Stockman, Fr. Magill, and their group, including a meeting with the Irish ambassador to the Holy See Ms. Frances Collins on Wednesday, 6 November 2024.
A group from Christians Aware visited the MEOR offices on 7 November 2024 on their ecumenical pilgrimage in Rome. Director Matthew A. Laferty met the group and shared about MEOR’s ministry, Methodist-Catholic dialogue, and ecumenism in Rome.
Christians Aware is a network of individuals and groups including Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Society of Friends and United Reformed Church Members who link in with local churches and communities around the world. It offers varied opportunities for listening encounters, learning and reflection, so that understanding and trust may grow between people who may then work together to overcome injustices.
Top photo: Pope Francis greeting (l-r) Ms. Margit Wallner, Rev. Dorothee Büürma, and Rev. Matthew A. Laferty in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican on 6 November 2024. Photo by Vatican Media.
Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome 