ecumenism – Page 2 – Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome

MEOR Director Briefs European Methodist Deacons on Methodist-Catholic Relations, MEOR’s Ministry – March 2026

March 5, 2026meorome

ROME (MEOR) – The Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, met a group of deacons from European Methodist churches on 4 March 2026 during their annual retreat. The group was composed of 9 deacons from 8 different countries who are connecting the church in mission and service to the world.

During his presentation, Rev. Laferty shared about the ministry of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome and briefed the deacons on the state of international Methodist-Catholic relations. He shared about the current dialogue between the Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council and the commission’s recently published text “We Believe in One God: Sixty Years of Methodists and Catholics Walking Together.” He also led a discussion about the ways that Methodists and Christians from other churches can already live the unity we share in Christ, particularly in a grassroots context.

The retreat was held at Centro Ecumene, the retreat center of the Methodist Churches in Italy, in Velletri outside of Rome.

Ghana Methodist Presiding Bishop Visits MEOR – February 2026

February 5, 2026March 5, 2026meorome

ROME (MEOR) – The Most Reverend J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, presiding bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, visited MEOR on 3 February 2026 during a tour of pastoral tour of Italy.

MEOR director Rev. Matthew A. Laferty and Presiding Bishop Asamoah-Gyadu discussed the work of MEOR, contemporary relations between the Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council, worldwide Methodism, and emerging ecumenical issues in Ghana. Rev. Laferty presented to Presiding Bishop Asamoah-Gyadu a copy of “We Believe in One God: Sixty Years of Methodists and Catholics Walking Together,” a recent publication of the Joint Commission for Dialogue between the World Methodist Council and the Catholic Church.

Presiding Bishop Asamoah-Gyadu was previously a guest of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome and the Institute of Ecumenical Studies of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas for a conference “Listening to the West” from 26-28 January 2023.

The Methodist Church Ghana, is one of the leading Churches in Ghana, with a total membership of over 600,000. The Church has 17 dioceses, 3,814 societies, 1,066 pastors, 15,920 local preachers, 24,100 Lay Leaders, many schools, an orphanage, hospitals and clinics.

Pope Leo to MEOR Director, Other Church Leaders: “We are one! We already are!” – January 2026

January 26, 2026April 2, 2026meorome

“We are one! We already are! Let us recognize it, experience it and make it visible!” – Pope Leo XIV from his homily on 25 January 2026 at the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

In the passage from the Letter to the Ephesians chosen as the theme for this year’s Week of Prayer, we repeatedly hear the adjective “one”: one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God (cf. Eph 4:4-6). Dear brothers and sisters, how can these inspired words not touch us deeply? How can our hearts not burn within us when we hear them? Yes, “we share the same faith in the one and only God, the Father of all people; we confess together the one Lord and true Son of God, Jesus Christ, and the one Holy Spirit, who inspires us and impels us towards full unity and the common witness to the Gospel” (Apostolic Letter In Unitate Fidei, 23 November 2025, 12). We are one! We already are! Let us recognize it, experience it and make it visible!
Pope Leo XIV from his homily on 25 January 2026

On Sunday, 25 January 2026, representatives from different churches prayed together for unity, witnessing to their common baptism and spiritual communion already shared in Christ, at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, participated in the Vespers, representing the worldwide Methodist family.

Photo above: Pope Leo met Director Laferty before the Vespers on 25 January 2026 along with several other church representatives. Photo © Vatican Media

Bossey Students Visit MEOR – January 2026

January 19, 2026January 20, 2026meorome

Four students from the Bossey Ecumenical Institute visited the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome on 19 January 2026. The four students who hail from member churches of the World Methodist Council are participating in the Institute’s annual Rome study trip.

The Bossey Institute is a graduate-level academic program of the World Council of Churches and attached to the University of Geneva. Each year the Institute welcomes a group of no more than 60 students from around the world and from many different Christian traditions for ecumenical or interreligious studies.

During the meeting, Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, shared about Methodist-Catholic relations and the work of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome. He also led a lively discussion on Christian unity in the 21st century.

Pictured left to right: Rev. Ntobeko Dlamini (Methodist Church of Southern Africa), Rev. Laferty, Mr. Gamaliel Adamu (The United Methodist Church in Nigeria), Mr. Johan Wahlström (Uniting Church of Sweden) and Rev. Nathanael Macauley (Methodist Church in Togo).

Concert by Renowned Organist and Composer Mark A. Miller

January 8, 2026January 8, 2026meorome

Renowned Methodist organist and composer Mark A. Miller will be in concert in Rome on Friday, 9 January at 19:00/7:00 PM.

The concert is organized by the Methodist Ecumenical Office and the Caravita Community.

The concert will take place on Friday, 9 January at 19:00/7:00 PM at the Oratory of Francis Xavier of Caravita, located at Via del Caravita 7, 00186 Rome.

The concert is free and open to the public.

About Mark A. Miller
Mark Miller believes that everyone is a child of God and that music is instrumental in healing the world. He also adheres to Cornel West’s belief that “Justice is what love looks like in public.”

Since 2006 he has been a Lecturer in Sacred Music at Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music and Divinity School. Mark is Professor of Church Music, Director of Chapel, and Composer In Residence at Drew University in Madison NJ, and is the Minister of Music of Christ Church (UCC & American Baptist) in Summit, New Jersey. Mark believes that music, social justice, and the beloved community are inextricably tied.

His hymns and anthems are sung by communities of faith throughout the world and are published by Choristers Guild, Hal Leonard, Hinshaw, Abingdon Press, Santa Barbara Music Publishing and others. Mark’s popular compositions for pipe organ are published by GIA and Morningstar. His songbook “Roll Down Justice! Sacred Songs & Social Justice”, was published in 2014 by Choristers Guild. His album, “Imagine the People of God”, is available on itunes.

In 2017 he was appointed to serve on the Hymnal Revision Committee of The United Methodist Church. Miller spends a portion of the year traveling the country, often with his band S2C (Subject to Change), leading worship and workshops, preaching and presenting concerts focused on creating community and advocating for social justice. Overseas he has led choirs and performed in Sweden, South Africa, Austria, Russia, and the Baltic states.

Mark is a lifelong United Methodist. He is the grandson, son, brother, uncle, and cousin to clergy in The United Methodist Church.

Mark is a graduate of Julliard (M.Mus. in Organ Performance) and Yale University (B.A. Music) and was Assistant Organist and Music Associate at The Riverside Church from 1999-2001 and Director of Contemporary Worship at Marble Collegiate Church from 2002-2007, both in the city of New York.

When he’s not working, Mark is home in Plainfield, NJ, with his husband Michael Murden. They have two adult children – Keith and Alyse.