ecumenism – Page 5 – Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome

United Methodist bishop for Moscow and Eurasia Visits MEOR – February 2025

February 11, 2025February 19, 2025meorome

Rome (MEOR) – Bishop Dr. Eduard Khegay, the bishop of Moscow and Eurasia in The United Methodist Church, visited the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome on 9-10 February 2025. During his two day visit, Bishop Khegay made a number of visits to Methodist leaders and ecumenical partners in Rome in a program organized by the Methodist Ecumenical Office.

Bishop Khegay was elected bishop in The United Methodist Church in 2013 and oversees approximately 80 congregations in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, briefed Bishop Khegay about the Methodist Ecumenical Office, its current ministries, and goals for the future.

Bishop Khegay attended Sunday worship at Ponte Sant’Angelo Methodist Church in central Rome on 09 February 2025 where he gave the final blessing alongside Rev. Sarah Mae Gabuyo. He made a pilgrimage to the the Abbey of Three Fountains, the site commemorating the execution of the Apostle Paul, and the Papal Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, the Apostle Paul’s burial location.

Bishop Eduard Khegay, the United Methodist bishop of Eurasia, offers the final blessing on Sunday, 9 February 2025 at Ponte Sant’Angelo Methodist Church in central Rome with Rev. Sarah Mae Gabuyo (left). Photo by M. Laferty/MEOR.

Bishop Khegay visited the offices of the Methodist Churches in Italy on Monday, 10 February 2025, where he met Rev. Luca Anziani.

Bishop Eduard Khegay (left) and Rev. Luca Anziani (right) on Monday, 10 February 2025. Photo by M. Laferty/MEOR.

Bishop Khegay also met Fr. Martin Browne OSB, official for Methodist relations at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and discussed the work of the Methodist-Roman Catholic International Commission, the Vatican’s approach to Christian unity, and the importance of reconciliation.

Bishop Eduard Khegay (center) with Vatican official Fr. Martin Browne OSB (right) and MEOR director Rev. Matthew A. Laferty (left) following their meeting on Monday, 10 February 2025 at the Dicastery’s offices. Photo by B. Sarkis/DPCU.

Concluding his visit, Bishop Khegay had dinner with Roman Methodist clergy, attended by Rev. Mirella Manocchio, pastor of Via XX Settembre Methodist Church, Rev. Sarah Mae Gabuyo and her spouse Rev. Dr. Janos Csomós, Rev. Eliad Santos, a pastor works with marginalized people at Via XX Settembre Methodist Church, and Rev. Laferty. Rev. Eunha Kim and Rev. Jae Hyong Choi, missionaries in residence with United Methodist Global Ministries based in Atlanta, GA, USA, were also in attendance. The dinner was hosted by Rev. Santos. Bishop Khegay heard about the various ministries of the Roman clergy and learned first-hand about the opportunities and challenges in the Italian capital.

Bishop Eduard Khegay (center) with Rome-based clergy in front row and visiting missionaries Revs. Kim and Choi in second row. Photo by M. Laferty/MEOR.

Rev. Laferty accompanied Bishop Khegay throughout his entire program.

The Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome is the presence of the World Methodist Council in Rome for ecumenical dialogue, joint action for peace and justice, prayer and reflection, and hospitality.

A Wesleyan Response to Nicaea: Reflections on Faith, Unity, and Mission on the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea

February 4, 2025February 26, 2025meorome

The World Methodist Council invites you to three special webinars to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed as scholars reflect on the anniversary and the role of the creed in the 21st century.

This year marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, a council of church leaders and others called by the Emperor Constantine to reflect on the being of Jesus Christ. Controversy about the exact nature of Christ – human or divine or both? – was threatening to divide the Empire, and Constantine and his imperial colleagues were concerned. Thus, there were mixed motives for this event – concern for the faith, for the unity of the church, undoubtedly, but also issues of power, ambition, control… However, out of this gathering, and a subsequent gathering at Constantinople in 381 AD, emerged one of the great Creeds of the church – the Nicaean-Constantinopolitan Creed, the creed in the words of which we, together, as the people of God, affirm the Christian faith: “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty…in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God…in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.”

Under the title “A Wesleyan Response to Nicaea: Reflections on Faith, Unity and Mission”, the speakers will be invited to consider the historical complexity of the 325 AD gathering at Nicaea; the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed as an agreed statement of faith by Christians of many traditions and denominations; what may be the role, if any, of creeds in the twenty-first century, all of this from a Wesleyan perspective.

March 3 (with focus on Asia and Pacific) 07:00 to 08:30 GMT (15:00 Manila, 16:00 Seoul, 20:00 Auckland)

Speakers:

Prof. Te Aroha Rountree, Trinity Methodist Theological College, Auckland, New Zealand
Rev. James Bhagwan, Methodist Church in Fiji, General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches
Rev. Dr. Hermen Shastri, Methodist Church Malaysia, former vice moderator of the WCC Faith and Order Commission
Rev. Dr. Lisette Tapia Raquel, United Methodist Church, Union Theological Seminary, Manila, Philippines

Moderator: Revd Dr Seferosa Carroll, United Theological College, North Parramatta, Australia

March 4 (with focus on the Americas) 20:00 to 21:30 GMT (15:00 Eastern, 09:00 March 5 Auckland) – Translation to Spanish will be available

Speakers:

Rev. Dr. Blanches de Paula, Methodist Church Brazil, Methodist University Sao Paulo,Brazil
Rev. Dr. Pablo Rubén Andiñach, Methodist Church Argentina, Universidad del Centro Educativo Latinoamericano, Rosario, Argentina
Prof. Sarah Lancaster, United Methodist Church, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Columbus, USA
Prof. Gladson Jothanna, Church of South India, Drew University, Madison, NJ, USA

Moderator: Rev. Dr. Edgardo Colon-Emeric, United Methodist Church, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC, USA

March 18 (with focus on Europe and Africa) 14:00 to 15:30 pm GMT (09:00 Peru, 10:00 Eastern, 15:00 Rome, 17:00 in Moscow and Nairobi)

Speakers:

Rev. Jackline Makena, Methodist Church Kenya, St. Paul University, Limuru, Kenya, Vice Moderator of the WCC Faith and Order Commission
Prof. Simangaliso R. Kumalo, Methodist Church Southern Africa, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, SA
Rev. Dr. Jane Leach, Methodist Church Britain, Wesley House, Cambridge
Rev. Dr. Sergei Nikolaev, The United Methodist Church, Moscow Theological Seminary

Moderator: Revd Dr Martin Mujinga, Methodist Church Zimbabwe, General Secretary of the Africa Methodist Council, based in Accra, Ghana

VIDEO – “Experiences of the Fraternal Delegates at the Synod on Synodality” from Webinar on 20 January 2025

January 21, 2025January 21, 2025meorome

Five fraternal delegates to the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church, called the Synod on Synodality, share their experiences during a webinar on 20 January 2025.

The speakers were: H.Em. Metropolitan Job (Getcha) of Pisidia from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Rev. Prof. Jong Chun Park from the World Methodist Council, Dr. Elizabeth Newman from the Baptist World Alliance, Rev. Dr. Opoku Onyinah from the Pentecostal World Fellowship, and Rev. Dr. Hanns Lessing from the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

Prof. Catherine Clifford from St. Paul’s University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Synod delegate from North America, moderated the webinar.

The webinar was sponsored by the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, Legation of the Armenian Church to the Holy See, Anglican Centre in Rome, and Reformed Churches Ecumenical Office in Rome to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

World Methodist Council Leaders Meet Pope Francis – December 2024

December 16, 2024December 18, 2024meorome

ROME (MEOR) – The president of the World Methodist Council Bishop Dr. Debra Wallace-Padgett and WMC general secretary Rev. Dr. Reynaldo Ferreira Leao Neto met Pope Francis in private audience on Monday, 16 December 2024. They were accompanied by the Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome. Cardinal Kurt Koch and Fr. Martin Browne OSB from the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the Rev. Lee Padgett were also in attendance.

In welcoming Bishop Wallace-Padgett and Dr. Neto, Pope Francis said, “for a long time, Methodists and Catholics were estranged and wary of each other. Today, however, we can thank God, that for almost 60 years, we have been progressing together in reciprocal knowledge, understanding, and love.”

Pope Francis addressing the delegation from the World Methodist Council in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on 16 December 2024. Photo by Vatican Media.

Pope Francis continued, saying, “opening ourselves to one another has brought us closer and made us realize that reconciliation is a task of the heart. When the Heart of the Lord Jesus touches our hearts, he transforms us. This is how our communities will be able to unite their differing minds and wills in order to let themselves be guided by the Spirit as brothers and sisters.”

Bishop Wallace-Padgett responded to Pope Francis by thanking him for the warm welcome. She remarked that Catholics and Methodists share a common faith in Jesus Christ and are called to work together. She reminded Pope Francis of the commitment of the World Methodist Council to migrants and refugees and accompanying its member churches as they minister to and with migrants. She also reaffirmed the WMC’s commitment to the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome as a central conduit of the relationship between the WMC and the Catholic Church. She thanked Pope Francis for welcoming MEOR’s director Rev. Matthew A. Laferty.

Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett presenting Pope Francis a reproduction of a portrait of Mary Bosanquet Fletcher. Photo by Vatican Media.

The delegation presented several gifts to Pope Francis. The gifts included:

a reproduction of a portrait of Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, a leader and preacher in the early Methodist societies in England,
a photograph of Dinka women in South Sudan returning home from work by Methodist photojournalist Paul Jeffrey,
a book of Wesley hymns in Spanish, and
a contemporary Methodist prayer book.

Following the presentation of gifts, the group prayed the Lord’s Prayer together.

Pope Francis last met with the WMC president and general secretary, along with the WMC steering committee and Methodist-Roman Catholic International Commission, in October 2017 for the 50th anniversary of the international Methodist-Catholic dialogue. In 2017 the Rev. Dr. Jong Chun Park and Bishop Ivan Abrahams were president and general secretary respectively.

Dr. Park was a fraternal delegate to the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church in 2023 and 2024 and met Pope Francis in private audience on several occasions.

Bishop Wallace-Padgett and Dr. Neto were elected to their offices in August 2024 at the World Methodist Council meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden. They are visiting Rome from 16 -19 December 2024 on their first inaugural visit to Rome and the Vatican. In addition to their meeting with Pope Francis, they have meetings planned with various Vatican offices, leaders of the Methodist and Waldensian churches, members of the diplomatic corp, and Catholic organizations based in Rome.

MEOR Oversight Committee Concludes Biennial Meeting – November 2024

November 29, 2024December 3, 2024meorome

ROME (MEOR) – MEOR’s oversight committee met in Rome on 26-27 November 2024 for its biennial meeting. The committee – called The Forum – meets twice a year and gives “attention to the following functions including receiving regular reports from the Director, approving an annual work plan, [and] authorising new initiatives after consultation.”

The meeting focused on long-term planning and strengthening institutional partnerships. The Forum reaffirmed MEOR’s fourfold mission – 1) ecumenical dialogue, 2) joint action for peace and justice, 3) prayer and reflection, and 4) hospitality – as foundational for the next planning cycle (2024-2029). The Forum heard reports from the various stakeholders about their financial contributions for the coming years. Additionally, the stakeholders discussed the use of the MEOR premises in Via del Banco di Santo Spirito and maximizing its utilization.

The Forum received a report from the Director on his activities and plans for the coming months. A finance report was also presented.

The Forum elected Rev. Dr. Reynaldo Ferreira Leao Neto, general secretary of the World Methodist Council, and Rev. Luca Anziani, president of the Evangelical Methodist Churches in Italy, as co-chairs for 2025.

The Revd Michaela Youngson, who served as co-chair from 2021-2024, was thanked for her service. Dr. Neto presented Rev. Youngson a gift – an icon of Mary and Elizabeth embracing – on behalf of the World Methodist Council for her leadership and commitment to MEOR.

The Forum attended the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square on 27 November where they briefly met Pope Francis afterward. They also visited the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, the Vatican’s ecumenical department, on the same day, where they were welcomed by Abp. Flavio Pace, Dicastery secretary, and met with Fr Martin Browne OSB, official for relations with Methodists.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Mujinga, general secretary of the Africa Methodist Council, and Rev. Tara Curlewis, ecumenical liaison officer of the Reformed Churches Ecumenical Office, joined the Forum for dinner on 26 November or 27 November respectively.

Members participating in the meeting were Rev. Dr. Leo Neto, Rev. Micky Youngson, Rev. Steven Cooper, Rev. Luca Anziani, Rev. Dr. Heather Morris, Rev. Dr. Jean Hawxhurst (online), and Rev. Matthew A. Laferty. Dr. Paul Dimmock provided staff support for the meeting.

The Forum will meet again in March 2025 in an online format.

The Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome is the representation office and ecumenical formation center of the World Methodist Council in Rome, working for for ecumenical dialogue, joint action for peace and justice, prayer and reflection, and hospitality.

Photo: The MEOR Forum and Dr. Martin Mujinga (third right) with Fr. Martin Browne OSB (center) in the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity on 27 November 2024. Photo by B. Sarkis/DPCU.