ROME (MEOR) – The Via XX Settembre Methodist Church in Rome celebrated its 130th anniversary on Saturday, 20 September 2025, with a special anniversary program which included speeches, music, and testimonies. The President of the Republic of Italy H.E. Mr. Sergio Mattarella was among the special guests attending the anniversary program.
Rev. William Burt, superintendent of the Italian mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church, inaugurated the Via XX Settembre Methodist Church on 20 September 1895 after two years of construction. The date was deliberately chosen for the inauguration as it was the 25th anniversary of the Breach of Porta Pia in 1870, leading to the capture of Rome by the Royal Italian Army and the city’s annexation into the newly-formed unified Italian state. As such, the capture of Rome realized religious freedom for all faith traditions and religions, including Methodists and other Protestant communities, present in the Italian capital.
The building originally housed a church, seminary with student accommodation, professors’ quarters, publishing house, and administrative offices. The Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church supported the construction of the building. Today, the building is home to the Via XX Settembre Methodist Church, the Korean Methodist Church of Rome, the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy, the headquarters of the Methodist Churches in Italy and the central government of the Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches, and the offices of otto per mille for the Waldensian-Methodist Church.
In remarks to the assembly, Rev. Luca Anziani, president of the Methodist Churches in Italy, said that Methodist churches in Italy have always “carefully combined the Gospel message with a passion for the birth of a united Italy in defense of freedom and democracy. Your presence today [addressing President Mattarella] thus takes on a very special meaning for us, and we wish to confirm that we will continue, together with other Protestant churches, to participate with passion and care in building the common good, where no one will ever be excluded.”
Rev. Mirella Manocchio, pastor of the Via XX Settembre Church, addressed the gathering, “it is no coincidence that it has been since September 20, 1895, twenty-five years after the Breach of Porta Pia. Every year, Roman Protestants remember with a worship of gratitude to the Lord the historic events of September 20, 1870, which marked the beginning of religious freedom in the capital and a crucial point in the history of relations between the Italian state, the Roman Catholic Church, and the religious minorities already present on Italian soil. And it will be a religious minority that will build the entire edifice we find ourselves in today.”
President Sergio Mattarella, in an spontaneous address, said, “the President of the Republic’s visits are always governed by precise protocol, and I wasn’t supposed to speak, but I decided to do so to thank you for your welcome and to offer my best wishes for the 130th anniversary of the founding of the Methodist Church of Rome. Above all, I want to thank you for the significant contribution you have made to the life of our Republic.”
Other speeches for the celebration included opening remarks from Deacon Alessandra Trotta, testimonials from the Italian-Filipino and Korean congregations, and short historical lectures on the history of Methodism in Italy. Church choirs also offered special music.
The Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, was also present as an invited guest.
Top photo: President Sergio Mattarella of Italy addressing the assembly of the 130th anniversary celebration. Photo by quirinale.it
Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome 