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MEOR Director Speaks at International Conference on Church Law and the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea

June 25, 2025July 28, 2025meorome

CHICHESTER, UK – The Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, was in Chichester, United Kingdom, from 20-22 June 2025 for a conference on ecclesiastical law, entitled “Nicaea Received: 1700 years of Canons, Councils and Ecumenism.” The conference, organized by the Ecclesiastical Law Society, brought together church lawyers, experts in ecclesiastical law, and senior church leaders to discuss the importance of the Council of Nicaea, particularly the 20 canons (or laws) created by the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, to the churches today and to the pursuit of Christian unity. The conference assembled a wide range of participants from Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Orthodox, and Reformed churches.

Director Laferty spoke an ecumenical panel about the relevance of the Nicene Creed for Methodist churches today, particularly as a doctrinal standard in Methodist church law. In addition to Rev. Laferty, the panel also included the Most Rev. Bernhard Longley, Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, H.E. Archbishop Nikitas Lulias, Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Prof. Anna Tronet, a canonist from the Church of Sweden, and the Ven. Moira Astin, bishop-designate of Crediton in the Church of England.

Plenary speakers for the conference were His All-Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome, Prof. Dr. Myriam Wijlens, Catholic canonist-theologian, and the Rt. Rev. Dr. Christopher Cocksworth, dean of Windsor.

MEOR Welcomes Student Group from Candler School of Theology in Atlanta

May 28, 2025May 28, 2025meorome

ROME – The Methodist Ecumenical Office welcomed a group of students from Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA on 26-27 May 2025. Candler School of Theology is a seminary of The United Methodist Church.

The students were in Italy’s Tuscany region and later the City of Rome, studying the intersection of food, migration, and religion. As part of the program, the students sought to understand the ecumenical dimensions of the topic and the role of dialogue and encounter for fostering a shared witness of Christian faith and joint action for peace and justice. The group spent 10 days in Tuscany exploring the topic prior to their two-day program in Rome.

The students come from a variety of Christian communions – Methodist, Reformed, Baptist, and Catholic.

MEOR organized several meetings and site visits in Rome for the Candler students, including:

the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, where they were briefed by Fr. Martin Browne OSB, official responsible for relations with Methodists, on the Catholic Church’s ecumenical engagement, Methodist-Catholic dialogue, and history of the Catholic Church in the international ecumenical movement,
the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy, where leaders of FCEI’s program “Mediterranean Hope” discussed its various projects with migrants and refugees,
Methodist clergy serving in Rome – Rev. Mirella Mannochio, Rev. Eliad Santos, and Rev. Sarah Mae Gabuyo,
the Sant’Egidio Community, and
the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center, based at St. Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome.

Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office, accompanied the group during their stay in Rome.

The group was led by Rev. Dr. Jennifer R. Ayres, L. Bevel Jones III Professor of Religious Education and Director of the Religious Education Program at Candler School of Theology, and Rev. Dr. Arun Jones, Dan and Lillian Hankey Associate Professor of World Evangelism at Candler School of Theology and Director of the World Methodist Evangelism Institute.

The program was organized by the Candler School of Theology and the World Methodist Evangelism Institute with the cooperation of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome.

MEOR Director with World Methodist Council Leaders Meet Pope Leo XIV

May 20, 2025May 26, 2025meordirector

The Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, met Pope Leo XIV, along with leaders from the World Methodist Council, on Monday, 19 May 2025. A special private audience was granted to ecumenical and interreligious guests who attended the Pope’s inauguration in official delegations. Also in attendance from the World Methodist Council were WMC president Bishop Dr. Debra Wallace-Padgett, general secretary Rev. Dr. Reynaldo Ferreira Leão Neto, and vice president Mr. Joshua Rathnam.

Director Laferty was encouraged by Pope Leo XIV’s clear statement on Christian unity. Pope Leo said, “as Bishop of Rome, I consider one of my priorities to be that of seeking the re-establishment of full and visible communion among all those who profess the same faith in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” The Roman pontiff further said, “…our communion is realised to the extent that we meet in the Lord Jesus Christ. The more faithful and obedient we are to him, the more united we are among ourselves. We Christians, then, are all called to pray and work together to reach this goal, step by step, which is and remains the work of the Holy Spirit.” Read the full remarks.

Photo by Vatican Media.

Congratulations to the New Bishop of Rome

May 8, 2025meorome

The Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome congratulates Pope Leo XIV on his recent election as the Bishop of Rome and Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church. Director Matthew A. Laferty was in St. Peter’s Square was his election was announced. Following the announcement, Director Laferty said, “I give thanks to God for Pope Leo and pray that God will richly bless his ministry. The people called Methodist look forward to continuing our close friendship and enduring relationship with the Catholic Church as we walk and pray together as siblings in Christ.”

Photo by Vatican Media

Methodist Leaders Attend Funeral of the Late Pope Francis

April 26, 2025April 27, 2025meorome

ROME – Methodist leaders from across the globe attended the funeral of the late Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome, on Saturday, 26 April in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. Pope Francis, a leader noted for his ecumenical leadership through encounter, died on Easter Monday, 21 April, at the age of 88, following several months of illness.

Over 30 church and ecumenical delegations were present at the late Pope’s funeral.

The World Methodist Council, the Christian World Communion of Methodist, Wesleyan, and related United/Uniting churches, was represented by four people:

Bishop Dr. Debra Wallace-Padgett
President of the World Methodist Council
Rev. Dr. Reynaldo Ferreira Leão Neto
General Secretary of the World Methodist Council
Rev. Prof. Edgardo Colón-Emeric
Methodist Co-Chair of the Joint Dialogue Between the World Methodist Council and the Roman Catholic Church
Chair of the Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations Committee of the World Methodist Council
Rev. Matthew A. Laferty
Representative of the World Methodist Council to the Holy See
Director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome

Bishop Wallace-Padgett led the World Methodist Council delegation, which was one of only three church delegations headed by a woman.

Along the delegation from the World Methodist Council, two other Methodist clergy were members of other ecumenical delegations. The Rev. Dr. Casely Essamuah, a Ghanaian Methodist, led a small delegation from the Global Christian Forum. The Rev. Sarah Mae Gabuyo, Pastor of Ponte Sant’Angelo Methodist Church in Rome, attended the funeral as a local ecumenical guest of the Catholic Diocese of Rome; Ponte Sant’Angelo Methodist Church is the closest Protestant Church to the Vatican.

It is reported that over 250,000 people attended the funeral, filling both St. Peter’s Square and the surrounding streets. Over 160 government delegations attended the Requiem Mass, with approximately 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs present.

Following the Mass, the late Pope’s remains were buried in the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major, the largest church dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Photo (left to right): Rev. Gabuyo, Bishop Dr. Wallace-Padgett, Rev. Dr. Neto, Rev. Prof. Colón-Emeric, Rev. Laferty, Rev. Dr. Essamoah