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Statement on the Death of His Holiness Pope Francis

April 21, 2025April 21, 2025meorome

The Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, issued the following statement on the death of His Holiness Pope Francis, bishop of Rome, on 21 April 2025:

“It is with great sadness that I receive this morning the news of the death of His Holiness Pope Francis.

“Pope Francis was a courageous leader and loving pastor. Rooted in a life of prayer and devotion, he led the Catholic Church with unwavering commitment to loving neighbor and serving the poor and displaced. Pope Francis constantly reminded both the Christian faithful – Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox – and the world to seek Christ in all that we do. His work to renew and reimagine discernment and synodal decision-making in the Catholic Church initiated emerging ecumenical pathways for dialogue and Christian unity. Pope Francis always led with a pastor’s heart and placed encounter and relationships at the center of his ministry.

“I thank God for the life and ministry of Francis, bishop of Rome.

“May God comfort those who grieve Pope Francis’ death, especially our Catholic siblings, as we live in the hope of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“May Francis rest in peace and rise in glory!“

Rev. Laferty and Pope Francis share a light-hearted moment during a private audience in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican City State on 9 October 2024. Photo by Vatican Media.

In a statement released by the Methodist Church in Great Britain, Rev. Laferty also said:

“Pope Francis was a man of deep Christian faith, clear conviction, and prayer. His ministry extended beyond the Catholic Church as he sought to pray and work for the unity of all Christians. Pope Francis challenged and inspired Methodists and Catholics to move beyond ecumenical dialogue to be a pilgrim people walking and working together, particularly in care of creation, migration, and human fraternity. He called the Church universal and all the world to live as Jesus Christ—in holiness and in loving the poor and the marginalised.“

Pope Francis with Rev. Laferty, World Methodist Council President Bishop Dr. Debra Wallace-Padgett (center), and WMC General Secretary Reynaldo Ferreira Leão Neto (third left) on 16 December 2024. Photo by Vatican Media.

World Methodist Council, 11 Other Christian World Communions Issue Letter for Common Easter Date and 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea

April 18, 2025April 18, 2025meorome

The World Methodist Council along with 11 other Christian World Communions have issued a message to mark the shared date of Easter in 2025 by all Christians, in conjunction with the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea.

The message seeks to bear witness to the Resurrection of Christ and has been signed by General Secretaries and ecumenical representatives of 12 Christian World Communions.

It calls for Christians to work for the unity of the Church, praying for “the Holy Spirit to move our Communions to live and walk together, in obedience to the call of Jesus’ that all his disciples may be one.”

It also offers words of hope “at this time of great political instability in the world, when so many live with fear, suffering, persecution, famine, and other forms of instability and vulnerability.” All Christians are called together to proclaim the good news of “repentance and forgiveness of sins … to all nations” (Luke 24:47-48).

The statement embodies the Communions’ conviction that “that the Lord calls us to agreement, and unified witness,” in a year when the coincidence of Christian calendars will see all Christian churches, West and East, celebrate the Day of Resurrection on Sunday, April 20.

Historically, the date of Easter has differed between Eastern and Western churches. The Gregorian calendar, used by most Western churches, differs from the Julian calendar, which is the basis for calculating Easter in some Eastern Orthodox churches.

Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew have publicly advocated for a shared Easter date, seeing it as a step towards greater unity among Christians.

2025 is also significant as the 1700^th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, formulated by the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD (and later revised at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD).

The Nicene Creed presents the most authoritative statement of trinitarian Christian faith.

The Letter has been signed by:

The Armenian Apostolic Church, Holy See of Cilicia
The Anglican Communion
The Baptist World Alliance
The Christian Church and Churches of Christ
The Ecumenical Patriarchate
The International Old Catholic Bishops’ Conference/Old Catholic Church
The Lutheran World Federation
The Moravian Church Worldwide Unity Board
The Mennonite World Conference
The Pentecostal World Fellowship
The Salvation Army
The World Methodist Council

Speaking in support of the Statement, General Secretary Reynaldo Ferreira Leão Neto of the World Methodist Council said:

“This year, unusually, all Christians celebrate Easter on the same day: 20th April. The General Secretaries of the World Christian Communions produced a joint letter to mark Easter. It also refers to the 1700 years of having a common creed: the Nicene Creed. May both the joint Easter and the Creed stand as a sign of unity, of one humanity and faith, even in a very divided world: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:5-6)

Speaking in support of the Statement, President Debra Wallace Padgett of the World Methodist Council said:

What a powerful witness it will be when Christians all over the world celebrate Easter this year on April 20th. This occurrence happens during years when Christian calendars from the East (Julian) and West (Gregorian) align in observing Easter Day. A letter written by the General Secretaries of the World Christian Communions to commemorate Easter Day as well as the 1700th anniversary of the first ecumenical Council of Nicaea are reminders of our unity in the midst of diversity. Praise God for what we hold in common through the Resurrected Christ. May we renew our commitment to fulfill Jesus’ prayer, ” that they may all be one.” (John 17:21)

‘You are witnesses of these things.’ —Luke 24:48

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world,

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

As representatives of 12 Christian World Communions, present in every nation on earth, we are moved and grateful to speak with one voice and one heart about our Lord’s resurrection, which we have witnessed and profess together.

Together — from East and West, North and South — in this year of our Lord 2025, we have been given by God the great gift of a shared date of Easter. Devout Christians have prayed for generations that this may be possible. Though we have not yet achieved agreement on the date of Easter in perpetuity, we have no doubt that the Lord calls us to agreement, and unified witness, so that the world may believe (John 17:21).

As a further summons, God in his mercy has enabled us this year to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and its Creed. We are humbled and amazed that we can, on this Easter, profess together the fact that

On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

In the light of these gifts, we call upon the Holy Spirit to move our Communions to live and walk together, in obedience to the call of Jesus’ that all his disciples may be one. We hope to hear his ‘words’ anew, just as when he appeared to his disciples after his resurrection and ‘opened their minds to understand the scriptures,’ namely, that the Messiah must suffer and rise, ‘and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations’ (Luke 24:44-47). At this time of great political instability in the world, when so many live with fear, suffering, persecution, famine, and other forms of instability and vulnerability, we would seek together to be ‘witnesses of these things’ of God, accomplished by our Lord and Saviour (24:48). For this purpose, we pray over and over again with eager expectation and hope that we may all be one, ‘clothed with power from on high’ (24:49).

May the Lord grant us his Spirit of cooperation and obedience, forgive us our sins, and use us as his instruments of reconciliation and healing in the world.

And may God bathe our hearts and minds in the cleansing light of his resurrection from the dead. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Videos from WMC Webinars on 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea

April 2, 2025April 2, 2025meorome

The 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea is being marked in 2025 as an important commemoration of the common Christian faith shared among the various Christian confessions. In March 2025, the World Methodist Council through an ad-hoc committee chaired by former WMC vice president Ms. Gillian Kingston organized three webinars to reflect on the Council of Nicaea and its importance for the worldwide Methodist/Wesleyan family. The series “A Wesleyan Response to Nicaea: Reflections on Faith, Unity, and Mission” had three regional foci – the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, and Africa and Europe.

Asia and the Pacific

The webinar was held on 3 March 2025.

Speakers:

Prof. Te Aroha Rountree, Methodist Church in New Zealand Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa, 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, The United Methodist Church, Union Theological Seminary, Manila, Philippines

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

The Americas

The webinar was held on 4 March 2025.

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, The United Methodist Church, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Columbus, OH, USA
Prof. Gladson Jothanna, Church of South India, Drew University, Madison, NJ, USA

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

Africa and Europe

The webinar was held on 18 March 2025.

Speakers:

Rev. Jackline Makena, Methodist Church Kenya, St. Paul University, Limuru, Kenya
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, Moscow, Russia

Moderator: Revd Dr Martin Mujinga, Methodist Church Zimbabwe, Africa Methodist Council, Accra, Ghana

The Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome provided technical support for the webinar series.

Photo by A. Hilbert/WCC

MEOR and Partners Hold Ecumenical Prayer for Sick and Suffering and for Health of Pope Francis – 21 March 2025

March 24, 2025April 2, 2025meorome

The Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, Reformed Churches Ecumenical Office Rome, and Anglican Centre in Rome with the Taize Community, Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity of the Holy See, and Office of Ecumenism and Dialogue of the Vicariate of Rome held an ecumenical prayer service for the sick and suffering and for the health of Pope Francis on Friday, 21 March 2025 at Church of San Lorenzo in Piscibus near the Vatican. Over 75 people from various Christian confessions attended the prayer vigil.

Rev. Matthew A. Laferty offering the opening prayer at the Ecumenical Prayer for the Sick and the Suffering and for the Health of Pope Francis on 21 March 2025. Photo by Hureem Salas/ACR.

The Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, offered the first prayer of the service, praying, “Living God, we come before you from different Christian confessions to pray for the sick and the suffering, for the health of all church leaders, and, at this time, for your servant Francis, Bishop of Rome, who is beset by illness.”

The liturgy for the prayer vigil was written by Br. Matthew, an Anglican and prior of the Taize Community, following the liturgical rubrics of the Taize Community. Music from the Taize Community was sung throughout the service, including “Adsumus, Sancte Spiritus,” “Laudate Omnes Gentes,” and “Bonus Est Confidere.”

Rev. Tara Curlewis of the Reformed Churches Ecumenical Office Rome and Br. Matthew of the Taize Community offer words of welcome. Photo by Hureem Salas/ACR.

Many prayers were offered during the vigil for the sick and suffering. The gathering prayed for all the sick; the health of all church leaders; caregivers, and all medical personnel; all people who are suffering in situations of war including people of Ukraine, Gaza, Congo, Haiti, Nicaragua; those affected by global warming and the exploitation of the world’s resources; all the baptized; the unity of the church; and the health of God’s servant Francis, Bishop of Rome.

Music was provided by an ecumenical group of musicians – Mr Conner Drennen of St. Paul’s Inside the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome, Rev. Sarah Mae Gabuyo of Ponte Sant’Angelo Methodist Church in Rome, Ms. Stefanie Gabuyo of the European Methodist Council, and Fr. Cristobal Fones SJ of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

In addition to Rev. Laferty, there were official representatives from partner bodies who attended and led the service – Rev. Tara Curlewis of the Reformed Churches Ecumenical Office Rome, Archbishop Flavio Pace of Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Mons. Marco Gnavi of the Office of Ecumenism and Dialogue, Fr. Jim Litchicum of the Anglican Centre in Rome, and Br. Matthew of the Taize Community. Br. Matthew was accompanied by three other Taize brothers – Br. Benoit, Br. Marek, and Br. Matthias. There were representatives of various Orthodox churches including Archbishop Khajag Barsamian from the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Roman Curia, and the Vatican diplomatic corps who also attended.

Church leaders offer the final blessing together. Photo by Hureem Salas/ACR.

The ecumenical prayer service was an expression of the continued initiative of the ‘Together’, a project initiated by Br. Alois of the Taize Community which included a weekend program of dialogue and unity in September-October 2023 and a prayer vigil on 30 September 2023 in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. The ‘Together’ Initiative assembled senior church leaders from all major Christian confessional families to pray together and for each other. The 2023 prayer vigil included the President of the World Methodist Council, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Ecumenical Patriarch, a representative of the Waldensian Evangelical Church, and the Bishop of Rome, plus many other senior church leaders.

Photos by Hureem Salas/ACR

Ecumenical Prayer Service for the Sick and for Pope Francis – 21 March 2025

March 18, 2025April 2, 2025meorome

The Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, the Reformed Churches Ecumenical Office Rome, and the Anglican Centre in Rome with the Taize Community, the Office of Ecumenism and Dialogue of the Vicarate of Rome, and the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity of the Holy See cordially invite you to an ecumenical prayer service for the sick and suffering and for the health of Pope Francis on Friday, 21 March 2025 at 15:00 at the Church of San Lorenzo in Piscibus (Centro Internazionale Giovanile San Lorenzo). The church is located at Via Padre Pfeiffer Pancrazio 24, 00193 Roma.

The ecumenical prayer service will be led by Br. Matthew, Prior of the Taize Community, along with other Taize brothers using the Taize Community’s liturgy and music.

There is no parking available on-site, though there are several parking garages in the vicinity.

Please note that there will be a photographer/ videographer present for communication purposes. Kindly let us know if you prefer not to appear in any communications about the event.

The event is open to the public.

Via Padre Pancrazio Pfeiffer 24, Rome, Italy