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Groups Visit MEOR During First Week of November 2024

November 8, 2024November 9, 2024meorome

Several groups visited the MEOR offices during the first week of November 2024.

A group of Methodist, Lutheran, and Catholic volunteers from Infopoint Kirchen – Offener Himmel in Salzburg, Austria, visited Rev. Matthew A. Laferty and the offices of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome on Wednesday, 6 November 2024, where Rev. Laferty shared about MEOR’s ministry of ecumenial dialogue, cooperation, and hospitality. ‘Offener Himmel’ is an ecumenical project of the Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg and the churches of the Ecumenical Working Group of Salzburg. The Rev. Dorothee Büürma, pastor of the Salzburg United Methodist Church, led the group.

On the same day, Pope Francis greeted the group following the Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, accompanied by Rev. Laferty.

Rev. Laferty also welcomed Rev. Steve Stockman and Fr. Martin Magill from the 4 Corners Festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 6 November 2024. The 4 Corners Festival seeks to inspire people from across Belfast to transform it for the peace and wellbeing of all. It features innovative events designed to entice people out of their own ‘corners’ of the city and into new places where they will encounter new perspectives, new ideas and hopefully meet new friends.

Rev. Steve Stockman, Rev. Laferty, Fr. Martin Magill

Rev. Laferty also arranged several visits for Rev. Stockman, Fr. Magill, and their group, including a meeting with the Irish ambassador to the Holy See Ms. Frances Collins on Wednesday, 6 November 2024.

A group from Christians Aware visited the MEOR offices on 7 November 2024 on their ecumenical pilgrimage in Rome. Director Matthew A. Laferty met the group and shared about MEOR’s ministry, Methodist-Catholic dialogue, and ecumenism in Rome.

Christians Aware is a network of individuals and groups including Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Society of Friends and United Reformed Church Members who link in with local churches and communities around the world. It offers varied opportunities for listening encounters, learning and reflection, so that understanding and trust may grow between people who may then work together to overcome injustices.

Top photo: Pope Francis greeting (l-r) Ms. Margit Wallner, Rev. Dorothee Büürma, and Rev. Matthew A. Laferty in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican on 6 November 2024. Photo by Vatican Media.

Director Laferty, Prof. Park Participate in Ecumenical Prayer Vigil in Historic Square in the Vatican During Synod on Synodality

October 15, 2024October 28, 2024meorome

ROME (MEOR) – On 11 October 2024, the Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, and the Rev. Prof. Jong Chun Park, immediate past president of the World Methodist Council, participated in an ecumenical prayer vigil in the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs in the Vatican. The square commemorates where the Apostle Peter was executed. The prayer vigil was held on the 62nd anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council for delegates and experts to the 16th Ordindary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, called the Synod on Synodality. The service was led the fraternal delegates to the Synod along with permanent representatives of Christian world communions in Rome and local Roman ecumenical leaders. Prof. Park is the fraternal delegate to the Synod and Rev. Laferty represents the World Methodist Council in Rome.

Pope Francis preached, saying

the unity of Christians is essential to their witness: unity is for the sake of mission….the unity of Christians is essential to their witness: unity is for the sake of mission. “That they may all be one… so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21). This was the conviction of the Council Fathers when they declared that our division “scandalizes the world, and damages the holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature” (Unitatis Reintegratio, 1). The ecumenical movement evolved from the desire to bear common witness: to witness alongside one another, not standing apart from or, worse yet, at odds with one another. In this place, the Roman protomartyrs remind us that today too, in many parts of the world, Christians of different traditions are laying down their lives together for their faith in Jesus Christ, embodying an ecumenism of blood. Their witness speaks more powerfully than any words, because unity is born of the Cross of the Lord.

Rev. Laferty and Prof. Park assisted in leading prayers.

Rev. Laferty (left) processing into the Square of Roman Protomartyrs with Pope Francis and other ecumenical leaders. Photo by Vatican Media.
Rev. Prof. Jong Chun Park leads prayers during the ecumenical prayer vigil. Photo by Vatican Media.
Rev. Laferty (right) and Rev. Paul Tche of the Disciples of Christ (left) leading prayers as Pope Francis looks on. Photo by Vatican Media.

Church of North India Bishops, Executive Leaders Meet Pope Francis – October 2024

October 11, 2024November 4, 2024meorome

A delegation of bishops and senior church executive leaders from the Church in North India met Pope Francis in private audience on Wednesday, 9 October 2024. The delegation was led by senior bishop the Rt. Rev. Paritosh Canning, bishop of Calcutta, deputy moderator the Rt. Rev. Manoj Charan, bishop of Bhopal. and CNI general secertary the Rev. Dr. D.J. Ajith Kumar. In the delegation there were 19 active and 2 retired bishops, nearly the entire NCI college of bishops, along with 12 senior church executive responsible for programmatic, legal, financial, administrative, and communications departments of the Church of North India. Additionally, Mr. Joshua Rathnam, vice president of the World Methodist Council, was a member of the delegation.

During the audience, Pope Francis greeted individually each member of the delegation, thanked the delegation for their visit and for their witness to Christian unity in the multi-religious nation of India, and asked the delegation to pray from him. The Pope led the group in the Lord’s Prayer. The delegation presented stoles with the CNI logo to Pope Francis.

The Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, accompanied the delegation and introduced them to Pope Francis. H.E. Monsignor Flavio Pace, secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, also accompanied the group.

The meeting was arranged by the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome.

The Church of North India is a united Protestant Church established through a church union in 1970. The union included the Methodist Church (British and Australian Conferences), the United Church of Northern India (Congregationalist and Presbyterian), the Council of Baptist Churches in Northern India, the Church of the Brethren in India, the Disciples of Christ, and the Anglican Church. The Church of North India is a member church of the World Methodist Council.

Photos by Vatican Media.

Lead United Methodist Bishop in Nigeria and Spouse Meet Pope Francis

October 11, 2024October 29, 2024meorome

Bishop John Schol, lead bishop ad interim of The United Methodist Church in Nigeria, along with Mrs. Beverly Schol met Pope Francis following the General Audience on 9 October 2024. They were accompanied by Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, who introduced them to Pope Francis.

Bishop John Schol (right) meeting Pope Francis (left) in St. Peter’s Square as Rev. Matthew Laferty (middle) introduces him. Photo by Vatican Media.
Bishop John Schol (right) and Mrs. Beverly Schol (second right) meeting Pope Francis (left) in St. Peter’s Square as Rev. Matthew Laferty (middle) looks on. Photo by Vatican Media.