The Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome and representative of the World Methodist Council to the Holy See, extends to you and your loved ones the best wishes for a blessed Easter. Christ is risen! May the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ bring peace, love, joy, and life to our world.
Christians from across traditions gathered in the heart of Rome on Friday, March 20, 2026, for an ecumenical prayer vigil for peace, offering a quiet yet powerful witness amid a world marked by conflict and uncertainty.
Held at the Church of Santa Lucia of Gonfalone in central Rome, the vigil brought together representatives from Anglican, Methodist, Reformed and Taizé communities, alongside participation from the Holy See. The service became a space where diversity of tradition met in shared lament, hope and intercession.
The vigil was organized collaboratively by the the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, Anglican Centre in Rome, the Reformed Churches Ecumenical Office in Rome, and the Taizé Community. Archbishop Flavio Pace, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, represented the Holy See, underscoring the significance of the gathering within the wider ecumenical movement.
Opening the service, Rev. Tara Curlewis of the Reformed Churches Ecumenical Office and Brother Matthew of the Taizé Community invited those present into a time of prayer rooted in both urgency and trust. Intercessions focused on an end to armed conflict, protection for those living in war zones and the restoration of peace across the world.
Prayers were led by Archbishop Pace, Rev. Matthew Laferty of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome and Sister Dr. Elizabeth Anderson of the Anglican Centre. The service concluded with a shared blessing offered by Rev. Matthew Laferty, Rev. Tara Curlewis, Rev. Dr. Peter Adenekan of the Anglican Centre, and Archbishop Pace.
Music for the vigil was provided by an ecumenical team – Rev. Sarah Mae Gabuyo from Ponte Sant’Angelo Methodist Church in Rome on flute, Mr. Conner Drennen from St. Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome on piano, and Fr. Miguel Pedro Melo, SJ from the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network on guitar.
One of the most striking features of the evening was the participation of the congregation itself. Intercessions were offered in multiple languages — English, Italian, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese — reflecting both the global nature of the church and the shared longing for peace that transcends borders. The Lord’s Prayer was spoken in the preferred languages of those gathered, a moment that embodied unity in diversity. Music provided by local church musicians wove through the service, deepening its contemplative tone.
The vigil was organized in response to a joint call for renewed commitment to the “gift of peace,” issued earlier this month by the general secretaries of several global Christian communions, including the World Methodist Council. It also took place within a broader context of heightened concern for ongoing conflicts, including the situation in the Middle East. In the Anglican Communion, the gathering coincided with the one-month anniversary of a pastoral letter from Archbishop Hosam Naoum, calling for urgent and sustained prayer as violence in the region escalates. The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church – a member church of the World Methodist Council – issued a call for prayer and action for peace, particularly with the escalating war in western Asia, at the beginning of March.
Reflecting on the evening, Rev. Matthew Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office, described the importance of the evening: “Tonight’s prayer vigil witnesses to the unity that we already share in Christ, our lament for violence and death in our world, and our hope for just and durable peace. We meet each other and Christ in prayer, so we may join hands together to work for justice and peace for all humankind.”
The 2022 report from the international Methodist-Catholic dialogue commission focused on reconciliation, calling Methodists and Catholics to peace-building together. The report states that “the reconciliation of enemies takes the form of peace-making. Part of the work of reconciliation between peoples and countries is the building of international cooperation to resolve conflicts by peaceful means and so prevent the horrors of warfare. Methodists and Catholics are called to be peacemakers and witnesses to this important work of reconciliation” (§128 of the 2022 Gothenburg Report on reconciliation).
DOWNLOAD: The 2022 Gothenburg Report on reconciliation in PDF format (753 KB)
In a time when divisions — both political and ecclesial — often dominate headlines, the vigil in Rome offered a different narrative: one of shared faith, collective compassion and a united cry for peace.
Photo above: Members of the congregation at the vigil in the Church of Santa Lucia. Photo by P. Cheney/ACR.
“We are one! We already are! Let us recognize it, experience it and make it visible!” – Pope Leo XIV from his homily on 25 January 2026 at the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
In the passage from the Letter to the Ephesians chosen as the theme for this year’s Week of Prayer, we repeatedly hear the adjective “one”: one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God (cf. Eph 4:4-6). Dear brothers and sisters, how can these inspired words not touch us deeply? How can our hearts not burn within us when we hear them? Yes, “we share the same faith in the one and only God, the Father of all people; we confess together the one Lord and true Son of God, Jesus Christ, and the one Holy Spirit, who inspires us and impels us towards full unity and the common witness to the Gospel” (Apostolic Letter In Unitate Fidei, 23 November 2025, 12). We are one! We already are! Let us recognize it, experience it and make it visible!
Pope Leo XIV from his homily on 25 January 2026
On Sunday, 25 January 2026, representatives from different churches prayed together for unity, witnessing to their common baptism and spiritual communion already shared in Christ, at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, participated in the Vespers, representing the worldwide Methodist family.
Photo above: Pope Leo met Director Laferty before the Vespers on 25 January 2026 along with several other church representatives. Photo © Vatican Media
ROME (MEOR) – Pope Leo XIV met Bishop Knut Refsdal (second left), bishop of the Nordic-Baltic-Ukraine Area of The United Methodist Church, and Rev. Myron Howie (center), treasurer of the World Methodist Council, following the General Audience on Wednesday morning, 26 November 2025. They were accompanied by Rev. Howie’s spouse Rev. Jules Dunham Howie (second right) and child Ms. Grace Howie (third left), as well as Director Matthew A. Laferty (left) of the Methodist Ecumenical Office and Fr. Martin Browne OSB (right) of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity .
Rev. Myron Howie and Rev. Jules Dunham Howie are ordained ministers of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Photo © Vatican Media
ROME (MEOR) – Bishop Dr. Debra Wallace-Padgett, president of the World Methodist Council, and the Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, attended the 39th annual international peace meeting ‘Spirit of Assisi’ in Rome from 26-28 October 2025 organized by the Sant’Egidio Community. The theme for the peace meeting was ‘Daring Peace’. Bishop Wallace-Padgett was among the cohort of senior religious leaders participating in the conference. Deacon Alessandra Trotta, moderator of the Methodist-Waldensian Church in Italy, and Lord Griffiths of Burry Port FLSW, minister of the Methodist Church of Great Britain and member of the House of Lords (UK), were additional Methodist participants. Alongside leaders from various Christian churches, senior leaders from the world’s major religions including Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Shintoism, and others also attended the interreligious conference.
Bishop Wallace-Padgett and Deacon Trotta spoke on a panel on stopping the death penalty during the conference.
The Christian conference invitees prayed together in the Colosseum before the closing ceremony. Among the other church leaders present were Pope Leo of the Catholic Church, Patriarch Mar Awa III from the Assyrian Church of the East, and Bishop Henrik Stubkjær of the Lutheran World Federation.
Other Methodists who participated in aspects of the conference were Ms Stephanie Gabuyo from WMC Youth and Young Adults, Rev Mirella Manocchio from Via XX Settembre Methodist Church, and Rev Sarah Mae Gabuyo from Ponte Sant’Angelo Methodist Church.
Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome 