Students from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C. met the Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome and the WMC representative to the Holy See, on Thursday, 25 June 2026. He shared with them about MEOR’s ministries, 21st century ecumenism, Methodist-Catholic international dialogue, and intra-Methodist relations.
He also accompanied them during their visit to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.
ROME (MEOR) – The Rev. Matthew A. Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, met a group of deacons from European Methodist churches on 4 March 2026 during their annual retreat. The group was composed of 9 deacons from 8 different countries who are connecting the church in mission and service to the world.
During his presentation, Rev. Laferty shared about the ministry of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome and briefed the deacons on the state of international Methodist-Catholic relations. He shared about the current dialogue between the Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council and the commission’s recently published text “We Believe in One God: Sixty Years of Methodists and Catholics Walking Together.” He also led a discussion about the ways that Methodists and Christians from other churches can already live the unity we share in Christ, particularly in a grassroots context.
The retreat was held at Centro Ecumene, the retreat center of the Methodist Churches in Italy, in Velletri outside of Rome.
Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome 