WCC NEWS: Bossey students embark on study visit to Rome

Students from the World Council of Churches (WCC) Bossey Ecumenical Institute began an 8-day study visit to Rome on 19 January, with a full programme that includes lectures, tours of the Vatican, and opportunities to interact with leaders from the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. Cardinal Kurt Koch from the Dicastry for Promoting Christian Unity welcomed  Bossey students and staff during their study visit to Rome and the Vatican. Photo: Lawrence Iwuamadi/ WCC 23 January 2023 At the beginning of their study tour, among other activities, students visited the Gregorian University and Cardinal Bea Centre for Judaic Studies. Students will also be involved in interreligious dialogues, visit local holy sites, and attend Sunday mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica. They will also meet with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and participate in worship for the closing of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity at Saint Paul Outside the Walls on 25 January. In the last days of their visit, students will be part of the general audience with Pope Francis, and meet with representatives from the community of Sant’ Egidio. A thematic quote from the student progamme, taken from the booklet for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2023, reads: “Jesus has won a decisive victory over injustice, sin and division, and as Christians our task is to receive this victory firstly in our own hearts through prayer and secondly in our lives through action. May we never lose heart, but rather continue to ask in prayer for God’s gift of unity and may we manifest this unity in our lives.” Students from Bossey Ecumenical Institute visit Vatican Media The Ecumenical Institute Bossey Apply now: Bossey online course in Ecumenical Studies   See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland