WCC NEWS: WCC leaders will attend inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV

Moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay will attend the inauguration mass of Pope Leo XIV, to be held 18 May in St Peter’s Square. Photo: Vatican Media 15 May 2025 “I am happy to join so many in the celebration of Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass,” said Bedford-Strohm. “His election into this office is so important not only for the church but also for the world, and promises to be a great chance for progress towards unity of the church.” Bedford-Strohm reflected that, already, Pope Leo XIV has explicitly taken up themes that put the WCC at the side of his predecessor Pope Francis, with whom the WCC had a close relationship.  “Themes which are central to Pope Leo are also central for us in the WCC,” he said. “His naming puts him in the tradition of Pope Leo XIII, who with his encyclical Rerum Novarum moved the theme of social justice into the center of attention for church and society.” Bedford-Strohm also commented on Pope Leo’s insistence of overcoming war and opening doors to peace, which fully resonates with the efforts of the WCC. “And his wide experience both in the global North and in the global South unites us in the WCC with him and bears the potential of growing into a church that honors the different contexts and is yet united in common brother and sisterhood,” said Bedford-Strohm. “We pray for his pontificate and we happily join him in the celebration of this new phase in his life and in the life of the whole church.” Bedford-Strohm and Pillay will attend an audience with Pope Leo XIV on 19 May WCC to Pope Leo XIV: “the world needs justice, peace, reconciliation, and unity” | World Council of Churches WCC congratulates Pope Leo XIV | World Council of Churches.  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 Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland