Vatican City: In a rare and meaningful encounter, Pope Leo XIV met with members of the Joint Working Group between the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches (WCC), underscoring the urgent need for Christian unity in a fragmented world. The meeting followed the conclusion of the group’s plenary session on September 3, which focused on dialogue, shared experiences, and exploring future priorities for ecumenical collaboration.
Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, offered insights into the plenary session and the audience with the Pope during an interview with Vatican News. According to Archbishop Pace, the second phase of the Joint Working Group was designed to deepen the understanding of the Roman Curia among WCC representatives. Unlike conventional visits to individual dicasteries, the participants were divided into small groups of four and engaged in dynamic presentations and synodal-style discussions led by various curial offices, including the Secretariat of State, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Dicastery for Evangelization, the Dicastery for Divine Worship, the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, and the General Secretariat of the Synod.
“This format offered a tangible sense of a Curia that listens, interacts, and walks together in mission,” Archbishop Pace said. He also highlighted a reflection from Cardinal Prefect Kurt Koch, who addressed the contemporary challenges facing the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. Following this, the group worked in three subcommissions, combining Catholic and WCC representatives to discuss pressing ecumenical topics, with the goal of producing a joint document by the end of the current mandate, which extends until 2030.
Originally planned as a brief introduction and photo opportunity, the audience with Pope Leo XIV became a deeply personal encounter. The Pope greeted each participant individually, asking about their origins and the Church traditions they represented. Before leading the group in the Our Father and giving his blessing, he offered heartfelt words of encouragement.
“The Holy Father emphasized that the joint effort between the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches must continue, especially now, when the world is so deeply divided and wounded,” Archbishop Pace recounted. “He reminded us that Christian witness must always be a call to unity and communion.”
By inviting the group to pray together, Pope Leo highlighted that true unity springs from a shared relationship with Christ, calling God as Father. His simple but profound words left participants inspired, filling them with joy, renewed hope, and a strengthened sense of responsibility toward the ongoing mission of ecumenical dialogue.
As Archbishop Pace summarized, the encounter was not merely ceremonial it reflected a vision of a living, listening Church, committed to walking together with other Christian traditions in pursuit of unity. In a world riven by divisions, the Pope’s message resonated as both urgent and timeless: Christian communion is not optional, but essential.