Second session of 2020–2021 ‘Ut unum sint’ Diploma

The second session of the Ut unum sint Diploma, a higher education course organized by the Institute for Ecumenical Studies of the Angelicum, was held on 27–28 November 2020 in collaboration with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The session was dedicated to “Multilateral Dialogues in the Catholic Church” and comprised lectures on “The World Council of Churches and the Global Christian Forum” (Father Andrzej Choromanski, Professor at the Angelicum and Official of the PCPCU); on “The Faith and Order Commission” (Reverend Professor William Henn, OFM Cap); and on “The Joint Working Group” (Monsignor Juan Usma Gómez, Professor at the Angelicum and Head of the Western Section of the PCPCU).

On Friday 27 November, Brother Alois, Prior of the Taizé Community, presented a lecture on “Ut unum sint: New horizons, new generations” within the framework of the Tillard Chair.

On the afternoon of Saturday 28 November an ecumenical visit was made to the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome, where the students were welcomed by Reverend Pastor Matthew A. Laferty, who was joined by Father Anthony Currer, Official of the PCPCU. The visit was also followed online by some students.

The previous ecumenical visit was to the Greek Orthodox Church of San Teodoro al Palatino, where the group was welcomed by Reverend Archimandrite Simeone Catsinas and Professor Dimitrios Keramidas.

The Ut unum sint Diploma is a higher education course inaugurated in 2019 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the encyclical Ut unum sint. The programme, which is offered both on–campus and online, comprises 16 units, undertaken on Friday–Saturday monthly, for two years. Each thematic unit consists of three lectures, an ecumenical visit and a conference with an ecumenical leader (Tillard Chair). The 2020–2021 group of students comprises about 20 students, many of whom are involved at the diocesan level as delegates for ecumenism.