Annual study visit to Rome and the Vatican of the Bossey Ecumenical Institute

28 Jan 2022

A group of 37 students, faculty members and staff from the Bossey Ecumenical Institute, Switzerland, visited Rome and the Vatican from 20 to 27 January 2022. The students came from 19 countries and represented over 20 different Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities, including Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and various Protestant traditions, both historic and new, comprising also Evangelicals and Pentecostals.

The programme covered visits to different dicasteries of the Roman Curia, encounters with representatives of religious orders and with Catholic lay movements, visits to theological faculties and guided tours to the main sites of Christian history in Rome. The students visited the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, where they were received by the President, Cardinal Kurt Koch, and met with some staff members who introduced them to the ecumenical commitment of the Holy See.

One of the highlights of this year’s visit was the attendance at the Saint Thomas Aquinas Pontifical University for the launch of a document prepared by PCPCU entitled Ecumenism in a Time of Pandemic: From Crisis to Opportunity, followed by an ecumenical panel. On Sunday the group participated in the Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Saint Peter’s Basilica on the occasion of the Sunday of the Word of God. On Tuesday the group members attended the vespers celebrated by Pope Francis to conclude the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, and on the following day they had an opportunity to meet with the Holy Father during the general audience.

This annual study visit organized and sponsored by the Pontifical Council offers a unique opportunity to the students of Bossey to gain a deeper understanding of the Catholic Church. The last visit in January 2021 took place online due to healthcare restrictions.