The Bishop of Rome and Christian Unity – Ecumenical Webinar

On 18 March 2025, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (DPCU) jointly hosted an ecumenical webinar titled "The Bishop of Rome and Christian Unity." This was the first in a series of webinars envisioned by WCC’s Commission on Faith and Order (FO), in collaboration with various Christian Communions, to explore Christian unity in the lead-up to the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order. The conference, themed "Where Now for Visible Unity?" is scheduled for October 2025 near Alexandria, Egypt.

The webinar featured discussions on the recently published DPCU study document, "The Bishop of Rome: Primacy and Synodality in the Ecumenical Dialogues and in the Responses to the Encyclical Ut Unum Sint." The role of the Bishop of Rome in fostering Christian unity has historically been a point of division among churches. In his 1995 encyclical Ut Unum Sint, Pope John Paul II invited church leaders and theologians to discern together how the papal ministry could be exercised in a way that would be acceptable to all Christians. In 2020, the DPCU marked the 25th anniversary of this only papal encyclical dedicated to ecumenical commitment, by renewing this discussion. This effort culminated in 2024 with the publication of the study document introduced in the webinar.

The session opened with a presentation of the document by Revd Prof. Juan Usma Gómez (see the text – link here) and Revd Prof. Hyacinthe Destivelle, OP, (see the text – link here), both officials of the DPCU and theologians who coordinated and oversaw the preparation of the document. Their insights were followed by perspectives from prominent ecumenical scholars: Prof. Dr Eve Tibbs (Ecumenical Patriarchate, USA) provided an Orthodox viewpoint (see the text – link here), Prof. Dr Nicholas Sagovsky (Anglican Communion, UK) offered a mainline church perspective (see the text – link here), and Prof. Dr Elizabeth Newman (Baptist World Communion, USA) represented Free Church traditions (see the text – link here). The discussion was moderated by Prof. Catherine Clifford (Catholic Church, Canada).

Attended by approximately 200 participants, the webinar facilitated an engaging exchange of theological perspectives and highlighted possible directions for further dialogue on the reception of the DPCU document within different church traditions. The event concluded with a Q&A session, allowing participants to share their reflections with the panelists and other participants.

It is anticipated that this webinar will encourage further theological reflection and ecumenical discussions on the ministry of the Bishop of Rome in response to John Paul II’s invitation: "that we may seek—together, of course—the forms in which this ministry may accomplish a service of love recognized by all concerned" (Ut Unum Sint 95).