Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, offers a summary of the plenary session of the Joint Working Group between the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches (WCC) and their meeting with Pope Leo.
Vatican News
The plenary session of the Joint Working Group between the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches (WCC) concluded on 3 September. The meeting aimed at exchanging experiences, strengthening relationships, and exploring new priorities.
Speaking to Vatican News, Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, reflected on the group’s work and their audience with Pope Leo XIV.
Archbishop Flavio Pace, what emerged from the second session of the work?
The second session of this phase of the Joint Working Group, as is customary, was primarily dedicated to helping the members of the group — especially those from the World Council of Churches — gain a deeper understanding of the Roman Curia.
The workshop was particularly enriching. Instead of visiting each dicastery individually, we brought together small groups of four representatives from various dicasteries or curial institutions. They gave short presentations on their work and engaged in a dynamic, synodal-style dialogue. Participants included representatives from 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.
Archbishop Pace: “By inviting us to pray the Our Father together, the Pope reminded us that the true source and strength of unity is found in our relationship with Christ.” (@Vatican Media)
This offered participants a tangible sense of a Curia that is alive — one that listens, interacts, and walks together, each according to its own area of expertise. So, when this second phase takes place in Rome, as it traditionally does, it will be an opportunity for deep encounter and listening.
We also heard from Cardinal Prefect Kurt Koch, who spoke about the current challenges facing the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.
After, the Joint Working Group resumed its internal work, divided into three subcommissions — composed of both Catholic members and representatives of the WCC — to address certain topics. As is customary, these discussions will likely result in a joint document at the end of the group’s mandate. It is worth noting that the current mandate runs until 2030, and its findings will be presented both to the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches. This is, therefore, a long-term and ongoing effort.
The meeting with Pope Leo…
It was a truly beautiful encounter. First of all, because the Holy Father made room in his schedule and received us before the General Audience.
Originally, it was supposed to be a brief greeting — a chance to introduce ourselves and take a group photo. But in fact, the Pope took the time to speak with each participant individually, asking where they came from and which Church or tradition they represented.
Before the Our Father, the blessing, and the group photo, the Pope offered us a personal word of encouragement. He particularly emphasized that this 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 — because the call to unity is more urgent than ever.
Christian witness, and the witness of the Churches, must be a call to unity and communion.
By inviting us to pray the Our Father together, the Pope reminded us that the true source and strength of unity is found in our relationship with Christ — in calling upon God as Father.
He then gave us his blessing. So it turned out to be a much more meaningful encounter than expected: he gave us more time than planned, and his simple words filled us with joy, renewed hope, and a deeper sense of responsibility toward this mission of communion.
