Students from Switzerland Participate in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Rome

Rome, January 22, 2025: A group of 40 students from the Bossey Ecumenical Institute in Geneva, Switzerland, arrived in Rome on 19th January to participate in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. During their visit, organized by the World Council of Churches, the participants will engage in prayer services, visit key Vatican dicasteries, and explore historical landmarks in Rome, all while deepening their understanding of Christian unity. Among the students were Tobias Adam from the Protestant Church in Switzerland and Rev. Veronica Brilliant from Indonesia’s Batak Christian Protestant Church, who shared their experiences with Vatican News.

Speaking to Vatican News’ Joseph Tulloch, Rev. Brilliant said that the opportunity to meet with officials from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, which she had studied at Bossey, was “exciting”.

“The Dicastery was the starting point for Roman Catholic engagement with the ecumenical movement after the Second Vatican Council", she said.

Adam also shared his thoughts regarding his experience during the visit. "It was fascinating to get inside those giant buildings with the fancy names and the Pope’s crest," he told Vatican News. He added that “it was very interesting to meet the people behind those names, to see their stories, their diversity, their backgrounds – and also to see them as humans, as fellow believers.”

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, celebrated annually from January 18th to 25th, allows students to not only explore the historical and spiritual significance of Christian unity but to experience it firsthand through shared prayer and reflection.

“I think it’s a very, very important week”, says Adam, “because it gives us a taste of what unity is all about.” During the week, he said, participants “pray together, stand in front of our God together, and get to know each other’s traditions. I think that prayer is such a beautiful space to do that, because it’s not only about theological differences or what separates us, but what unites us – and that’s our faith in one, triune God.”

Rev. Brilliant echoed Adam's sentiments, referring to Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Ut Unum Sint (That all might be one) as a powerful reminder of this shared faith. “We have our own tradition, we have different backgrounds, but in the end we stand together as one body – with Christ at the head,” she added.

The Bossey Ecumenical Institute, which brings together students from various Christian traditions every autumn to live, study, and pray in an 18th-century Swiss chateau, plays a vital role in fostering interfaith dialogue and understanding. For many of the students, the trip to Rome was a culmination of their semester-long experience, providing them with a deeper sense of Christian solidarity and a glimpse into the Vatican’s ecumenical efforts.

Courtesy: Vatican News