Pope Francis’ one-day pilgrimage to Geneva will mark another major ecumenical moment in his papacy.
While he will celebrate Mass for the nation’s Catholics and meet with Vatican diplomatic staff working at U.N. agencies there, the trip’s major focus is highlighting the Catholic Church’s commitment to seeking Christian unity and recognizing the unique contribution of the World Council of Churches.
Of his 22 apostolic trips abroad, the upcoming June 21 pilgrimage will be his second that’s so intently focused on ecumenism.
In 2016, he traveled to Lund, Sweden, for a joint commemoration with the Lutheran World Federation marking the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation begun by Martin Luther.
This time, Pope Francis heads to Geneva — where John Calvin led the reformation in the 16th-century — to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the World Council of Churches.
The WCC is a fellowship of 350 member-churches, representing Protestant communities and most of the Orthodox churches in the world. In total, these member churches represent 500 million Christians worldwide, making it the broadest coalition in the ecumenical movement. More on CatholicPhilly
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