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The visit forms an integral part of the institute’s academic programme, offering participants a unique opportunity to engage directly with key institutions, leaders, and communities involved in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.
The weeklong programme will include visits to several Vatican dicasteries, including the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, and Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Participants will also meet with representatives of the Synod Secretariat, Vatican News, and the Pontifical Mission Societies.
A highlight of the visit will be participation in a general audience with Pope Leo XIV, as well as attendance at major liturgical celebrations marking the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, including the closing ecumenical service at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls.
Bossey’s academic dean Rev. Fr Dr Lawrence Iwuamadi shared his enthusiasm about the visit.
“For our students, the annual trip to Rome and the Vatican is more than a study visit; it is a memorable tradition that brings their learning to life and remains the highlight of their academic year. This year’s programme will even be more special by their first-ever encounter with Pope Leo XIV.”
Students will also take part in an ecumenical panel at the Angelicum reflecting on the 60th anniversary of the lifting of the mutual anathemas between Rome and Constantinople (1965–2025), focusing on healing of memories and the ongoing journey toward Christian unity.
The programme further includes encounters with academic and ecumenical centres such as Centro Pro Unione, Pontifical Gregorian University, and Cardinal Bea Centre for Judaic Studies, as well as meetings with the Union of Superiors General and the Community of Sant’Egidio.
Visits to major basilicas, the Vatican Museums, and sites of Christian witness and memory will complement the academic and dialogue-focused elements of the visit.
Rooted in the theme “There is one body and one Spirit” (Ephesians 4:4), the study visit reflects the Ecumenical Institute’s commitment to formation through encounter, prayer, and shared reflection.
