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“I had heard him talk about the ecumenical movement and unity of the churches already before, right after his inauguration,” said Bedford-Strohm. “He said that ecumenics and the unity of the churches are some of his priorities.”
Bedford-Strohm said the most recent meeting with Pope Leo on 28 February showed Pope Leo really means what he says.
“The way our meeting went, was very friendly, very much listening to each other and very much characterized by the strong will of the churches acting together,” said Bedford-Strohm. “We did speak about the division and the violence in the world and also about the misuse of Christian religion for political purposes that are opposite to the values of the gospel.”
Bedford-Strohm added that Pope Leo and the WCC leadership agreed that every human being is created in the image of God. “That is what we affirm together, and in our talks with Pope Leo, we found we saw a person who strongly feels about putting Jesus Christ in the center, and leading us together, and giving us a voice in the world that really lives the love of Jesus Christ in this world,” said Bedford-Strohm.
Hyde Riley expressed gratitude for the opportunity to meet with Pope Leo. “In a world where there is so much fragmentation, polarization, division, it is so important when we are able to come together though from different communions to be able to discuss issues concerning the witness of the church,” she said. “Today we spoke about issues of peace, unity, and the environment—all very, very relevant issues in the times in which we live.”
The conversation was very open and engaging, said Hyde Riley. “There are many ways in which the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches work together,” she said. “We have theological differences but we have to be able to move beyond those differences to be able to address the very pressing issues of today, and we believe that in our conversations today we agreed to that.”
Aykazian also expressed appreciation for the visit to the Vatican.
“I think our mission was accomplished because the Holy Father shares our concerns, and for us, there are three important words: share, care, and be fair,” said Aykazian. “I'm very happy the Holy Father is thinking exactly the same way as we do, and hopefully in the future we are going to achieve many, many goals that we have in our life.”
One of the highlights of the WCC delegation’s visit was getting to know the new Laudato Si’ Center, a new place of ecological education close to Rome.
“It is an inspiring place where the ecological transformation that we need for the world is being lived now,” explained Aykazian. “This is what Pope Francis promoted so much, and this is what his successor, Pope Leo, also stands for.”
WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, who was part of the WCC delegation visiting the Vatican, was absent at the time of the video recording due to his travel schedule.
WCC leadership meets Pope Leo XIV (WCC news release, 28 February 2026)
