“The Christian mission does not end with our own church walls. It is universal. Together, our churches have more credibility,” said FSPC President Gottfried Locher before meeting with Francis. For this reason, the FSPC President invited Pope Francis to join an ecumenical dialogue on the occasion of the Zwingli Jubilee in 2019. In the coming anniversary year, the aim is to discuss the significance of the Reformed tradition for the global church.

From 1519 on, Reformer Ulrich Zwingli preached his Christian idea of freedom from the pulpit of Zurich’s Grossmünster. The movement of renewal initiated by him changed city, canton and country and radiated out into Europe and the world. Today, the Reformed movement is the largest tradition within Protestantism.

The meeting took place in the course of the papal visit of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, where Pope Francis spoke on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the WCC that is currently being celebrated.

Pope Francis had accepted the WCC’s invitation to join in the festivities. In Geneva, he expressed his appreciation for the WCC’s work as part of the global church movement.

In addition to FSPC President Gottfried Locher, Vice President Esther Gaillard and Vice President Daniel Reuter participated in the meeting on behalf of the FSPC.