After the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the end of December, a funeral was held at the Vatican on January 5, with tens of thousands in attendance.

Among the ecumenical partners at the event was Canadian officer Lt-Colonel Andrew Morgan, officer commanding, Italy and Greece Command, who was invited by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and attended in his capacity as the General’s representative to the Vatican. 

Hosted by Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, the ecumenical partners were given private access to the body of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica and then ushered into seating on the steps of the Basilica just in front of the Holy Door, with a view of St. Peter’s Square. 

“The pomp and ceremony combined with the grandiose and historic location of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome were overwhelming,” Lt-Colonel Morgan shares. “Being close enough to the altar, the rich smell of ceremonial incense added to the sensory experience.”

At the conclusion of the funeral mass, Pope Francis met with the ecumenical partners, taking time to shake hands with each person in attendance. Lt-Colonel Morgan offered His Holiness condolences on behalf of the General and the worldwide Salvation Army. 

“My presence at the funeral highlighted, at such a significant and public event, that The Salvation Army values our ecumenical relationship with the Catholic Church and desires through its presence at the funeral to enhance mutual understanding of our global denominations,” Lt-Colonel Morgan notes. “In addition, being among other ecumenical partners attending the funeral offered an openness to informal one-on-one dialogue that is otherwise very difficult to replicate.”

The Salvation Army has a well-established ecumenical relationship with the Catholic Church, with numerous helpful contacts between Salvationists and Catholics at various levels around the world, as well as the appointment of the General’s representative to the Vatican.