For the first time in its 14-year history, the Belfast-based 4 Corners Festival has brought its grassroots approach to peacebuilding and Christian unity to Rome during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18 –25 January 2026).
One of the most significant moments of this unique six-day Rome section of the journey was on Wednesday 21 January when the group attended a General Audience with Pope Leo at the Vatican. Among thousands of pilgrims gathered from across the world, the 4 Corners delegation was greeted as a pilgrim group and received the Pope’s blessing, a deeply moving moment for participants drawn from different Christian traditions.
Twenty-six participants – Committee members, friends and benefactors, travelled together ahead of the main 4 Corners Festival, which takes place in Belfast from 30 January to 6 February 2026. This year’s festival theme, “Journey”, shaped every aspect of the Rome programme, not simply as a metaphor, but as a lived experience of walking, listening, praying and reflecting together.
Founded in Belfast, a city still shaped by conflict and reconciliation, the 4 Corners Festival has become known for creating shared spaces across lines of faith, politics, culture and community. Over the years, its themes have explored peace, hospitality, belonging, justice and hope, with a consistent commitment to engaging young people, disadvantaged communities and those often excluded from public dialogue.
Alongside the Papal Audience, participants took part in a rich programme of ecumenical encounters. These included meetings with leaders from Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian and Anglican traditions, as well as dedicated engagements with the Methodist Ecumenical Office in Rome and representatives connected with the Church of Scotland, offering space for honest conversation about unity, difference and shared witness in divided societies.
The journey concluded on Sunday 25 January with Vespers at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, led by Pope Leo, marking the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Coming at the end of a week of shared life, prayer and dialogue, the liturgy felt both like a culmination and a sending out.
For Rev Steve Stockman, Co-Director of the 4 Corners Festival, the Rome pilgrimage captured the heart of the festival itself:
“We weren’t just talking about unity – we were trying to live it. We are not the same. We come from different traditions and very different journeys. But we travelled together, learned from one another and at times carried one another. That is what peacebuilding looks like on the ground.”
While set in Rome, the focus of the journey remains firmly rooted back home. The relationships formed, insights gained and experiences shared will now feed directly into the Belfast festival and into the ongoing work of reconciliation across the four corners of the city. The 4 Corners Festival continues to show that unity grows not through statements alone, but through shared journeys, honest encounter and sustained friendship, whether on the streets of Belfast or in the heart of Rome.