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The Church of Christ in the first century gained converts from among the Gentiles or non-Jewish people (Rom. 16:4, 16). Thus, a considerable number of Church members comprising a large congregation transpired at Rome in the first century. However, the Savior Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His apostles prophesied that the true Church would be persecuted to the point of death (Matt. 24:9; Acts 20:29, 28 Lamsa Translation), and worse, be led astray (Acts 20:30; Matt. 24:10-11 New Living Translation).
That is why even though it is claimed that the Church carried on an unbroken line centuries after the death of the apostles as fortified by the term “apostolic succession”, it was the other way around that happened. A massive departure from the faith took place after the death of the apostles: “… The apostles were all dead, and the remarkable gifts of the Holy Spirit which characterized the early Church were dying out. Many false prophets had arisen …” (The Story of the Church, p. 34).
Indeed, the true Church ceased to exist. What continued on is an organization that is already apostate or has departed from the true Christian faith.
After almost 2,000 years, the true Christian faith is back in Rome with the establishment of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) local congregation at Via Viguzzolo 16, Rome, Italy.
It was at a train station in Termini that the nine pioneering Church members of the Rome Congregation met providentially. By May 1979, they initially conducted prayer meetings at the residence of Sister Daisy Casignia. In pursuit of a more orderly worship, their group leader, Sister Princesita “Precy” Santos, wrote a request letter to the then Executive Minister, Brother Eraño G. Manalo. Just days after, on June 23, 1979, the Church Administration approved the establishment of the Rome Committee Prayer Group.
The brethren then began holding worship services at a rented hall in San Valentino with tape-recorded sermons from the Iglesia Ni Cristo Central Office in Quezon City, Philippines. This prompted the pioneer brethren to search for their fellow Church members.
With God’s help, 30 brethren attended their first worship service with an officiating minister on July 6, 1980, which was a Holy Supper, held at the York Hotel in Via Cavriglia, a residential neighborhood in Rome.
Being all the more encouraged in upholding and sharing the true faith, they conducted their first evangelical mission, and never took a halt since then. The first fruits of their evangelistic labors were baptized on April 22, 1981 at the Lido di Ostia Beach, a 30-minute train travel from the city of Rome.
The continuous influx of new Church members made the group outgrow their place of worship at the York Hotel, and so they transferred to the Dover Hotel along Via Domenico Tardini.
Not long after, the brethren were frequently visited by the ministers assigned in Europe. Trusting God by means of prayer, the brethren’s plea to have a minister overseeing them was answered. On February 8, 1988, the Church Administration assigned Brother Efren Manangkil as Rome’s first resident minister.
Not without persecutions, the brethren in Rome had been through so much, but they remained steadfast in the faith. There had been an instance during their group’s nascent days when after being asked by the landlord to leave their rented place of worship, the brethren had to hold their gatherings in the most unusual places like the Colosseum and, sometimes, underneath a tree in a park.
With God’s abiding help, the Church was able to purchase a parcel of land at Via Viguzzolo 16 on November 8, 1989. This is where the house of worship of the Local Congregation of Rome imposingly stands now. It was dedicated to the Lord God on July 14, 1994 in a special worship service officiated by Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, then the Deputy Executive Minister of the Church. Another reason Brother Eraño Manalo sent him to Rome was for him to undertake the preparatory steps for the registration of the Church with the Italian government.
On July 27, 1994, during the Church’s 80th anniversary celebration, Brother Eraño Manalo led the thriving flock in a special worship service. It marked the official return of the true Church Of Christ in Rome.
From this momentous event sprang forth many congregations, now with beautiful houses of worship, not only in the city but also in different parts of Europe.
Marking the fifth anniversary of Brother Eduardo Manalo as the Executive Minister of the Church, on September 7, 2014, the ordination of 42 ministerial workers from different continents was held at the house of worship of the Local Congregation of Rome. On the same day, the Executive Minister led the inauguration of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) School For Ministers extension in Rome. This was another great blessing for the Church, for many more brothers will be called into the ministry in this part of the world.
On July 27, 2019, as the entire Church Of Christ celebrated its 105th anniversary, Brother Eduardo Manalo led the Thanksgiving Worship Service at the Local Congregation of Rome, Italy.
Over the years, the Almighty God continues to bestow the Local Congregation of Rome with so many blessings not only for the Church but also for its individual members in this part of the world. As the Church continues to flourish and spread in Rome alone, the local congregations of Roma Sud, Roma Est, Roma Nord, Roma Centro, and Roma Ovest, sprang forth.
