Whitney Center Resident Honored in Rome

Gerald Anderson shakes hands with Pope Francis in this photo courtesy of Fotografia Felici, Rome.

Gerald Anderson, a Whitney Center resident and avid traveler, recently added meeting Pope Francis to his long list of travel—and spiritual—experiences.

As the director emeritus of the Overseas Ministries Study Center in New Haven, Conn., Anderson has journeyed to many different countries and has met many interesting people.  Founded in 1922, the Overseas Ministries Study Center, according to the website, provides: residential programs for the renewal of missionaries and international church leaders, research, publications, and scholarly forums for the advancement of mission scholarship, and continuing education in cross-cultural Christian ministries.

What made the trip to Italy so special for Anderson was that he had the honor of meeting the pope.

“It was a very spiritual experience,” Anderson said of meeting Pope Francis in Vatican City. “You can’t really explain it, you can only experience it.”

During his visit to Italy, Anderson also received an honorary doctorate of missiology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University after delivering a speech titled “A New Missionary Age” about the modern persecution of Christians to students and faculty at the university in Rome.

Anderson, a retired Methodist minister, received the degree from Cardinal Fernando Filoni, the grand chancellor of the Pontifical Urbaniana University, after his speech.

This marked the first time since this Roman Catholic university was founded in 1627 that a Protestant received an honorary degree.

“I was very surprised,” Anderson said of receiving the honorary degree. “I asked specifically if they have ever given an honorary degree to a Protestant before, and the dean checked and he said ‘no.’”

This experience became one of many interesting travel stories for Anderson, whose travels have taken him “all over the world.”

His visit to Italy, meeting the pope, and receiving the honorary degree, was a landmark experience for him. He also described his many visits to China and India fondly.

In China, Anderson met the late Bishop K.H. Ting, who served as the leader of the Protestant churches in China as the president emeritus of the China Christian Council.

Anderson continues to travel frequently, and visits India often because his son lives there.

“It’s the people, the customs and cultures,” Anderson said of why he loves to travel. “It’s the variety of cultures and customs that I find interesting and intriguing.”

Living at Whitney Center has provided Anderson with the ability to live in a diverse environment and meet many people who appreciate other cultures.

“I love the great diversity of interesting people here, many of whom have traveled all over the world and worked all over the world,” Anderson said. “The people are the greatest attraction here.”

Whitney Center is a nonprofit, continuing care retirement community in Hamden, Conn. To find out more about the community, check out our website, and find us on Facebook.