At the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Leo urges believers to embrace and display their shared faith in spreading the Gospel.
Newsroom (26/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) In a solemn gathering filled with prayer and reflection, Pope Leo called Christians to live out their unity in faith during the Second Vespers on the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul. Speaking at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome on Sunday, January 25, 2026, the pontiff marked the close of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with a powerful plea: “We are one! We already are! Let us recognize it, experience it and make it visible!”
The Pope stressed that while denominational differences have historically divided Christians, they share “one faith, one Lord, one baptism,” echoing the theme drawn from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. He reminded the faithful that although division “does not prevent the light of Christ from shining,” it dims the radiance of the Church’s witness to the world.
Gathered before the tomb of the Apostle Paul—the tireless missionary who turned from persecutor to preacher—the Pope invited believers to renew their missionary zeal. “It is the shared task of all Christians,” he said, “to say humbly and joyfully to the world: ‘Look to Christ! Come closer to him! Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles!’”
Unity Across Traditions
The Vespers celebration drew a diverse group of Christian leaders, reflecting the event’s ecumenical spirit. Metropolitan Polykarpos represented the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople; Archbishop Khajag Barsamian came from the Armenian Apostolic Church; Bishop Anthony Ball participated from the Anglican Communion. Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, was also in attendance, together with ecumenical pilgrims and representatives of other traditions.
Pope Leo rooted his appeal for unity in the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution Lumen Gentium, underscoring the Church’s mandate to “proclaim the Gospel to all creation” and radiate “the light of Christ on the face of the Church.” His message intertwined theological insight with pastoral urgency: Christians are already united in faith through Christ and must strive to reflect that unity in action and witness.
Remembering Nicaea and the Call to Synodality
Looking back, Pope Leo recalled a deeply symbolic event from November 2025 — an ecumenical prayer service in İznik, Türkiye, to commemorate 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea. “Reciting the Nicene Creed together in the very place where it was formulated was a profound and unforgettable testimony to our unity in Christ,” he reflected.
Turning to the decade ahead, the Pope spoke of preparing for the 2,000th anniversary of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection in 2033. He urged all Christian communities to deepen “ecumenical synodal practices” and to learn from each other’s structures and traditions. Echoing Pope Francis, he described the Catholic Church’s synodal journey as inherently ecumenical — “a path for growing together in mutual knowledge.”
The Witness of the Armenian Church
This year’s Week of Prayer had particular significance, with materials prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church and other local Christian communities in Armenia. Pope Leo expressed profound gratitude for the “courageous Christian witness of the Armenian people throughout history,” testifying to a faith often tested by suffering and martyrdom.
He praised Saint Nersès Šnorhali, the 12th-century Catholicos known for fostering unity among churches, calling him “ahead of his time in his ecumenical commitment.” Quoting Saint John Paul II, the Pope reaffirmed that “Christians must have a profound interior conviction that unity is essential, not for strategic advantage or political gain but for the sake of preaching the Gospel.”
Highlighting Armenia’s ancient Christian heritage—tracing back to King Tiridates’s baptism by Saint Gregory the Illuminator in 301 AD—he acknowledged the enduring influence of those who first carried the Gospel through Europe.
“We pray that the seeds of the Gospel may continue to bear fruit on this continent,” Pope Leo concluded, “in unity, justice, and holiness, for the benefit of peace among the peoples and nations of the whole world.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
Related Images:
