Pope concludes Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with call for renewed commitment to mission
January 25, 2026
Pope Leo XIV concluded the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with the celebration of Vespers this evening in the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls (video).
Metropolitan Polykarpos (Ecumenical Patriarchate), Archbishop Khajag Barsamian (Armenian Apostolic Church), and Bishop Anthony Ball (Anglican Communion) were among the Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Protestant leaders and representatives in attendance.
“As we gather before the mortal remains of the Apostle to the Gentiles, we are reminded that his mission is also the mission of all Christians today: to proclaim Christ and to invite everyone to place their trust in him,” Pope Leo preached. “My dear friends, every year the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity invites us to renew our commitment to this great mission, bearing in mind that the divisions among us—while they do not prevent the light of Christ from shining—nonetheless make the face which must reflect it to the world less radiant.”
Citing his apostolic letter on the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed (In Unitate Fidei), Pope Leo continued:
Yes, “we share the same faith in the one and only God, the Father of all people; we confess together the one Lord and true Son of God, Jesus Christ, and the one Holy Spirit, who inspires us and impels us towards full unity and the common witness to the Gospel.” We are one! We already are! Let us recognize it, experience it and make it visible!
Pope Leo recalled the ecumenical dimension of the synod on synodality (2024) and the ecumenical commemoration of the anniversary of the Nicene Creed (2025). “As we look toward the 2,000th anniversary of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus in 2033, let us commit ourselves to further developing ecumenical synodal practices and to sharing with one another who we are, what we do and what we teach,” he said.
The Pontiff concluded by paying tribute to Armenia, where the texts for this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity were prepared.
“According to tradition, Armenia was the first Christian nation, after King Tiridates was baptized by Saint Gregory the Illuminator in the year 301,” he said. “We give thanks for the intrepid heralds of the saving Word who spread the faith in Jesus Christ throughout Eastern and Western Europe. We pray that the seeds of the Gospel may continue to bear fruit on this continent in unity, justice and holiness, for the benefit of peace among the peoples and nations of the whole world.”
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