Vicariate of Rome

Press and Social Communications Office

Press Release

PRAYER WEEK FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

Scheduled from 18 to 25 January, the Week will conclude with Vespers celebrated by Pope Leo XIV at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls.

Thursday 22 at 18.30, the diocesan vigil at Santa Lucia

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call” (Ephesians 4:4). The theme accompanying the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, from Sunday 18 to Sunday 25 January, is an invitation to communion. On the latter date, the Solemnity of the Conversion of Saint Paul, at 17.30, in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls, POPE LEO XIV will conclude the Week with the celebration of Vespers. Among the various events scheduled, the ecumenical diocesan vigil will be central, on Thursday 22 January at 18.30, in the parish of Santa Lucia (Circonvallazione Clodia, 135). Representatives of the various Christian denominations present in Rome will take part in the prayer service, which will be presided over by Cardinal Vicar BALDO REINA, while the homily will be given by Orthodox Archbishop KHAJAG BARSAMIAN, representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church to the Holy See.

There will also be several events in other churches and communities. On Monday, there will be two vigils, one at 18.30 in the parish of Dio Padre Misericordioso, the other at 19.15 in Santa Maria delle Grazie al Trionfale. On Tuesday, at 19.00, an ecumenical prayer service is scheduled at Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri; while on Friday, also at 19.00, at San Gioacchino in Prati and at Santi Mario e Compagni Martiri, at the same time. Furthermore, on the 23 January at 20.00 Anglican Archbishop ANTHONY BALL will preside at Santa Maria in Trastevere, and students from the Bossey Ecumenical Centre will be present. The event continues on Saturday 24 at 19.00 in the parish of Santa Caterina. In the Basilica of Santa Maria in Via Lata, the Ecumenical Eucharistic Centre Figlie della Chiesa offers prayers every evening according to the various Catholic rites of the East and West.

This year, the prayers and reflections that will be used during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been prepared by Armenian Orthodox faithful, in collaboration with their brothers and sisters from the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches. The material was prepared, edited and discussed at the historic spiritual and administrative headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Surp Etchmiadzin in Yerevan, during the highly inspiring days of the blessing of the Muron (holy oil) and the reconsecration of the Mother Cathedral, which took place between 28 and 29 September 2024 following extensive renovation work lasting ten years. This commemoration offered the Armenian people and members of the local ecumenical group a unique opportunity to reflect on and celebrate their common Christian faith. The proposed material draws inspiration from centuries-old traditions of prayer and invocation, which have always been used by the Armenian people, together with hymns that originated in the ancient monasteries and churches of Armenia, some of which date back as far as the fourth century. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026 invites the faithful to draw on this shared Christian heritage and to deepen their communion in Christ, which unites Christians throughout the world.

“In Armenia, spirituality is profound and very ancient”, observes Monsignor MARCO GNAVI, diocesan representative for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue. “In the year 301, Christianity was adopted as the state religion. The texts proposed for the Week of Prayer speak of light. ‘Light from light’ is a central passage of the Nicene Creed, whose 1700th anniversary we recently celebrated. Christ is our light, and this helps us to live in hope in these difficult times”. The chosen theme is an invitation and a call to unity: “Prayer”, he continues, “asks us to surpass ourselves, to go out to one another, without forgetting our roots, accepting the invitation to walk towards unity, not only because we need it, but because the whole world needs witnesses of unity. Pope Leo’s teaching is very clear and explicit in this sense, inviting us to consider peace as the fruit of the search for unity, first among ourselves and then among peoples”.

Journalists and media operators who wish to participate in Vespers with the Holy Father must apply, no later than 24 hours before the event, exclusively via the Holy See Press Office online accreditation system, at: press.vatican.va/accreditamenti. Accreditation is not required for the other events.

16 January 2026

Giulia Rocchi, Press and Social Communications Office of the Vicariate of Rome,

tel. +390669886343/150; +393393749085

e-mail stampa@diocesidiroma.it; giulia.rocchi@diocesidiroma.it