Starting this Sunday, Christians worldwide are called to unite in prayer for peace and hope.
Catholics everywhere are being invited to participate in the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which begins on Sunday 18 January and runs through 25 January.
According to Vatican News, Archbishop Gintaras Grušas, President of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE), has issued a special call for prayers for peace during this year’s observance, emphasising the urgent need for unity in our war-torn world.
In a letter to Presidents of European Catholic Bishops’ Conferences, Archbishop Grušas stressed that ‘this unity among the Baptised in Christ is a powerful instrument of peace throughout the world’.
‘One Body, One Spirit, One Hope’
The theme for this year’s Week of Prayer comes from St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: ‘There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling’ (Ephesians 4:4).
In a world with diverse and often divided traditions, this verse reminds us that all Christians are part of the one body of Christ. The theme invites Christians to embrace ‘this divine calling to unity, not as an abstract ideal but as a vital expression of our faith’.
The prayers and reflections for 2026 were prepared by the Inter-Church Relations Department of the Armenian Apostolic Church, alongside their brothers and sisters of the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches. The resources are jointly published by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the World Council of Churches.
A beacon of hope in troubled times
Archbishop Grušas highlighted that Churches ‘are called to renew a strong common appeal to pray for peace, especially amid ongoing threats against peace, shaped by persistent armed conflicts and geopolitical tensions in many regions of the world’.
Rev Dr Mikie Roberts, World Council of Churches programme executive for Spiritual Life and Faith and Order, notes that ‘in many corners of our world, hope is fast fading in the face of unprecedented suffering’. He adds that ‘when Christians are united in prayer, we also acknowledge the oneness in our calling to bear witness to the Gospel of Christ’.
Archbishop Grušas prayed ‘that this unity may be achieved not only among Christians but also among all parties in conflict with one another, and that peace may be rebuilt’.
All Catholics are encouraged to join in prayer at their local parishes and communities throughout the week. We will be sharing prayer and reflections each day on our social media – click the links to follow us!