Pope at Ecumenical Vespers: We are one, let's make it visible
On the feast of the Conversion of St Paul, which marks the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Leo invites Christians to continue on their shared mission of spreading the Gospel to all.
By Isabella H. de Carvalho
Pope Leo emphasized how different Christian religions share the same faith and encouraged them to continue together the mission of spreading the Gospel throughout the world, on Sunday, January 25, 2026, at the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
“We are one! We already are! Let us recognize it, experience it and make it visible!” he said in his homily during the celebration of Second Vespers on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, marking the end of the Week of Prayer.
He pointed out that this annual event reminds Christians of their commitment to the mission of spreading the Gospel, “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.”
The service was celebrated at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, the resting place of the Apostle. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity takes place every year in the northern hemisphere from January 18 to 25.
Several representatives of various Christian Churches were present, including Metropolitan Polykarpos, representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, from the Armenian Apostolic Church, and Bishop Anthony Ball, of the Anglican Communion. There was also Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, along with other ecumenical groups and pilgrims.
The ecumenical celebration at St Paul's Outside the Walls (@VATICAN MEDIA)
St. Paul, an example for all Christians in their mission
In the passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, chosen as the theme for this year’s Week of Prayer, “we repeatedly hear the adjective 'one': one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God,” the Pope explained in his homily.
“Dear brothers and sisters, how can these inspired words not touch us deeply? How can our hearts not burn within us when we hear them?” he asked, underlining how we share the same faith in God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
He pointed to St. Paul’s conversion, from a persecutor of the Church to someone who preached Jesus’s “love with burning zeal,” as an example. As the participants of the Vespers gathered before the tomb of the Apostle, Pope Leo highlighted that it served as a reminder that his mission is the same as that of all Christians: “to proclaim Christ and to invite everyone to place their trust in him.”
The Pope also cited the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution Lumen Gentium, in which the Church “expressed its ardent desire to proclaim the Gospel to all creation” and thus “bring to all humanity that light of Christ which is resplendent on the face of the Church.”
“It is the shared task of all Christians to say humbly and joyfully to the world: ‘Look to Christ! Come closer to him! Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles!’,” the Pope insisted.
Commemorating Nicaea and the importance of synodality
The Pope also recalled the ecumenical prayer service he celebrated along with various other Christian leaders in Iznik, Türkiye, in November 2025, to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of 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,” the Pope said.
“May the Holy Spirit find in us docile minds even today, so that we may proclaim the faith with one voice to the men and women of our time!”
Looking instead to the future, Pope Leo mentioned the 2000th anniversary of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, which will be celebrated in 2033. In light of this event, he called those present to “commit ourselves to further developing ecumenical synodal practices and to sharing with one another who we are, what we do and what we teach.”
Citing Pope Francis, Pope Leo explained how the Catholic Church’s synodal journey is ecumenical and vice versa, and he recalled the participation of several fraternal Christian delegates to the 2023 and 2024 sessions of the Assemblies of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican.
“I believe this is a path for growing together in mutual knowledge of our respective synodal structures and traditions,” the Pope insisted.
The witness of the Armenian people
Lastly, the Pope mentioned how this year’s materials for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity were prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with the local Churches in the country.
“With deep gratitude, we remember the courageous Christian witness of the Armenian people throughout history, a history in which martyrdom has been a constant feature,” he reflected.
He highlighted “Saint Nersès Šnorhali “the Gracious,” the holy Catholicos who worked for the unity of the Church in the 12th century and was ahead of his time in his ecumenical commitment.
“As my venerable predecessor Saint John Paul II recalled, Saint Nerses also teaches us the attitude we should adopt on our ecumenical journey: ‘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’,” the Pope explained.
Emphasizing how, according to tradition, Armenia was the first Christian nation, “after King Tiridates was baptized by Saint Gregory the Illuminator in the year 301,” Pope Leo thanked “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,” the Pope concluded.
