Source: flickr.com

"So they may all become one" a variation on "So that they form one stick in your hand" - the words from the Old Testamental Book of Ezekiel are the motto of this year's Week of Prayer for Christians Unity. This week-long ecumenical event in the Roman Catholic Church was proceeded by the Day of Judaism and will be followed by the Day of Islam.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was initiated in 1908 by Fr. Paul Wattson. It has a universal, multinational character and is observed between the 18th of January (which used to be the feast of St. Peter) and the 25th of January (the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul). This year, the special focus of attention are the Christians in India suffering severe persecution on a mass scale, as well as the divided Christian community in Korea.

'Is man able and powerful enough to make up for centuries long divisions and remove inveterate prejudice? The experience of history gives a negative answer to this question. But with God, everything is possible,' said a Catholic archbishop at a Lutheran service. At a general audience on Wednesday, Pope Benedict XVI emphasized that Christian unity requires 'authentic interior renewal'. This renewal, he said, will allow Christians to give a united witness to an increasingly divided world.

The central ecumenical service concluding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will be held on Sunday, the 25th of January at the Roman Catholic cathedral in Warsaw.

Click on the audio icon to listen to the report by Joanna Najfeld.