2022 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Rome

18 Jan 2022

As in other years, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Rome will be celebrated from 18-25 January.

The Holy Father Francis will preside over the Second Vespers of the Solemnity of the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle at the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on Tuesday 25 January at 5.30 pm in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls with the participation of representatives of the other Christian communities in Rome and Italy. The celebration will be broadcast live on the Vatican News website.

Other ecumenical initiatives are listed below:

Monday 17 January

5.30 pm online

Prayer Vigil for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: Revd Matthew Laferty, Methodist Ecumenical Office in Rome; Archbishop Ian Ernest, Director, Anglican Centre in Rome; Revd James Puglisi, sa, Director, Centro Pro Unione

6.00 pm

Santa Brigida (Piazza Farnese) - Ecumenical vespers presided by Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Homily: Reverend Father Marco Pasinato, Diocesan Administrator, Helsinki.

Tuesday 18 January

5.30 pm

Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls - Vespers presided by Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy.

Wednesday 19 January

4.00 pm

Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (Piazza della Minerva, 42) - Lutheran Mass of Saint Henry presided by Bishop Jukka Keskitalo (Oulu, Finland). Homily: Emeritus Bishop Teemu Sippo of Helsinki. "Voces" Choir. Limited access.

6.00 pm

Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls - Vespers presided by Evangelical Lutheran community of Rome.

7.00 pm

Saint Leo I Parish (Via Prenestina, 104) - Prayer vigil presided by Auxiliary Bishop Paolo Selvadagi of Rome, diocesan delegate for ecumenism. Homily: Archbishop Ian Ernest, Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome. Witness: Monsignor Rami Al Kabalan, Syro-Catholic Bishop.

Thursday 20 January

4.30 pm

Centro Pro Unione (Via S. Maria dell'Anima, 30) - Conference by Gillian Kingston "To serve the present age..." followed by Ecumenical celebration of the Word presided by Reverend Matthew A. Laferty, Director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office in Rome. Organizers: Centro Pro Unione together with Lay Centre.

5.00 - 6.30 pm

Angelicum (Largo Angelicum 1) - Ecumenical panel: Presentation of document of Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity on "Ecumenism in a Time of Pandemic: From Crisis to Opportunity" with participation of students from Bossey Ecumenical Institute.

6.00 pm

Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls - Vespers presided by Anglican community of Rome.

6.30 pm

Parish of Santa Maria Regina Apostolorum (via Giuseppe Ferrari) - Within the perspective of the synodal journey, listening time with brothers and sisters of the Orthodox Church of Romania. Bishop Dario Gervasi, Auxiliary Bishop of the Southern Sector of Rome, and Orthodox Bishop Atanasie of Bogdania, Vicar of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy, will be attending.

Friday 21 January

6.00 pm

Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls - Vespers presided by Waldensian community of Rome.

Monday 24 January

7.00 pm

Parish of San Vitale (Via Nazionale, 194 B) - Ecumenical celebration jointly with the Parish of Santa Maria ai Monti. Archimandrite Simoeon Katsinas (Ecumenical Patriarchate) and Lutheran pastor Michael Jonas (Lutheran Church in Rome) will attend.

Tuesday 25 January

5.30 pm

Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls - Second Vespers on the soleminity of the conversatin of Saint Paul Apostle celebrated at conclusion of the Week of prayer for Christian unity presided by Pope Francis.

In addition, throughout the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, at 8.00 pm at the Ecumenical Eucharistic Centre of Santa Maria in Via Lata (via del Corso, 306), the Daughters of the Church will celebrate Masses in the various Oriental and Roman Catholic rites with the participation of different Pontifical Colleges.