On Friday 18 January, Pope Francis tweeted: Today marks the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: all of us are asked to implore from God this great gift.
In fact, from the 18 till 25 January of every year is dedicated to the prayer for Christian unity as wished by Christ himself that they may all be one (John 17:21). The history of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has a long history. In 1740 Scotland, a Pentecostal movement arose, with North American links. Its revivalist message incorporated prayers for and with all churches. Then, in 1820, the Rev. James Haldane Stewart published the book Hints for the General Union of Christians for the Outpouring of the Spirit. Twenty years after, the Rev. Ignatius Spencer, a convert to Roman Catholicism, suggests for the first time a “Union of Prayer for Unity”. In 1867, in their first Lambeth Conference, precisely in the Preamble to the Conference’s Resolutions, Anglican bishops together emphasized prayer for unity. Pope Leo XIII heartily exhorted for the practice of a Prayer Octave for Unity in the context of Pentecost in 1894.
1908 saw the First observance of the Church Unity Octave. This holy initiative was kicked off by the Rev. Paul Wattson. In 1926 the Faith and Order movement started publishing Suggestions for an Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity. And in 1935, the French Abbé Paul Couturier, promoted the Universal Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. He was inspired by the all-embracing prayer for the unity Christ wills by the means he wills. In 1958 the Unité Chrétienne of Lyon, in France, and the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches start to prepare collaboratively the materials for the Week of Prayer. The year 1964 remains a milestone in the ecumenical prayer since it witnessed, in Jerusalem, the meeting and the prayer for unity between St Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I. Both church leaders fulfilled Jesus’ wish of praying that they all may be one (John 17:21). The same year also saw published the Decree on Ecumenism of Vatican II which highlights that prayer is the soul of the ecumenical movement. Thus, it exhorts for the observance of the Week of Prayer.
Following the Second Vatican Council, in 1966, the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity [now known as the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity] start official concerted preparation of the Week of Prayer material. In 1968 there is the first official use of Week of Prayer material prepared jointly by Faith and Order and the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity. Seven years later there is the first use of Week of Prayer material based on a draft text prepared by a local ecumenical group. An Australian group became the first to adopt this plan in preparing the 1975 initial draft.
In 1988 the week of Prayer materials were utilised in the inaugural worship for The Christian Federation of Malaysia, which connects the main Christian groupings in that country. Six years later, the International group formulating text for 1996 incorporated representatives from both YMCA and YWCA. In 2004 agreement was reached that the resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity be collectively published and issued in the same format by Faith and Order (WCC) together with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (Catholic Church). Finally, in 2008 there was the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The Church Unity Octave was first observed in 1908.
Backed by such a rich spiritual tradition for the Prayer for Christian Unity, even this year will be blessed by the usual ecumenical worship service. The material for this year’s Week of Prayer was offered by a group of representatives of different Christian communities in Indonesia. Christians are about 10% of the Indonesian population. The 86% out of a population of 265 million, are Muslim, making Indonesia the largest Muslim population of any country. The nation is founded on five principles called Pancasila, with the motto Bhineka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity). Competion, corruption and radicalization threaten this harmony. This ecumenical group was brought together by the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (Persekutuan Gereja-gereja di Indonesia, PGI) under the leadership of Rev. Dr Henriette T. Hutabarat Lebang, and the Indonesian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (Konferensi Waligereja Indonesia, KWI) under the leadership of Mgr Ignatius Suharyo.
With its theme Justice and only justice you shall pursue (Deuteronomy 16:18-20) this worship service emphasizes the importance of moving from nice speeches about unity, justice and mercy to actual action and concrete commitment, which translate themselves into acts of unity, justice and mercy both in personal lives as well as in the life of Christian communities.
In Malta, this year’s ecumenical service will be celebrated on Friday January 25 at 6.30 pm, at the Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul's Shipwreck, Valletta. The service will be presided by Mgr Charles Scicluna, Archbishop of Malta. Everyone is cordially invited for the service.
Fr Mario Attard