Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Participation in the Experience of One Life

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs delivered this speech at the press conference announcing the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at the Catholic Media Center - Jal El Dib, Lebanon.

Professor Michel Abs

Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

Since 1908, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has come to us in a renewed form, inspired by the Holy Spirit through the hearts and minds of believers who long for the members of the Church to be one in the Lord, just as the Incarnate Lord is one with the Father.

This is the one hundred and eighteenth year of celebrating the Week of Unity in its current form, after a process that extended from 1740 to 1908—a period during which pioneers and far-sighted visionaries helped plant its foundations and shape the elements of a prayer that gathers those of the same faith in a unifying orientation, where all accept one another in the way they address the Creator and thank Him for His boundless gifts.

The journey was long and took centuries, during which these pioneers fought the estrangement that spread among the children of the flourishing vine—an estrangement that reached the point of mutual hostility, enmity, and condemnation. This “luxury” was extremely costly—more than we imagine—and we still suffer its consequences to this day.

We will not prolong lamentation over what has passed. We have emerged from the mire of antagonism and are moving toward living our faith-unity in its proper form, even though some have been slow to join this path—a path that is, at the very least, sound, and whose results must bring much positive good to humankind.

Nothing is worse than division or fragmentation in any field, and nothing is better than unity and mutual support in any matter. It is a law of life, and no two sound-minded people truly differ on this principle.

The development and consolidation of the Week of Prayer for Unity accompanied the emergence and rise of the ecumenical movement, even if some dates do not fully coincide. Both phenomena reflect a deep anxiety among the members of the Church about what the state of the Church—the one, holy Church—had become, and regret over what had previously been inflicted upon this one, holy, catholic, and apostolic faith. There is no need to go further into this.

Matters are judged by their outcomes.

Today we stand within a global ecumenical movement, and we are active members of it—effectively and meaningfully. We celebrate a shared prayer for unity during one designated week each year, yet we live it throughout the year in various ways—through common prayers and through shared activities, whether cultural, intellectual, artistic, and others.

The Middle East Council of Churches, now in its fifty-first year, constitutes the inclusive ecumenical framework for the churches of the region, and the home of their dialogue and interaction with one another. It should be noted that these churches have not at all fallen short in launching bilateral or multilateral dialogue initiatives, even with non-Christians—clear evidence that the culture of dialogue and the acceptance of difference has expanded into spaces that were not expected at the outset.

The Middle East Council of Churches has followed the same path traced by the ecumenical movement and the Week of Prayer for Unity—another clear indication that it is neither an imported system nor a structure imposed from outside, even though we are certain that the Council is the fruit of interaction between the churches of the region and the churches of the West. This is natural in cultural relations among peoples and in the interaction of cultures; intellectual currents today are unmistakably global.

When we say the Council is fifty-one years old, we mean the Council in its present form—the Middle East Council of Churches—which resulted from the gradual joining of the Orthodox and Catholic churches to the Near East Council of Churches, founded in 1962 and initially comprising Evangelical churches only. That Council, in turn, emerged from the Near East Christian Council established in 1929. In short, the growing sense of the necessity of unity gradually spread worldwide and shaped the hearts and minds of the members of the Church who live this fruitful and commendable experience: the experience of harmony and the acceptance of distinctiveness. This culture has now spread widely across the world, despite the existence of some quarters opposed to it.

The churches came to understand that unity does not mean dissolution, and that diversity does not mean division. Today they carry out joint activities and pray together—not only for unity, but within the unity we already live through our one faith, despite the diversity of traditions.

The blessed efforts of both the Vatican and the World Council of Churches have borne fruit in shaping this initiative, institutionalizing it, and establishing it as part of the annual spiritual program, and in setting its dates between the feasts of Saint Peter and Saint Paul—from 18 to 25 January each year. All churches worldwide have an annual appointment with this blessed activity, and they choose themes that address every dimension of saving faith and all cultures across the world.

In Lebanon, the Week of Prayer for Unity is organized in coordination between the Middle East Council of Churches and the Committee of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops. In this context, we meet today at this press conference to inform public opinion of all the details of this event, and we hope—and strongly encourage—believers to participate as much as possible. Nothing compares to the unifying experience, with its diversity, richness, and future horizons. It is worth noting that coordination between the Council and the Committee is at its best and includes many activities of an ecumenical character.

Praying together—calling upon the Creator while gathered in His name—is an experience that awakens hope within the soul. It also elevates solidarity among members of believing communities, and consequently among fellow citizens. This is the key to social cohesion that leads to civil peace and human fraternity.

In this way, we become among those who seek peace.