Churches gather to promote unity among Christians.From local churches in Abbotsford, B.C., giving their offerings to a local drop-in centre for youth at risk and to an AIDS charity in Africa, to inter-faith services among church leaders in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, Christians around the world commemorated the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international Christian ecumenical observance kept annually between 18 January and 25 January. It is actually an octave, that is, an observance lasting eight days. with their own distinct events. The Week of Prayer, which is traditionally celebrated from Jan. 21 to 28, revolved around the theme, Be Opened, taken from Mark 7:37: "He even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak." The theme called on Christians "to open their ears and hear what God is saying," according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Canadian Council of Churches The Canadian Council of Churches/Le conseil canadien des églises is an ecumenical Christian forum of churches in Canada. It was founded on 27 September 1944 at Yorkminster Baptist Church in Toronto, Ontario. , the largest ecumenical body in Canada representing 20 churches of Anglican, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic traditions. In Fort Worth, Tex., the Star-Telegram reported that local Christians commemorated the week by focusing on the needs of people in Africa, particularly in the Darfur region of Sudan, where hundreds of people have been killed in a civil war that has been raging since 1983. In Winnipeg, a wooden cross symbolizing unity was moved from church to church, giving Christians a chance to visit other denominations' places of worship. In the Middle East, an ecumenical celebration was held at the Syrian Orthodox Cathedral in Beirut, while a local committee held a solemn prayer at the Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church Independent Eastern Orthodox church of Greece. The term is sometimes used erroneously for Eastern Orthodoxy in general. It remained under the patriarch of Constantinople until 1833, when it became independent. of the Madonna in Egypt, according to the Middle East Council of Churches After many years of preliminary moves, the Middle East Council of Churches was inaugurated in May 1974 at its First General Assembly in Nicosia, Cyprus. Initially it contained three "families" of Christian Churches in the Middle East, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental . An ecumenical gathering was likewise held in Amman, Jordan, and in various regions of Syria. In Rome, Pope Benedict XVI  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. marked the end of the Week of Prayer
with a celebration of vespers vespers (vĕs`pərz) [Lat.,=evening], in the Christian Church, principal evening office. In the Roman rite, vespers have consisted since the 6th cent. of a few prayers, five psalms, a lesson, the Magnificat, and an antiphon. in the basilica of St. Paul's
Outside-the-Walls, in the presence of representatives from other
Christian churches and communities.
In a service held earlier that week, Pope Benedict said unity "is a gift from God and the fruit of the action of His Spirit." He added: "The road to unity remains long and difficult, but we must not be discouraged, and continue our journey, relying on the sure support of Christ." |
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