Pope concludes Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with call to hope
January 27, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: As is customary, Pope Francis concluded the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on January 25 with the ecumenical celebration of Vespers in the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
“Dear brothers and sisters, let us never forget that hope does not disappoint,” the Pope preached. “Hope never disappoints! Hope is like a rope anchored on the shore that we cling to; it never disappoints. This is also important for the life of Christian communities, our churches and our ecumenical relationships.”
He continued:
At times, we are overwhelmed by fatigue and discouraged by the results of our labors. It can even seem as if the dialogue and the efforts made on both sides are hopeless, almost doomed to failure. All of this makes us experience the same anguish as Martha, but the Lord comes to us. Do we believe this? Do we believe that he is the resurrection and the life?
Pope Francis also recalled the upcoming 1700th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and renewed his call for the celebration of Easter on a common date.
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