Christian unity

A close reading of the Last Supper account in John’s Gospel focuses on Jesus washing the feet of His apostles — an act of charity par excellence, connecting his impending sacrifice to service.

As the Catholic Church prepares to join Christians around the world in commemorating the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The theme chosen also reflects Pope Leo XIV’s hope of unified humanity in an increasingly individualistic world.

According to church delegates at a major ecumenical conference in Egypt, Catholics are stepping up cooperation with other Christian denominations in the face of current worldwide challenges.

The article published Oct. 11 marked the anniversary of the opening of the first session of the Second Vatican Council Oct. 11, 1962, which set in motion major reforms of the church, its structure, liturgy and relations with other Christians and other religions.

Recalling the words of the late Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, the pope said that as “sister churches, brother peoples,” Orthodox Christians and Catholics must unite in answering the call to help those suffering in war.

“We can take concrete steps to move toward other Christian churches in joyful welcome, daring to move from a once-a-year prayer with strangers to at least a dialogue of charity.”

Father Alan Wielinski and Lutheran Pastor Ben Durbin dialogue about their experiences of Christian unity.

Twenty-five years ago St. John Paul’s encyclical on ecumenism, “Ut Unum Sint,” put the papal seal of approval on a shift in the Catholic Church’s approach to the search for Christian unity.