wfn.org | WCC NEWS: 2006 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

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World Council of Churches - News Release
Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release - 21/12/2005

2006 WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

"Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them" from
Matt. 18:20 is the theme of the 2006 edition of the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity. It was chosen by an ecumenical group in Ireland.

Jointly prepared since 1968 by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the
Roman Catholic Church, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is traditionally celebrated from 18-25 January, although in the Southern hemisphere,
other dates are sometimes chosen, for example, around Pentecost.

Setting out their reasons for choosing Matt. 18:20 as the central biblical
text and theme for 2006, the Irish preparatory group explained that they
"wished to draw attention to Jesus as the source of our unity" and to
underline "the simplicity of two or three coming together in Christian
mutual love as a vital means of building up relations between divided
peoples and communities".

They were, moreover, "mindful that hope for the future, and peace and
reconciliation in the present necessarily involved dealing with painful
memories and hurtful grievances of the past". It is "in that spirit," they
say, "that all Christians who use these Week of Prayer resources are
encouraged to come together in prayer and in mutual love to seek to
understand each other amidst differences".

Week of Prayer resources include an introduction to the theme, a suggested
ecumenical worship service that local churches are encouraged to adapt for
their own particular liturgical, social and cultural contexts, biblical
reflections and prayers for the "eight days", and additional prayers from,
and an overview of, the ecumenical situation in the particular country
that has prepared the material - in this case, Ireland.

The 2006 Week of Prayer materials are available on the WCC website at:
http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/faith/wop2006contents.html

Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363
media@wcc-coe.org

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The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 347, in
more than 120 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works
cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly,
which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally
inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by
general secretary Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in Kenya.