WCC NEWS: Week of Prayer 2012 asks what victory means for unity

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World Council of Churches - News

WEEK OF PRAYER 2012 ASKS WHAT VICTORY MEANS FOR UNITY

For immediate release: 11 July 2011

As Poland prepares to host the European Football Championship in 2012,
Christians in the country have put the meaning of "victory" and "defeat"
at the centre of their reflections for the Week of Prayer for Christian
Unity that will be celebrated earlier in the year. Preparatory resources
based on these reflections are already available in five languages on the
website of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

The theme "We will all be changed by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ"
is based on the apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor
15:51-58). It promises a transformation of human life, with all its
apparent “triumph” and “defeat”, through the victory of Christ's
resurrection.

Traditionally celebrated between 18 and 25 January (in the northern
hemisphere) or at Pentecost (in the southern hemisphere), the week of
prayer mobilizes countless congregations and parishes around the world.
During that week, Christians from different confessional families get
together and - at least on that occasion - pray together in special
ecumenical celebrations.

"Rivalry is a permanent feature not only in sport but also in political,
business, cultural and, even, church life" says the introductory text for
the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2012.

Both football and Polish history, marked by military invasions and freedom
struggles, have inspired the preparatory group to "spare a thought for the
losers", coming to the conclusion that "There is room for everyone in
God’s plan of salvation."

The production of the liturgical and biblical material for the week of
prayer has been coordinated jointly since 1968 by the World Council of
Churches (Faith and Order Commission) and the Roman Catholic Church
(Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity).

Resources for the week are available in English, French, German, Portuguese
and Spanish, and include: an introduction to the theme; a suggested
ecumenical celebration which 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 Poland.

More information on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
(Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=22f49328da628d2c3e37 )

WCC member churches in Poland (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=3bbe6832320c4c114cad )


The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness 
and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of 
churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, 
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, 
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.



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