From January 18 to 25, Christian communities throughout Spain have come together for the Week of Prayer for Unity, sharing faith, encounter and a common desire for fraternity.
«"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope.".
This is the theme chosen for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity this year, 2026, which is celebrated annually from January 18 to 25. In a world where diverse traditions and expressions of faith coexist, often in division, this theme (Ephesians 4:4) reminds us that all believers are part of the "one body" of Christ.
This year's prayers and reflections have been prepared by the faithful of the Armenian Apostolic Church, together with their brothers and sisters from the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church is considered one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. Today, it stands as a beacon of faith, unity, and resilience for Armenians worldwide, and continues to offer a perspective that resonates within the global Christian community.
The resources offered are based on centuries-old traditions of prayer and supplication used by the Armenian people, along with hymns that originated in ancient Armenian monasteries and churches, some of which date back to the 4th century. This week invites us to draw upon this shared Christian heritage and deepen our communion in Christ.
As in previous years, several communities of the Focolare Movement have come together to promote these ecumenical celebrations: Zaragoza, Valladolid, San Sebastián, Madrid, Cuenca, Cáceres, Badajoz, Granada, Jaén, Cartagena, and Cádiz, among others. Celebrations of all kinds: some solemn in cathedrals, others simpler in a neighborhood association in Jaén, but all with the same desire to build unity with patience, humility, and trust in God's timing.
A unity that, as the Archbishop of Madrid said, “is born from the heart of each one of us and of each of our communities when we make the commitment to accept our own fragility and that of others, to renounce spiritual self-sufficiency and let God act.”.
In all our encounters with the various Churches—Orthodox, Evangelical, Reformed, and Anglican—we have experienced the joy of meeting and strengthening the bonds of fraternity. Together, we have also renewed our desire to respond to this call to unity as something concrete and everyday. By living in unity, we bear witness to God's love and learn to recognize one another in the richness of our gifts, walking together as brothers and sisters in service to a more united world.
