Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Has “special significance” for Post Conflict Sierra Leone: Catholic Priest

Freetown, 22 January, 2026 / 11:06 PM

The Executive Director of Caritas Freetown in Sierra Leone has called on faith communities in the West African nation to renew their commitment to walking together during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, saying that the occasion is special for the country that experienced years of civil war.                    

In a reflection shared with ACI Africa on Wednesday, January 21, Fr. Peter Konteh recalls the key role that Christian denominations in Sierra Leone played in ending the 11-year war that broke out in March 1991.

“In Sierra Leone, where faith communities have played a crucial role in reconciliation, peacebuilding, and healing after years of conflict and hardship, this call to unity carries special significance,” Fr. Konteh said in reference to this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

“Our Christian witness becomes more authentic and transformative when we rise above divisions and stand together to promote peace, justice, and human dignity,” he said.

Christian communities were part of the Inter-religious Council of Sierra Leone (IRCSL) that came into existence to facilitate interfaith collaboration as part of efforts to end the country’s civil conflict.

In his reflection, Fr. Konteh, who serves as the Second Vice President of the Regional Union of Diocesan Priests of West Africa said the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an invitation “not to accept division as normal or inevitable.”

“Our separation remains a wound in the Body of Christ that calls for healing through prayer, humility, and sincere dialogue,” the member of Clergy of the Archdiocese of Freetown said.

He added, “As Christians in Sierra Leone, may this Week of Prayer renew our commitment to walk together in faith, guided by the Holy Spirit.”

“May God heal our divisions and strengthen our shared mission, so that we may truly live as one body, one Spirit, and one people of hope in Christ,” he said.