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Pope Leo XIV Highlights Synodality as a Path for Ecumenism

Pope Leo XIV at the celebration of second vespers for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, at the Basilica of St Paul outside the Walls in Rome on January 25, 2025.
Angela Ambrogetti

By Angela Ambrogetti

Vatican, 25 January, 2026 / 3:43 pm (ACI Africa).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged Christians to deepen their common witness by growing in “ecumenical synodal practices,” recalling the shared recitation of the Nicene Creed at Nicaea and thanking the Churches in Armenia for preparing this year’s resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

The pope made the appeal during the celebration of Second Vespers for the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, marking the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Standing near the tomb of the Apostle to the Gentiles, Leo said that Paul’s mission “is also the mission of all Christians today: to proclaim Christ and to invite everyone to place their trust in him.”

Quoting the Second Vatican Council’s call to proclaim the Gospel to all creation, the pope said it is the “shared task of all Christians to say humbly and joyfully to the world: ‘Look to Christ! Come closer to him! Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles!’”

Leo also looked back to the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, noting that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had invited Christians to commemorate the anniversary in İznik, Turkey, and giving thanks that “so many Christian traditions were represented” there.

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“Reciting the Nicene Creed together in the very place where it was formulated was a profound and unforgettable testimony to our unity in Christ,” he said, praying that the Holy Spirit would help believers “proclaim the faith with one voice to the men and women of our time!”

Reflecting on the Pauline theme of “one body, one Spirit, one hope … one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God,” the pope told those gathered: “We are one! We already are! Let us recognize it, experience it and make it visible!”

Turning to the Catholic Church’s synodal path, Leo cited Pope Francis’ observation that the synodal journey of the Catholic Church “is and must be ecumenical, just as the ecumenical journey is synodal,” adding: “I believe this is a path for growing together in mutual knowledge of our respective synodal structures and traditions.”

With an eye toward 2033 — the 2,000th anniversary of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus — the pope urged Christians to commit themselves “to further developing ecumenical synodal practices and to sharing with one another who we are, what we do and what we teach.”

Leo greeted Cardinal Kurt Koch and leaders and representatives of other Christian communities, including Metropolitan Polykarpos for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and Bishop Anthony Ball on behalf of the Anglican Communion.

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Pope Leo XIV Highlights Synodality as a Path for Ecumenism

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He also offered a special word of gratitude to the Churches in Armenia, which prepared the materials for this year’s Week of Prayer, praising “the courageous Christian witness of the Armenian people throughout history, a history in which martyrdom has been a constant feature.”

Recalling Catholicos St. Nersès Šnorhali, whom he called “the Gracious,” Leo said the 12th-century Armenian churchman understood that the search for unity “is a task entrusted to all the faithful, and that it requires the healing of memory.”

The pope concluded by recalling the tradition of Armenia as the first Christian nation, after King Tiridates was baptized by St. Gregory the Illuminator in 301, and prayed that the seeds of the Gospel would continue to bear fruit “in unity, justice and holiness, for the benefit of peace among the peoples and nations of the whole world.”

This story was originally published by ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner. It has been adapted by CNA.

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