- Archbishops of Armagh encourage all to pray for Christian Unity
The 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which will run from 18 – 25 January, will be marked by Archbishop Eamon Martin, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, and Archbishop John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, on the theme ‘One Body, One Spirit’. See above a brief video on this year’s theme.
The Archbishops are calling Christians to deeper unity and active peacemaking, drawing on the ancient prayer traditions of the Armenian Church, and the biblical theme ‘One Body, One Spirit’. They emphasise that the Church, though diverse in culture and tradition, is meant to live as one body in Christ, united by humility, patience, love, and the bond of peace. Linking the Armenian Church’s appeal for justice and peace with their own witness on the island of Ireland, the Primates stress that peace is both a gift and a responsibility for Christians, rooted in Christ the Prince of Peace and the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Archbishops said, “In this year’s theme for Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we focus on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians chapter 4, which stresses the importance of unity within the Church, and urges us to live lives worthy of our calling, with humility, gentleness, patience and love. In verse 4 of that chapter, Paul emphasises that the followers of Christ represent one body and one spirit, united in a single hope. The metaphor, one body, one spirit, signifies the Church as a unified entity that transcends barriers of geography, nationality, ethnicity and tradition, and Paul speaks of the Church being the body of Christ, to describe its unity within the diversity of its members.”
For 2026, resources for this special Week of Prayer have been prepared by the faithful of the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with their brothers and sisters of the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches. This year’s theme and prayer resources can be accessed on https://ctbi.org.uk/resources/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2026/ .
When sharing on social media, the faithful are invited to promote details of their events on Week of Prayer for Christian Unity wall by simply adding the #wpcuwall hashtag to their X post.
For each day of the Week of Prayer, specific prayer themes (see below) will be promoted on Catholic Bishops social media platforms X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky using hashtag #wpcu2026 and #wpcuwall.
ENDS
Notes For Editors
- See below daily reflections on the theme for the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The texts provided for personal or communal prayer for each of the eight days include scripture readings and a psalm. Click here to access these reflections in full:
Day 1: Our call to unity
Day 2: Bearing with one another in love
Day 3: The bond of peace
Day 4: Called to one hope
Day 5: One faith, one baptism
Day 6: One God over all
Day 7: Christ’s gift
Day 8: Growing into Christ