Pope calls faithful to “Implore God for the Gift of Full Unity”

Vatican City, Jan 16, 2005 / 22:00 pm

The World Day of Migrants and Refugees and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity were at the center of the Pope's reflections today before he prayed the noon Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square below his study window.

Noting that today the entire Church marks the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, the Holy Father said that in his Message, "I wished to underline the importance of integration among peoples which calls for a just balance between affirming one's own identity and recognizing that of others.”

I send cordial greetings to all migrants and I hope that, through dialogue, friendliness and understanding among peoples will grow."

He then turned to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which begins on January 18 and has been preceded by a Day for Jewish-Christian Dialogue. The theme this year is "Christ, the One Foundation of the Church."

"I invite every community," said John Paul II, "to make meaningful gestures of encounter and ecumenical dialogue and to implore God for the gift of full unity of all disciples of Christ.”

Let us entrust this important ecclesial event to Mary. May her maternal intercession help Christians to form one heart and one soul and all men to grow in solidarity in order to build a world of peace."