Vatican City, Jan 20, 2021 / 05:00 am
Pope Francis urged Christians to pray for "the gift of unity" on Wednesday, saying that the devil always seeks to sow division and discord.
"During this time of serious hardship, this prayer is even more necessary so that unity might prevail over conflicts. It is urgent that we set aside preferences to promote the common good, and so our good example is fundamental: it is essential that Christians pursue the path toward full visible unity," Pope Francis said in his general audience address on Jan. 20.
"The world will not believe because we will have convinced it with good arguments, but because we will have borne witness to that love that unites us and draws us near to everyone," the pope said.
The Church dedicates one week each January to prayer for unity among all Christians. Pope Francis said that this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, held on Jan. 18-25, is "dedicated specifically to this: to ask God for the gift of unity to overcome the scandal of division between believers in Jesus."