Pope Leo Calls for Global Christian Unity at 2025 Ecumenical Week in Stockholm

Stockholm, Sweden, August 22, 2025 – Pope Leo XIV has called on Christians around the world to deepen their fellowship and work together in unity, urging collective prayer and action amid a world marked by conflict, inequality, environmental crisis, and spiritual disconnection. The Holy Father made this appeal in a message he sent to participants of the 2025 Ecumenical Week, which is currently taking place in Stockholm. The event, organised by the Christian Council of Sweden, commenced on August 18 and will conclude on August 22. Representatives from various Christian churches across the world are participating in the five-day summit.

In his message, Pope Leo recalled that this Ecumenical Week marks both the centenary of the 1925 Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work and the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, where bishops from across the world affirmed the divinity of Jesus Christ and articulated creedal statements that continue to unite Christians across denominations.

“The Council of Nicaea stood as a courageous sign of unity amidst difference—an early witness to the conviction that our shared confession can overcome division and foster communion,” the pontiff stated in his message. He also recognised the pioneering work of Archbishop Nathan Söderblom, the Lutheran Archbishop of Uppsala, who convened the first ecumenical conference in Stockholm in 1925, emphasising that the Catholic Church now stands alongside other Christian denominations as “fellow disciples of Christ, recognising that what unites us is far greater than what divides us.”

Pope Leo noted that since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has fully embraced ecumenism, guided by the decree Unitatis Redintegratio, which calls for dialogue in “humble and loving fraternity” grounded in shared baptism and mission. “The unity Christ wills for His Church must be visible,” the pontiff wrote, “and such unity grows through theological dialogue, common worship where possible, and shared witness in the face of humanity’s suffering.”

Reiterating the theme of the Ecumenical Week, “Time for God’s peace”, the Pope stressed that peace is both a divine promise and a task for Christians, who are called to confront division with courage and indifference with compassion and bring healing where there has been hurt. He concluded by affirming the Catholic Church’s ongoing commitment to pray and work alongside other Christian communities in the pursuit of reconciliation and unity.

Courtesy: Vatican News

Image Source: National Catholic Register

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