Pope Benedict XVI offered prayers for this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, saying Christians need to demonstrate their ecumenical commitment through concrete acts of charity.

The pope, speaking at his weekly general audience Jan 17, said the road to Christian unity was a long and difficult one, but the important thing is not to become discouraged. Prayer is essential for ecumenical progress, he said.

“Every Christian worthy of the name should unite with their brothers and sisters to implore the gift of unity and communion,” he said.

The pope, who addressed about 6,000 people in the Vatican's audience hall, was scheduled to close the Jan 18-25 Christian unity week by presiding over a vespers liturgy with other Christian leaders in the Rome Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls.

He said the theme of this year's prayer week, Open our ears and loosen our tongues, referred to Christ's healing of a deaf man and to the missionary responsibilities of all Christians.

Through baptism all Christians have been freed from “spiritual deafness,” he said, and become capable of listening to God's word and communicating it to others.

“The theme underlines how important it is to translate the message of Christ into concrete initiatives of solidarity,” the pope said.

“This favours the path of Christian unity, because every action, however small, which Christians make together to relieve the suffering of others helps make more visible their communion and their fidelity to the commandment of the Lord,” he said.

The pope asked everyone to pray for “significant steps on the road of full communion” between Christian Churches, not only during the week dedicated to ecumenism but every day of the year.

Over time, the pope said, he has come to appreciate the deep desire for unity among Christian leaders. This desire was especially evident in his recent meeting in Istanbul with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, he said.

The pope also noted that in Italy and some other countries Jan 17 was dedicated to Christian-Jewish relations.

“Friendship between Jews and Christians, in order to grow and be fruitful, must be founded on prayer,” he said.

“I ask everyone to pray insistently so that Jews and Christians may respect each other, appreciate each other and work together for justice and peace in the world,” he said. (CNS)

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is observed in this archdiocese in the week between Ascension and Pentecost Sundays.