On Sunday, January 25, 2026, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity concluded at St. Raphael Cathedral at 6:00 p.m., with the participation of the heads of all Christian churches in Lebanon or their representatives, alongside a large gathering of faithful and members of the community, including His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I Keshishian, His Beatitude Mar Ignatius Joseph III Younan, Bishop Roger Akhras representing the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch, and Monsignor Toubalian representing the Armenian Catholic Patriarch, in addition to bishops, superiors general, priests, pastors, mother superiors, monks, nuns, those active in ecclesial, ecumenical, and social fields, lay associations, the Chaldean Higher Council, the Chaldean Charitable Society, diocesan deacons, and people from the region and surrounding areas. The prayer service, inspired by the theme of the final day of the Week of Unity and enriched with Chaldean liturgy, was animated by the Chaldean choirs of St. Joseph and St. Thomas with the beautiful melodies of the Church of the East. The celebration was presided over by Bishop Michel Kassarji, head of the diocese, assisted by vicar General Raphael Traboulsi and Father Tanous Khalil, and featured meaningful addresses by Patriarch Al-Rai, Bishop Kassarji, and Professor Michel Abboud, Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches, highlighting the significance of the occasion on spiritual, social, ecclesial, and even regional levels. Following the prayer, a fraternal gathering took place in the episcopal residence hall, where conversations were exchanged, commemorative photos were taken, and prayers were renewed that Christians may be united in one heart and one spirit under the banner of the Lord Jesus, for “there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called” (Ephesians 4:4).
العربية