September 30, an ecumenical prayer vigil will be held at the Vatican, in the presence of Pope Francis as well as representatives of various other Churches, to foster unity through prayer, silence, listening to the Word. Young people aged 18 to 35 from different European countries, and from all ecclesial backgrounds, are being invited to attend the whole weekend, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, to journey together as God’s people.
On January 15 last, at the end of the Angelus, Pope Francis announced that the work of the next Ordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops would be preceded by an ecumenical prayer vigil on Saturday,
September 30, in St. Peter’s Square: “The path of Christian unity and the path of the Church’s synodal
conversion are linked,” the Holy Father said. “For the young people who will be attending the vigil, there
will be a special program throughout the weekend, led by the Taizé Community. From now on, I invite
brothers and sisters of all Christian denominations to take part in this ‘gathering of God’s people.”
CCCB President, Bishop William McGrattan, who will be present at this event, remarked: “This prayer
vigil is an opportunity to engage in the synodal process, with the aim of demonstrating the desire for unison among Christians on the move. Without prayer, there’s no synod on synodality. This ecumenical vigil of prayer will be reminding us of our commitment to build a synodal Church and together to entrust the work of the Synod to the Holy Spirit.”
Further information is available on the event website ( together2023.net/ ), including other ways of
participating for those who are unable to travel to Rome.