In his homily prepared for an ecumenical vigil on 11th October marking the anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the start of a new ecumenical era, Pope Francis reflected on Christian unity and martyrdom, centring his thoughts on the words of Jesus: “The glory that you have given me I have given them” (Jn 17:22).

Reflecting on the lessons learned from the synodal process, the Pope reminded the faithful that Christian unity is not uniformity, but harmony. He said that “unity is harmony among the diversity of charisms”, brought to life by the Holy Spirit for the benefit of all Christians. This harmo-ny, he explained, does not come from human efforts but from the Spirit, whom Saint Basil described as “harmony itself.”

Urging Christians to move forward in love and service, confident that difficulties will not stop the journey toward unity, Pope Francis appealed: “Let us trust the Holy Spirit, who draws us to unity in the harmony of a multi-faceted diversity.”