In photo above, participants in the Synod of Bishops gather with Pope Francis for an ecumenical prayer service Oct. 11, 2024, in the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs at the Vatican. The square, just south of St. Peter's Basilica, is the site where St. Peter and other Christians were martyred in the first century under the Emperor Nero. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Halfway through the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis and synod participants prayed that God would "remove the divisions between Christians" so that they could proclaim the Gospel together.
The pope presided over a candlelight vigil Oct. 11, the anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council in 1962, and texts from council documents introduced the prayers of praise and the prayers of petition.
The synod participants at the prayer service included the 16 "fraternal delegates" representing Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant churches, as well as the Rome-based representatives of the Anglican, Methodist and Reformed churches to the Holy See and other Christian ministers and faithful in the city.
Pope Francis did not read the meditation he prepared for the service, although it was distributed and published on the Vatican website.
Halfway through the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis wrote, participants wanted to "express our shame at the scandal of division among Christians, the scandal of our failure to bear common witness to the Lord Jesus."
Read the entire story at https://www.usccb.org/news/2024/mission-common-goal-synod-and-ecumenism-pope-says