Pope Benedict XVI and pastor Samuel Kobia, secretary general of the Ecumenical Council of the Churches (the members of which are 347 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican churches), will meet in Rome on Friday 25th January on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the Week of Prayer for the Unity of Christians. The news was relayed by a the Ecumenical Council, in a release, stating that also on Friday morning the secretary general, Samuel Kobia, will meet the Pope in private audience along with the members of the Joint Workgroup of the Roman Catholic Church and the Ecumenical Council. Established to discuss issues of common interest, the workgroup is holding its yearly plenary session in Rome, from 21st to 26th January. Also on Friday, at 5.30 pm, Pope Benedict XVI will officiate an ecumenical celebration of the Vespers in the Roman Basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura, during which Samuel Kobia will give a speech on behalf of the 347 Churches that compose the Ecumenical Council. The ecumenical celebration of the Vespers in San Paolo fuori le Mura will mark the end of the Week of Prayer for the Unity of Christians that in the northern hemisphere of the planet is celebrated from 18th to 25th January and that turned one hundred this year.
