Christian leaders and faithful from Catholic and Protestant communities gathered in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. 24 for an ecumenical meeting marking the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, emphasizing shared faith and the call to overcome divisions.
The gathering, organized by the Interreligious Dialogue Commission of the Archdiocese of Saigon, brought together pastors and members of Evangelical, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Adventist, and other Protestant churches, alongside Catholic clergy, religious, and lay faithful.
The Vietnamese Bishops’ Conference said the meeting aimed to strengthen Christian fraternity through reflection on Scripture, guided by the theme from Ephesians 4:4: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling.”
The program opened with a prayer for Christian unity and readings from Ephesians 4:1–7, proclaimed using Catholic and Protestant translations.
The passage urged believers to live “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,” and to preserve “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” affirming “one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.”
Representatives from different Christian communities later shared testimonies on how faith and the grace of the Holy Spirit had transformed their lives, which organizers said reflected a renewed commitment to live and witness “the saving love of God” in daily life.
In his reflection, Archbishop Giuse Nguyen Nang said the sharing had reached “the heart of unity,” describing the Holy Spirit as “the soul of unity.”
Referring to a testimony from a member of the Mai Cat disability community, the archbishop warned that disputes over secondary matters can weaken communion. “Many times, we allow what is secondary to make us lose unity,” he said.
Citing Pope John XXIII, he recalled the statement: “What unites us is much greater than what divides us.”
Archbishop Nguyen Nang stressed that Christians become children of God through baptism, even if it is called by different names. What is essential, he said, is baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity, forgiveness of sins, and incorporation into the body of Christ, where the Holy Spirit dwells.
“Sometimes we allow what is merely the name of the sacrament to make us lose unity,” he said, urging believers to focus on what is most important, remain united in charity, and recognize one another as brothers and sisters who share one Father in heaven.
The gathering concluded with a common prayer for peace and unity, as participants departed, organizers said, “with hearts filled with the joy of unity.”
