May 17: Day of Solidarity with the Christians of the East.

For the third year in a row, on the sixth Sunday after the Latin Easter, Western Christians pray for their brothers and sisters in Christ, Christians of the East. This initiative was founded by the French organization "Case of the East" l'Œuvre d'Orient and each year spreads to more and more countries. This year's World Day of Prayer for Eastern Christians falls on Sunday, May 17, so Roman Catholics will pray in their parishes and monastic communities for the Eastern Churches and for peace in their countries: Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, the Holy Land, Romania, India, Ethiopia and Ukraine, and ask Christians in the East to pray for them.

Today, the world is experiencing an unprecedented sanitary and epidemiological crisis, so the prayers of Christians in the East and solidarity among Christians, who have been in quarantine restrictions for more than a month, are very valuable. "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ," teaches the Apostle to the Gentiles, St. Paul. Experiencing together these painful moments of the global pandemic, let us unite in prayer with one another and pray for one another to the Risen Christ.Taking into account the quarantine, which aims to slow the spread of the epidemic and therefore prevents us from gathering together for prayer on this day, we call on Sunday, May 17, to unite our hearts in spiritual communion, joy, unity and sincere friendship. May this prayer "for peace in the whole world, for the good state of the holy Churches of God and for the unity of all," for an end to the pandemic, strengthen and sustain us on the path to fulfilling our mission "that all may be one."

Institute of Ecumenical Studies through its Director Dr. Pavlo Smytsnyuk and DLMPES’ Coordinator Fr. Roman Fihas with their prayer and reflections joined the world initiative: Day of Solidarity with the Christians of the East on May 17. Video here...