By james art 
By AC Wimmer
CNA Newsroom, January 25, 2025 / 5:31 p.m
Pope Francis posed the profound question of Jesus, “Do you believe this?” to Christians around the world during the ecumenical Vespers service on Saturday night, as momentum builds for Catholics and Orthodox to consider celebrating Easter on the same date in this historic anniversary.
Speaking in the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls at the end of the 58th week of prayer for Christian unity, the pontiff reflected on the meeting of Christ with Martha after the death of Lazarus, emphasizing that hope “rises from the ashes of death”.
“This tender meeting between Jesus and Martha teaches us that even in times of deep emptiness we are not alone and can continue to hope,” the pope said during his homily, which focused on the week’s theme of “Do you believe that ?” from John 11:26.
The January 25 celebration marked the solemn conclusion of this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which the Pope linked to the ongoing Jubilee Year.
“This message of hope is at the heart of the jubilee we have begun,” Francis said, referring to the words of the Apostle Paul to the Romans that “hope does not disappoint us, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom 5:5).
Earlier on Saturday, the Pope urged journalists to tell “Stories of Hope” in the jubilee of the world’s communications, echoing the strong call for hope in the papal message for the 59th World Day of Social Communications.
In the Vespers service, the Pope noted that the focus of this entire jubilee year is on hope and coincides “provincially” with the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
He emphasized that the Council’s profession of Faith “transcends all the divisions that have divided the body of Christ over the centuries.”
Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, addressed the Holy Father before the apostolic blessing. He recalled the historic visit of the Pope in 2014. at the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in Constantinople (modern Istanbul), where Francis affirmed that “the Catholic Church does not intend to impose any requirements other than the simple profession of faith” to achieve full unity.
That hope for unity has gained momentum in recent months. Last November, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople confirmed ongoing talks among church officials to establish a common Easter date, potentially in early 2025.
“In this week of prayer for Christian unity, we can experience the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea as a call to persevere on the path to unity,” the pope said on Saturday, renewing his call that Christians can take “a decisive step forward towards unity around common date for Easter. “
Highlighting the “providential” timing, Francis noted that Easter will fall on the same date in both the Gregorian and Julian calendars this year. “Let us rediscover the common roots of faith,” the pontiff urged. “Let’s keep unity!”
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Representatives of various Christian churches and ecclesiastical communities present in Rome took part in the evening celebration, including the Metropolitan Polycarp, representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and Archbishop Ian Ernest of the Anglican Communion, who was concluding his service.
AC Wimmer (刘威猛) is the Europe and Asia news editor at EWTN News. The multilingual Australian, raised in Bavaria and South Africa, serves as editor-in-chief of several news outlets. A philosophy and Chinese studies graduate from the University of Melbourne, the veteran journalist is a former Honorary Research Fellow in Communications at his alma mater and serves on the board of Caritas in Munich.