The Ecumenical Patriarch and the Archbishop of Canterbury will be among the Church leaders to join Pope Francis at a prayer vigil in St Peter’s Square on Saturday to entrust the forthcoming synod to the Holy Spirit.
Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop Justin Welby and ten other leaders of Orthodox and Protestant denominations are due to attend, along with several of the fraternal delegates to the synod.
Archbishop Welby said that it was “an opportunity for all of us to come together and inspire change”.
The service, organised by the ecumenical Taizé community, follows celebrations for the cross-denominational Season of Creation and a series of workshops for young adults designed to promote Christian unity.