Anglican communities across Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia will join with sister churches for the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity this week (between Ascension and Pentecost) as communities take part in a liturgy prepared by The World Council of Churches, the Vatican and the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church.

As believers from the first Christian country in the world, Armenian Christians have long-since suffered periodic persecutions. In September 2023, when Azerbaijan attacked Artsakh, the disputed Nagorno–Karabakh border region, more 100K Armenians were forced to flee their homes.

2026 reports show that even today, historic Orthodox churches in that region are being destroyed by Azerbaijani forces as they eliminate evidence of its ancient Armenian Christian presence.

At home the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church also faces repression. The current Catholicos (Primate) of Armenia and more Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church leaders are now in prison, after charges made by the ruling political party were upheld. The Archbishops were arrested after they called for the Armenian President's resignation – for his failure to protect Christians and churches in Armenia's border regions. 

The Armenian Church's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service 2026 takes the theme "Light from light for light," inspired by the words of the Nicene Creed, and a 12th century Armenian liturgy on Christ the light.

The service adapts the work of Armenian Catholicos St Nersess ‘the Gracious’ of Gla (†1173), who wrote the prayers as a theological response to Armenian traditions of sun worship at dawn. One prayer reads:

"O Jesus Christ, Light from the Light, dwell within us, who have come together to worship your holy and precious name. Let your life-giving radiance kindle within us a deeper love for one another. May your brilliant light stir us to ever more flourishing unity. Like diverse flowers in the garden of your Kingdom, may your divine brilliance cause us to bloom in harmony. And so, all as one, may we always joyfully praise and glorify you, and the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen." – Adapted from St Gregory of Narek

Prayers for peace in this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity liturgy resound with the urgency of Armenia's own context: 

"Grant us peace, O Loving Lord, and remove the scourge of civil unrest and violence from the face of the earth. Change the hearts of all who make war and touch the wounds of all who are afflicted by war. Comfort all prisoners of war and speedily bring them home. Let the light of your love shine in all the dark places of our world and hasten the day when all peoples may dwell in peace with justice." 

"O Christ, our Saviour, we pray for the people of Armenia and Artsakh, and their kindred throughout the world, who long ago turned to your light through the preaching of the Apostle Thaddeus and the miraculous witness of St Gregory the Illuminator."

Resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity including a prayer cycle are available from the World Council of Churches website here.

The English version of the liturgy is available to download in PDF format here:

Aotearoa New Zealand's National Dialogue for Christian Unity (NDCU) meeting this week will pray the liturgy together led in sections by the Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian and Anglican church leaders.

NDCU members have incorporated the following songs in English and Te Reo Māori into the liturgy linking the global prayers with songs sung in the Aotearoa New Zealand context.

He Honore (On Youtube)

Christ be our Light (On Youtube)

Bless the Lord my Soul (On Youtube)

Whakamoemititia, whakakorōria.

Whakamoemititia tō tātou Atua. (sung to the tune of Laudate Omnes Gentes)

Te Inoi a te Ariki (On Youtube)