Vatican City (Fides Service) - On Wednesday 22 January, Pope John Paul held his weekly audience in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican. The audience fell during the annual week of prayer for unity of Christ's followers, and this theme was taken up by the Pope who said in English: "Dear Brothers and Sisters, Christ founded his Church to be one, and all Christians are called to work tirelessly for the full unity of those who follow Jesus. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity offers us the opportunity to pray together, with one voice and one heart, for the precious gift of unity. To borrow an image from Saint Paul, we may say that this gift comes to us in "earthen vessels" (cf. 2 Cor 4:7). It is therefore fragile and must be handled with utmost care. The cause of unity is served by encouraging understanding, respect and cooperation among all Christians. May the Lord grant us prudence, perseverance and trust in our ecumenical undertaking. I am pleased to extend a warm greeting to the English-speaking pilgrims present at today's audience, particularly those from Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Australia, Japan and the United States of America. I invite all of you to offer special prayers for Christian unity during this week, and I gladly invoke upon you the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ." See address in other languages and longer Italian version at www.fides.org (Fides Service 23/1/2003)