Churches reflect on God's 'radical hospitality'

Churches are praying and reflecting this week on God's call for Christians to be one.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has been marked by churches around the world with special services and events.

The annual event focuses this year on the Indian churches' experience of disunity in casteism and the part justice plays in unity.

The Reverend Dr Peniel Rajkumar from India, who helped draft the resources for the week, said the focus of this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was a challenge to Christians to rethink discipleship as God's presence and engagement with "the most unexpected agents and aspects of human life".

Rev Rajkumar, who has just joined the World Council of Churches as its programme director for inter-religious, appealed to Christians to commit themselves to the cause of justice, and cultivate kindness and humility.

He said: "The theme has the potential to draw together churches to celebrate Christian unity in a manner which extends the idea of Christian unity to embrace the idea of God's radical hospitality, and thereby redefine it along the lines of justice, kindness and humility into prophetic solidarity."