Acknowledging that much progress has been made on the ecumenical journey, the Bishop of Ossory also underlined that “much more needs to be done”.

Highlighting how Anglicans and Catholics are initiated into the faith through baptism, he prayed that their witness and ministry alongside one another would be “a foretaste of the reconciling of all Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of Christ”.

Meanwhile, in the Cathedral of St Brendan, Loughrea, Bishop Michael Duignan and Bishop Michael Burrows led an ecumenical service of prayer for Christian unity.

Bishop Duignan urged those present to “never to give up hope of an ever greater, enriching, lifegiving unity among the followers of Christ”.

In his sermon, Bishop Burrows noted how the ecumenical movement, although “moving slowly”, is nonetheless “making concrete advances that no one would have imagined before”.

Separately, the Archbishops of Armagh have produced a joint reflection on the theme of this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

In the video, Archbishops Eamon Martin and John McDowell discuss the role faith plays in sustaining hope amid personal and societal challenges and reflect on the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.