The Pope has called on Christians to pray for better understanding between Christians and Jews in prayers he offered for Christian Unity Week, which started on Thursday.

Pope Benedict made the appeal in his weekly general audience on Wednesday. He said that the road to Christian unity was a long and difficult one, but that it was important not to become discouraged, reports theological think-tank Ekklesia.

The Pope stressed the importance of prayer in bringing Jews and Christians closer together.

"Friendship between Jews and Christians, in order to grow and be fruitful, must be founded on prayer," he said.

"I ask everyone to pray insistently so that Jews and Christians may respect each other, appreciate each other and work together for justice and peace in the world."

The theme of this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - "He even makes the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak" - is inspired by St Mark's account of the miracle performed by Jesus in which he heals a man who was deaf and mute (cf. Mk 7:37).

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland launched resources on the theme last year drawn from the experience of Christian communities in the South African region of Umlazi, which has been ravaged by HIV and AIDS, with an estimated 50 per cent of the residents infected with the virus.

The Pope said the theme referred to the missionary responsibilities of all Christians.

Through baptism all Christians had been freed from "spiritual deafness," he said, and had become capable of listening to God's word and communicating it to others.

"The theme underlines how important it is to translate the message of Christ into concrete initiatives of solidarity," the Pope said, in the Ekklesia report.

He said that Christians needed to demonstrate their commitment to one another through concrete acts of charity, adding that prayer was essential for ecumenical progress, he said.

"Every Christian worthy of the name should unite with their brothers and sisters to implore the gift of unity and communion," he said.

"Every action, however small, which Christians make together to relieve the suffering of others helps make more visible their communion and their fidelity to the commandment of the Lord".

The Pope asked everyone to pray for "significant steps on the road of full communion" between Christian churches, not only during the week dedicated to ecumenism but every day of the year.

The Pope said he had, over time, come to appreciate the deep desire for unity among Christian leaders.

Christian Unity Week runs until January 25.