Pope Leo XIV receives
participants in the Symposium “Nicaea and the Church of the Third Millennium:
Towards Catholic-Orthodox Unity” (@Vatican Media)
Pope Leo XIV: What unites Christians is far greater than
what divides
Pope Leo XIV meets with participants in the Symposium
“Nicaea and the Church of the Third Millennium: Towards Catholic-Orthodox
Unity," and highlights the many aspects that unite Christians, as the
Church celebrates the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
"The Council of Nicaea is not merely an event of the
past but a compass that must continue to guide us towards the full visible
unity of all Christians."
Pope Leo XIV expressed this when receiving in Vatican
participants in the Symposium “Nicaea and the Church of the Third Millennium:
Towards Catholic-Orthodox Unity,” which took place on 4-7 June, at the
Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
In 2025, the Catholic Church is commemorating the 1,700th
anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, convened in 325 AD by Emperor
Constantine I in the city of Nicaea.
The ecumenical council aimed to address theological disputes
and establish a unified Christian doctrine, and its outcomes included affirming
Christ's divinity and formulating the Nicene Creed.
Unity as Christ wills
At Saturday morning's encounter, the Holy Father gave a warm
welcome to those present, expressing appreciation for the Angelicum-organized
symposium as it looks toward the future.
Pope Leo XIV receives
Symposium “Nicea and the Church of the Third Millennium: Towards
Catholic-Orthodox Unity” at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
in Rome. (@Vatican Media)
He called the First Ecumenical Council
"foundational" for the common journey that Catholics and Orthodox
have undertaken together since the Second Vatican Council.
For the Eastern Churches, which commemorate its celebration
in their liturgical calendar, the Council of Nicaea, he recognized, "is
not simply one Council among others or the first in a series, but the
Council par excellence..."
On the eve of Pentecost, Pope Leo insisted "that the
unity for which Christians long will not be primarily the fruit of our own
efforts, nor will it be realized through any preconceived model or
blueprint." Rather, he said, Christian unity will be "a gift received
as Christ wills and by the means that He wills, by the working of the Holy
Spirit."
'What we have in common is much stronger'
The Pope said the three themes of the symposium—the faith of
Nicaea, synodality, and the date of Easter—are especially relevant for
Christians' ecumenical journey.
On the faith of Nicaea, he reiterated that this anniversary
represents “an invaluable opportunity to emphasise that, what we have in common
is much stronger, quantitatively and qualitatively, than what divides us."
"Together," Pope Leo said, "we believe in the
Triune God, in Christ as truly human and truly God, and in salvation through
Jesus Christ, according to the Scriptures read in the Church and under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit," as well as "in the Church, baptism, the
resurrection of the dead, and eternal life.”
"I am convinced that by returning to the Council of
Nicaea and drawing together from this common source," he said, "we
will be able to see in a different light the points that still separate
us," and that "through theological dialogue and with God’s help, we
will gain a better understanding of the mystery that unites us."
Pope Leo also said that by celebrating together this Nicene
faith and by proclaiming it together, Christians will advance together toward
"the restoration of full communion."
Pope Leo XIV receives
Symposium “Nicea and the Church of the Third Millennium: Towards
Catholic-Orthodox Unity” at the Angelicum (@Vatican Media)
Confessing our faith together
Turning to the Symposium's second theme of synodality, Pope
Leo observed the Council of Nicaea "inaugurated a synodal path for
the Church to follow in dealing with theological and canonical questions at the
universal level."
He expressed his "hope that the preparation and joint
commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea will be a
providential occasion to deepen and confess together our faith in Christ and to
put into practice forms of synodality among Christians of all traditions.”
Recalling that the date of Easter is the Symposium's third
theme, the Pope recalled that one of the Council of Nicaea's objectives was to
establish a common date for Easter.
"Sadly, differences in their calendars no longer allow
Christians to celebrate together the most important feast of the liturgical
year, causing pastoral problems within communities, dividing families and
weakening the credibility of our witness to the Gospel," he noted.
The Pope pointed out that several concrete solutions have
been proposed, which, while respecting the principle of Nicaea, would allow
Christians to celebrate together "the 'Feast of Feasts.'”
Expressing satisfaction that this year all Christians
were able to celebrate Easter on the same day, Pope Leo underscored,
"I would reaffirm the openness of the Catholic Church to the pursuit of an
ecumenical solution favouring a common celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection
and thus giving greater missionary force to our preaching of the name of Jesus
and the salvation born of faith in the saving truth of the Gospel.”
Pope Leo XIV receives
Symposium “Nicea and the Church of the Third Millennium: Towards
Catholic-Orthodox Unity” at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
in Rome (@Vatican Media)
Before imparting his Apostolic Blessing, Pope Leo XIV
invited those gathered to join him in praying together for the Spirit’s gift of
unity in a prayer drawn from the Eastern tradition.
“O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the
Spirit of Truth,
Who art everywhere and fillest all things;
Treasury of Blessings, and Giver of Life,
Come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity,
and save our souls, O Good One.
Pope Leo XIV imparting
blessing when at conclusion of his encounter with the Symposium “Nicea and the
Church of the Third Millennium: Towards Catholic-Orthodox Unity” at the
Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome] (@Vatican Media)
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