At the doors to celebrate a month from the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV received today in the Vatican to the participants of the Symposium “Nicea and the Church of the Third Millennium: Towards the Catholic-Orthodox Unit”, which is part of the 1700 years of the Council of Nicea that are celebrated this 2025, and expressed its breath of a “full visible unity of Christians.”
At the beginning of his official speech, the Holy Father apologized to the audience attendees “to be a little late, and also ask for patience with me.”
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“I have not been in this new position for a month, so there are many learning experiences. But I am very happy to be with you this morning,” said the Pope, chosen on May 8 of this year.
Among the attendees were leaders of the Orthodox Churches, many of whom “honored me with their presence at the opening mass of my pontificate,” on May 18.
The Pope expressed his joy because the symposium, organized by œcumenicum – of the Pontifical University of San Tomás de Aquinas (Angelicum) of Rome – and the International Association of Orthodox Theology, “is decidedly oriented towards the future.”
Nicea “is fundamental” for “the common path” of Catholics and Orthodox
“The council of Nicea is not simply an event of the past, but a compass that must continue to guide us towards the full visible unity of Christians,” said León.
“The first ecumenical council is essential for the common path that Catholics and Orthodox have undertaken together from the Second Vatican Council. For the Eastern Churches, which commemorate its celebration in its liturgical calendar, the council of Nicea is not simply one more among others or the first of a series, but the council par excellence, which promulgated the norm of the Christian faith, the confession of faith of faith of faith of faith of faith Parents, ”he said.
The Pope stressed that the three issues addressed by the symposium “are especially relevant to our ecumenical path.” On the first one, Nicea’s faith, the Holy Father was “convinced that, returning to the council of Nicea and drinking together from this common source, we can see in a different light the points that still separate us.”
“Through the theological dialogue and with the help of God, we will better understand the mystery that unites us. By celebrating this faith nicena together and proclaiming it together, we will also advance towards the restoration of full communion between us,” he said.
Ecumenism and Sinodality
Regarding the second issue, Sinodality, Leo XIV stressed that “the council of Nicea inaugurated a synodal path for the Church to address theological and canonical issues at the universal level.”
“The contribution of the fraternal delegates of the churches and ecclesial communities of the East and West to the recent synod of the synodality held here in the Vatican was a valuable stimulus for a greater reflection on the nature and practice of synodality.”
“He Final Synod Document He pointed out that ‘Ecumenical dialogue is essential to develop an understanding of the synodality and the unity of the Church’ and encouraged the development of ‘authentically ecumenical synod practices, even even forms of consultation and discernment on urgent issues of common interest,’ ”he added.
In addition, he expressed his desire that “the joint preparation and commemoration of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea is a providential occasion ‘to deepen and confess together the Christological faith and implement forms of synodality among the Christians of all traditions.”
A common date for Easter
When referring to the third topic of the Symposium, “related to the date of Easter”, the Holy Father recalled that “one of the objectives of the Council of Nicea was to establish a common date for Easter, in order to express the unity of the Church”
The Pope regretted that “the differences in the calendars” that use Catholics and Orthodox – Gregoriano and Julian, respectively – “no longer allow Christians to celebrate together the most important party of the liturgical year, which causes pastoral problems in the communities, divides families and weakens the credibility of our testimony of the gospel.”
“Several specific solutions have been proposed that, respecting the principle of Nicea, would allow Christians to celebrate together the ‘Festival of the Festivities’,” he said, and then reiterate “the opening of the Catholic Church to the search for an ecumenical solution that favors a common celebration of the resurrection of the Lord and thus give greater missionary force to our preaching of the’ name of Jesus and the salvation that is born of faith in faith in faith Gospel. ‘”
Remembering a fragment of prayer for the unity of the Christians of the French priest Paul Couturier, Leo XIV said towards the end of the encounter that “the unity that Christians yearn will not be mainly the result of our own efforts, nor will it be carried out through any preconceived model or plan. Rather, the unity will be a gift received ‘as Christ wants and by the means he wants’, by the action of the Holy Spirit.”
Therefore, the audience concluded with a prayer “taken from the eastern tradition”:
Oh celestial king, dildo, real spirit,
that you are everywhere and fill everything;
Treasury of blessings and life giver,
Come and live in us, and Lippians of all impurity,
And save our souls, oh kind. Amen.
David Ramos
Graduate in Communication Sciences by the Private University of the North in Trujillo, Peru. With more than 12 years of experience in Catholic journalism working in ACI Press, I am based in Mexico since 2018. I have covered the trips of Pope Francis to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Panama.