Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour: 1700th Anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325-2025)

 — Apr. 3, 20253 avril 2025

On 20 May 2025, the Christian world will commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the opening of the Council of Nicaea, which took place in Asia Minor in the year 325. This was the first ecumenical council in history, and it produced the creed that, completed by the First Council of Constantinople in 381, has become the distinctive expression of the Church’s faith in Jesus Christ. This anniversary occurs within the Jubilee Year, which is centered on the theme “Christ our Hope,” and it coincides with the common celebration of Easter by Christians of both East and West. As Pope Francis has emphasized, in this historic moment—marked by the tragedy of war along with countless anxieties and uncertainties—what is essential, most beautiful, most attractive, and also most necessary for Christians is precisely the faith in Jesus Christ proclaimed at Nicaea. Indeed, the proclamation of this faith is “the fundamental task of the Church” (Address to Participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, 26 January 2024).

The International Theological Commission has now published an important and comprehensive document entitled, “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour: The 1700th Anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.” It aims not only to recall the nature and significance of the Council, given its great historical importance for the Church, but also to highlight the extraordinary resources that the Nicene creed, continuously professed up to our own time, contains and re-proposes, especially in view of the new phase of evangelization that the Church is presently called to undertake. The document also highlights the relevance of these resources for a responsible and shared approach to addressing the epochal changes that are impacting culture and society worldwide. For the faith professed at Nicaea makes us see the explosive and enduring newness of the coming of the Son of God among us. It encourages us to expand our hearts and minds in order to welcome and engage with the gift of this decisive insight into the meaning and direction of history in light of the God who, through his only-begotten Son, to whom he communicates the fullness of his own life, makes us participants in that life through the Incarnation, and generously bestows on all the breath of the Holy Spirit, which overcomes all barriers: a breath of freedom from selfishness, of openness to reciprocal relationships, and of communion with others.

The faith that the Council of Nicaea witnesses to and hands on is the truth of a God who, being Love, is Trinity, and who, out of love, becomes one of us in his Son. This truth is the authentic principle of fraternity between individuals and peoples, and of the transformation of history in accordance with the prayer that Jesus addressed to the Father on the eve of the supreme gift of his life for us, “that they may be one, as we are one” (Jn 17:22). The Nicene Creed thus stands at the heart of the Church’s faith as a wellspring of living water to be drawn upon also today. Through it, we can enter into Jesus’ gaze and, in him, into the gaze with which God, Abba, looks upon all his children and upon the whole of creation, starting with the least, the poor and the outcast. For the only-begotten Son of the Father—who became the “firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Rom 8:29)—identifies with them to the point that he considers that what is done to each one of them is done to him (cf. Mt 25:40).

The document of the International Theological Commission is not intended simply to be a text of academic theology. It is offered as a valuable and timely synthesis that can positively assist growth in faith and lived witness to faith within the Christian community. As such, it seeks not only enrich participation in liturgical life with new insights and guide the People of God in their understanding and experience of the faith, but also to inspire and direct the cultural and social commitment of Christians during this challenging time of epochal change. Significantly, it was at Nicaea that the Church’s unity and mission were first expressed emblematically at a universal level (hence its designation as “ecumenical”) through the synodal experience of “journeying together,” which is proper to the Church. Nicaea thus stands as an authoritative reference point and inspiration for the synodal process in which the Catholic Church is engaged today, in her commitment to experience a conversion and reform marked by the principle of relationship and reciprocity for mission, as the Final Document of the last Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, issued by Pope Francis, vigorously affirms.

The International Theological Commission is planning a Study Day on the document, “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour: The 1700th Anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325-2025),” to be held on 20 May 2025 at the “Saint John Paul II” Auditorium of the Pontifical Urbaniana University.

Posted: Apr. 3, 2025 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=14539
Categories: NewsIn this article: Date of Easter, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, International Theological Commission, Nicaea 2025, synodality
Transmis : 3 avril 2025 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=14539
Catégorie : NewsDans cet article : Date of Easter, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, International Theological Commission, Nicaea 2025, synodality


'Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time.' St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia. Commissioned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, this sculpture updates traditional imagery to reflect a more fraternal relationship between Judaism and Christianity

Nostra Aetate at 60: Spotlight on Interreligious Relations | One Body

 — Feb. 15, 202515 févr. 2025

February is a special month to recognize and celebrate the many efforts made in communities all across Canada to promote healthy and active interreligious relationships.

For the past 15 years, the United Nations has designated February 1-7 as World Interfaith Harmony Week, dedicated to spreading “the message of harmony and tolerance among the followers of all the world’s religions, faiths and beliefs.” It adheres, in the broadest possible terms, to the principles of “Love of God (or the Good)” and “Love of Neighbour.”

In my own city, as in many Canadian cities, World Interfaith Harmony Week is marked by a variety of activities including open house events at churches, temples, mosques, and synagogues; educational and dialogue events; concerts and spoken word events; and of course prayer events led by and involving different religious communities. It is a beautiful weeklong celebration of local religious diversity, and an annual reminder and recommitment within each religious community, of the importance of supporting one another and working together for the common good.

While the Catholic Church does not officially mark World Interfaith Harmony Week, at least not within the liturgical calendar, many Catholics – from the popes on down – are actively engaged in promoting interreligious connections and activities all around the world. Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to identify the Catholic Church today as a leader in the field of interreligious relations.
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Cuban migrant Marielis Arosh and her family walk with other migrants after their CBP One app asylum appointment was cancelled on the day of U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration, near the border fence in Mexicali, Mexico

Migration policies built on force, not truth, ‘will end badly,’ pope tells U.S.

 — Feb. 11, 202511 févr. 2025

Pope Francis has urged U.S. Catholics and people of goodwill to not give in to “narratives” that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to migrants and refugees.

“I recognize your valuable efforts, dear brother bishops of the United States, as you work closely with migrants and refugees, proclaiming Jesus Christ and promoting fundamental human rights,” he said in a letter to the U.S. bishops published by the Vatican Feb. 11.

Pope Francis said he was writing because of “the major crisis that is taking place in the United States” with the start of President Donald J. Trump’s “program of mass deportations.”

In his presidential executive order, “Protecting the American people against invasion,” released Jan. 20, Trump said, “Many of these aliens unlawfully within the United States present significant threats to national security and public safety, committing vile and heinous acts against innocent Americans.”

Pope Francis said, “The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality.”
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Pope Francis kisses the encolpion of Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, the representative of the Armenian Orthodox Church to the Holy See, during a meeting at the Vatican with young priests and monks from Oriental Orthodox churches

Nicene Creed unites Christians, overcoming division through faith

 — Feb. 7, 20257 févr. 2025

The Nicene Creed is more than a statement of faith — it is a powerful sign of unity among Christians, Pope Francis said as he welcomed young priests and monks from Oriental Orthodox Churches to the Vatican.

“Whereas the devil divides, the symbol unites!” the pope told the group taking part in a study visit to Rome promoted by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. He explained that the Creed is called a “symbol” because it not only summarizes the core truths of Christianity but also serves as a sign of identity and communion among believers.

“How beautiful it would be if, each time we proclaim the Creed, we felt united with Christians of all traditions,” he said.
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Jubilee 2025: Turn Debt into Hope

Canadian mobilizers gather for Jubilee 2025 launch webinar, February 19

 — Feb. 6, 20256 févr. 2025

Jubilee 2025: Turn Debt into Hope campaign launch webinar to feature Indigenous and Global South voices, Canadian faith leaders.

What: a group of Christian organizations, led by KAIROS Canada, are coordinating Canadian participation in Jubilee 2025, a global movement to end the mounting debt crisis. The Launch Webinar: Jubilee 2025 – Turn Debt into Hope will kick off Canadians’ participation in signing the Jubilee petition and feature insights from Indigenous and Global South voices, as well as from Canadian faith advocacy leaders. The event will feature simultaneous French translation.

Partner organizers include: Citizens for Public Justice, Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, the Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology and The Canadian Council of Churches.

Where: online, via Zoom. For more information and to register, visit the Launch Webinar: Jubilee 2025 – Turn Debt into Hope event page.
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Much of Gaza has been destroyed by aerial bombardment during the Israel-Gaza conflict that began following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas

WCC calls on President Trump to follow international law for a just peace in Gaza

 — Feb. 5, 20255 févr. 2025

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay has described the proposal of US President Trump as “tantamount to proposing full-scale ethnic cleansing and neo-colonization of the homeland of the 2 million Palestinians of Gaza.”

Pillay noted that the proposal violates every applicable principle of international humanitarian and human rights law, flouts decades of efforts by the international community – including by the USA – for a just and sustainable peace for the peoples of the region, and would if implemented constitute multiple international crimes of the most serious kind. “The standing of the United States of America as a responsible member of the international community has been gravely diminished by the proposal itself, not to speak of any actual implementation thereof,” Pillay said. 

In a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 4 February, President Trump said the United States “will take over” the Gaza Strip — possibly with the help of American troops — while the Palestinians who live there should leave. “The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too,” said President Trump. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings,” he said, describing his vision for the area as a new “Riviera.”
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At the Canada-US border in New York

Canada must withdraw from Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States

 — Feb. 4, 20254 févr. 2025

Canada must urgently withdraw from the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) given the dire situation facing refugees in the United States, the Canadian Council for Refugees and Amnesty International Canada said today.

The Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States bars most people crossing into Canada via the United States from seeking refugee protection in Canada. Under the agreement – which is premised on the notion that both countries reliably respect people’s right to seek asylum – people entering Canada via the U.S. to make a refugee claim here are usually turned back at the border.

“President Trump’s extreme anti-immigrant and anti-asylum orders are designed to instill fear and make the U.S dangerously more unsafe for those seeking protection,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section. “Canada’s assertion that the United States remains a safe country for refugees under the Trump administration is a cruel irony to those fleeing persecution today. It must be urgently rescinded, and tariffs threats must not blur the plight of those at immediate risk.”
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Church leaders call for permanent ceasefire

 — Feb. 4, 20254 févr. 2025

“A permanent ceasefire would cease hostilities, release all remaining hostages, liberate thousands of Palestinian prisoners detained without cause or charge, ensure continuing and increasing humanitarian aid in all forms — medical, food and psychological — and result in the withdrawal of occupying forces,” write Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian and United Church leaders.
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Rev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall was the speaker for the 2025 De Margerie Series for Christian Reconciliation and Unity, with events held in both Saskatoon and Regina. Her lectures were also live-streamed online

De Margerie Series for Christian Reconciliation and Unity continues

 — Jan. 24, 202524 janv. 2025

The late Fr. Bernard de Margerie was remembered during the 2025 De Margerie Series for Christian Reconciliation and Unity — the 12th year of the series and the first to be held since his death in March 2024.

“We continue this series in his memory, and, with his encouragement, to continue to be agents of Christian reconciliation and unity,” said Nicholas Jesson, who helped establish the series in 2012 while serving as ecumenical officer for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, and who now serves in Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations for the Archdiocese of Regina.

“No doubt Fr. Bernard is listening tonight, and joining us in prayer that all may be one in Christ so that the world may believe (John 17:21),” said Jesson in a poignant introduction at the start of the 2025 series Jan. 22 in Saskatoon.
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The offices of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue on the Via de la Conciliazone in Rome, just steps from St. Peter's Basilica

Pope Francis names new Indian cardinal to lead Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue

 — Jan. 24, 202524 janv. 2025

Pope Francis has named Indian Cardinal George J. Koovakad to be the new prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

The 51-year-old, who received his red hat from the pope in December, also will continue to be responsible for organizing papal trips abroad, Vatican News reported Jan. 24, the day his appointment was announced.

The dicastery is responsible for dialogue with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and members of other world religions.

“The Dicastery works to ensure that dialogue with the followers of other religions takes place in an appropriate way, with an attitude of listening, esteem and respect,” according to the apostolic constitution governing the Roman Curia.
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