Although the ancient city of Nicaea lies in ruins and the geographic centre of Christianity has shifted West, Pope Leo XIV and Christian leaders gathered at an archaeological site in Türkiye to celebrate the enduring faith set out in the Nicene Creed.

Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople hosted the ecumenical prayer service and the common recitation of the Creed Nov. 28 at Iznik, site of the ancient Nicaea, about 80 miles southeast of Istanbul.
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In an historic commemoration of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council, faith leaders gathered in Nicaea—modern-day Iznik, Türkiye – on 28 November to mark the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in the history of the church.

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay joined His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Leo XIV for an ecumenical prayer service.
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At the heart of Pope Leo XIV’s journey to Türkiye this weekend will be a pilgrimage to Iznik, a small city about 140 km south of Istanbul. Iznik is better known to Church history by its Greek name, Nicaea. That’s where, 1700 years ago, the First Ecumenical Council was held. This Friday, Pope Leo is gathering with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and other Christian leaders for an ecumenical prayer service to celebrate the landmark anniversary.
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When Christians recite the Creed, it should prompt an examination of conscience about what they truly believe and what kind of example of faith in God they give to others, Pope Leo XIV wrote.

“Wars have been fought, and people have been killed, persecuted and discriminated against in the name of God,” he wrote. “Instead of proclaiming a merciful God, a vengeful God has been presented who instills terror and punishes.”
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“We believe.” These are the first words of the original Nicene Creed, written 1,700 years ago at the Council of Nicaea. This ecumenical council in 325 AD produced a summary statement of Christian belief that has been professed by Christians around the world ever since. Both for its longevity and its universal appeal, the Nicene Creed stands apart from every other statement of Christian belief. It also has a profound ecumenical significance, which I explored in January’s One Body article, Do You Believe This?

At the end of November, Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit Nicaea with Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew. Each year, the pope and patriarch send delegations to the other to celebrate their patronal feasts of Sts. Peter and Paul in Rome on June 29 and St. Andrew in Constantinople (Istanbul) on November 30. This year, in the modern city of Iznik, where Nicaea once was, the two leaders will together commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council. They will also commend the church to continue in the dialogue of life and love begun at the end of the Second Vatican Council.
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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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The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Orthodox Church have issued a joint statement on the addition of the Filioque clause to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, a theological issue that has divided the Eastern and Western Church traditions for almost a thousand years.

The word ‘filioque’ (‘and the Son’ in English) to describe the procession of the Holy Spirit, was added by the Latin Church to the Creed centuries after its composition to counter Arianism but the Eastern Church has always protested this insertion.

In a Common Statement of the Joint International Commission on Theological Dialogue between the LWF and the Orthodox Church, both partners “suggest that the translation of the Greek original (without the Filioque) be used in the hope that this will contribute to the healing of age-old divisions between our communities and enable us to confess together the faith of the Ecumenical Councils of Nicæa (325) and Constantinople (381).”
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