By Martin Hoegger*
Castel Gandolfo, 29 March 2025. The year 2025 is rich in ecumenical events: the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which expressed the Christian faith, Easter celebrated on the same date by all the Churches, the centenary of the first Conference on Practical Christianity, and the 60th anniversary of the lifting of excommunications between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The congress in the hills above Rome gave the floor to a host of theologians who explained the significance of this rich year.
The 1700 years of the Council of Nicaea
For the Syro-Orthodox theologian Mirvet Kelli, Christianity brought two absolute novelties: the incarnation and the Trinity. But at the beginning of the 4th century, many controversies and heresies appeared, in particular that of the Alexandrian priest Arius who defended the eternity of the Father alone, but not that of the Son.
To discuss the matter, Emperor Constantine summoned the bishops of the then known world to his residence in Nicaea. They were amazed at his support: many bore the scars of the harshest persecution of Christians, that of Diocletian, just 25 years earlier.
The main work of this Council was the drafting of a creed confirmed by subsequent councils. M. Kelli sees the relevance of this creed in four points: it is a source of hope: Christ is God, but also one of us. It gives a radically new perspective on our lives: God is a Father who loves us and gives us his grace. It is an example of balance between unity and diversity, authority and freedom. Finally, it is a starting point for the unity of the Churches.
The date of Easter, common to all Christians
The council also established a method for determining a common date for the celebration of Easter. However, the calendar reform of the 16th century introduced a new calendar that was not followed by the Orthodox Churches. ‘Instead of Easter being the feast of feasts, it became a point of disagreement between Christians who follow two different calendars,’ says Mr Kelli.
In Syria, where she comes from, mixed families are divided over the date of Easter. As a child, she remembers her Muslim friends making fun of Christians who could not agree on a common date. Today, she is convinced that ‘celebrating the resurrection of Jesus together allows us to overcome the divisions of the past and to cooperate for the glory of God’.
This year, 2025, Easter is a common date for all Christians. An ecumenical initiative bringing together several movements – Easter Together 2025 – has launched several initiatives, such as an online seminar and visits to several church leaders.
One of these movements is the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy. Kostas Mygdalis, advisor to this major Orthodox movement, is convinced that celebrating Easter on different days is no longer possible today. This practice does not open up a future of hope. However, he notes that most of the Orthodox Churches are unfortunately unable to understand this problem. They are afraid of changing traditional values by unifying the date of Easter. Nevertheless, K. Mygdalis continues to hope that a common day will be found for the most important day of the year, that of the resurrection of Christ.
I am taking part in ‘Easter Together 2025’ as a representative of the JC2033 initiative, which I was able to present at this conference, before this round table. JC2033 brings the pilgrimage horizon to 2033 and recalls the centrality of the resurrection of Jesus.
The 60th anniversary of the lifting of excommunications between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches
Catholic theologian Sandra Ferreira recalls the painful memory of the excommunications between Rome and Constantinople following the quarrels over the Holy Spirit – the ‘Filioque’ – pronounced in 1054.
More than 900 years later, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras, dreamed of unity with Rome. When he learnt that Pope Paul VI would be travelling to Jerusalem, he decided to join him to give him a hug. This event marked the beginning of the ‘dialogue of charity’ between these two Churches. Their first decision was to lift the excommunications.
A touching video shows the words of Paul VI, 60 years ago: ‘This morning I had the great opportunity to embrace the Ecumenical Patriarch after centuries and to exchange with him words of peace and brotherhood, as well as a desire for unity, harmony and honour for Christ and humanity. Let us hope that these beginnings bear good fruit, that the seed will ripen to maturity.
What ecumenical prospects do the 1700 years of the Council of Nicaea offer?
Mgr Andrea Palmieri, Deputy Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, explains that Pope Francis is very aware of the ecumenical importance of this council. He has expressed a desire to make a pilgrimage to Iznick, the Turkish name for Nicaea. This would be his only visit abroad during the Jubilee Year of the Catholic Church. This indicates the importance that this anniversary has for him, as also evidenced in § 17 of the ‘Bull of Induction’ to the jubilee of 2025.
A. Palmieri sees great ecumenical potential in the anniversary of Nicaea, in three areas:
The confession of faith: the faith confessed at Nicaea is shared by all Churches, including those that emerged from the Reformation. The re-establishment of unity among Christians must be unity in faith. The word ‘symbol’ means to bring together. The main truths of the faith are brought together in the creed and it also brings Christians together. So when we recite the creed, we should feel the pain of our divisions.
The date of Easter: the council published criteria for determining it. But today, Christians celebrate it on different dates. Pope Francis has often emphasised the scandal of this division. He has affirmed that the Catholic Church is willing to receive any proposal leading to a consensus on this subject.
Theory and practice of the Council: the Council provides a good example of synodal discussion on a doctrinal question. The synodal dimension of the Church is nothing new. The Catholic Church had forgotten it, and its current revitalisation is a good sign. Moreover, there is an interdependence between the synodal and ecumenical paths.
He is convinced that the decisions taken this year will mark the ecumenical path. ‘With passion, the desire for unity, and God’s help, great strides can be made’.
The Nicene Creed provides a common identity.
Professor Martin Illert announced that the World Council of Churches is considering 2025 as an ‘ecumenical year’. A world assembly of the Faith and Order movement will in fact take place in Egypt to mark the 1700th anniversary of Nicaea. This year also marks 100 years of the Life and Work movement.
He emphasises what Mgr Palmieri said: the Council of Nicaea made a decisive contribution to expressing the faith of the Church. Its creed unites the Churches today and connects us to the ancient Church and through the centuries. Our unity is already real while we await Christ to be all in all. Our link with him must be the criterion above all criteria.
The Council of Nicaea also reminds us that conciliarity and synodality are fundamental to the life of the Church. In the Protestant Church of Germany, the declaration of Barmen, which opposed Nazism in 1934, was an example of this.
If we remember our common roots, we are in a different logic than confessionalism. We do not define ourselves in opposition to one another, because we refer to a common identity. But prayer and mutual love must be the basis of everything. They inspire the reflection of theologians and the common mission.
*Martin Hoegger is a Swiss reformed theologian and writer
Other articles from this conference ‘Called to Hope’,
Illustration: Icon of the Council of Nicaea in 325
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First published in this link of The European Times.
