When Pope Leo XIV departs on the first international journey of his pontificate on Nov. 27, he will bring with him the emphasis on unity that has shaped his first six months as pope.
Originally planned under Pope Francis, the trip now offers Leo a chance to show whether his early calls for peace can translate into real momentum, both diplomatically and across religious communities.
The visit has implications for the Vatican’s efforts to shape outcomes in the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, but its centerpiece will be Leo’s third meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians, to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
That fourth-century meeting, convened by the Roman emperor Constantine, produced the original version of the profession of faith still recited by millions of Christians today.
The pope will travel to Iznik on Nov. 28, the site of ancient Nicaea where the ecumenical council that established a common creed for Christians was first held.
“The Council of Nicaea was a council of unity in the fourth century, which fortified and strengthened the unity of the church, which was at that time very much divided because of heresies and schisms,” Orthodox Metropolitan Job Getcha of Pisida, co-president of the joint international commission for the theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church.* “Celebrating together the Council of Nicaea is a very powerful message.”
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With thanks to the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) and Justin McLellan, where this article originally appeared.
