To mark the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325 AD), the Ecumenical Patriarchate has released a Patriarchal and Synodal Encyclical, reaffirming the enduring significance of the Council’s decisions.
The letter describes the Council of Nicaea as a pivotal moment in Church history that exemplified the “synodal nature of the Church” and restored “broken unity and Eucharistic communion” amid doctrinal threats.
The call for a unified celebration of Pascha (Easter) is also given special prominence in the encyclical. The Church expresses its hope that “Christians around the world may return to the celebration of Pascha on a common date,” viewing it as a sign of “genuine progress in the struggle for ecumenical cooperation and unity.”
Reaffirming the Council’s decisive role in shaping the Church’s dogmatic identity and canonical structure, the letter urges a return to “the original canonical ordinances of the undivided Church.”
It recalls a similar message issued by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the 1600th anniversary, which emphasised that Nicaea “solidified and sealed the unity of the Church.”
Concluding with a call to reflect on the unity of Christology and anthropology, the encyclical addresses contemporary challenges.
