Pope Leo joins patriarchs from East and West at historic Christian site in Turkey to pray for unity

"IZNIK, Turkey -- Pope Leo XIV joined Eastern and Western patriarchs and priests Friday in commemorating an important anniversary in Christian history, gathering at the site in Turkey of an unprecedented A.D. 325 meeting of bishops to pray that Christians might once again be united. Leo, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and other Christian leaders met on the shores of Lake Iznik, the site of the Council of Nicaea that produced a creed, or statement of faith, that is still recited by millions of Christians today."

"The Nicaea gathering took place at a time when the Eastern and Western churches were still united. They split in the Great Schism of 1054, a divide precipitated largely by disagreements over the primacy of the pope. But even today, Catholic, Orthodox and most historic Protestant groups accept the Nicaean Creed, making it a point of agreement and the most widely accepted creed in Christendom."

"As a result, celebrating its origins at the site of its creation with the spiritual leaders of the Catholic and Orthodox churches and other Christian representatives marked a historic moment in the centuries-old quest to reunite all Christians. "The Nicene Creed acts like a seed for the whole of our Christian existence. It is a symbol not of a bare minimum; it is a symbol of the whole," said Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians."

Pope Leo XIV met Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and other Christian leaders at Lake Iznik, the site of the Council of Nicaea, to recite the Nicene Creed and pray for Christian unity. The gathering commemorated the A.D. 325 council that produced the creed still recited by millions. The prayer service was the highlight of Leo's first pontifical visit to Turkey and aimed to confront historic divisions stemming from the Great Schism of 1054. Catholic, Orthodox and many historic Protestant groups accept the Nicene Creed, making it a shared touchstone for ecumenical reconciliation and renewed communion.

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