On a crisp November morning in 2025, the quiet lakeside town of Iznik, Turkey—known in antiquity as Nicaea—became the stage for a rare and momentous gathering. Under extraordinary security, Pope Leo XIV, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, and 26 other Christian leaders assembled at the ruins of the ancient Basilica of Saint Neophyte to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. The event, held on November 28, marked both a reflection on the past and a prayer for a more united Christian future.
The Council of Nicaea, convened in 325 AD by Roman Emperor Constantine, was a pivotal moment in Christian history. It produced the Nicene Creed—a statement of faith still recited by millions of Christians worldwide. According to reporting by the Associated Press and other outlets, the commemoration at Iznik was designed not only to honor this historic milestone but also to urge Christians to overcome the divisions that have persisted for centuries.
As the sun shone brightly over Lake Iznik, Pope Leo arrived from Istanbul by helicopter, welcomed by Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians. The event was meticulously organized, with only church leaders, their clerical or lay companions, Turkish security personnel, and select members of the press allowed near the site. The ancient basilica, submerged for centuries after an earthquake, had only been rediscovered in 2014, adding a sense of resurrection to the proceedings.
The commemorative ceremony was rich in symbolism and tradition. Catholic and Orthodox hymns echoed across the waterfront as the leaders processed to the lakeside platform, the Muslim call to prayer from a nearby mosque providing a poignant reminder of Turkey’s diverse religious tapestry. The service included prayers, the recital of the Nicene Creed and the Our Father, and speeches from both Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Leo.
Patriarch Bartholomew opened the service by thanking the assembled leaders for joining him to honor the legacy of the First Ecumenical Council. "We are gathered here not simply to remember the past. We are here to bear living witness to the same faith expressed by the Fathers of Nicaea. We return to this wellspring of the Christian faith in order to move forward," he declared, according to Fox News. He described the Nicene Creed as "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."
Pope Leo’s address carried the same spirit of unity and hope. "In this way, we are all invited to overcome the scandal of the divisions that unfortunately still exist and to nurture the desire for unity for which the Lord Jesus prayed and gave his life," he said, echoing the words of his predecessor, Pope Francis, about peace and universal fraternity. Leo emphasized the importance of Christians bearing "credible witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is a proclamation of hope for all" and stressed that "the more we are reconciled, the more we Christians can bear credible witness."
He continued, "The desire for full communion among all believers in Jesus Christ is always accompanied by the search for fraternity among all human beings." In a pointed message, Leo called on Christians to "strongly reject the use of religion for justifying war, violence, or any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism. Instead, the paths to follow are those of fraternal encounter, dialogue and cooperation."
The significance of the Nicene Creed, Leo reminded his audience, lies in its unifying power: "Faith ‘in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages… consubstantial with the Father’ is a profound bond already uniting all Christians." He added, quoting Saint Augustine, "although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one." These words, "in the one Christ we are one," have become the official motto of Pope Leo’s pontificate.
Yet, the gathering was not without its challenges and reminders of the world outside. Christians remain a small minority in Turkey, numbering just 33,000 in a nation of 85 million, most of whom are Sunni Muslims, according to Vatican statistics. Before the prayer service, about 20 members of a small Turkish Islamic party staged a brief protest, expressing concerns about Turkey’s sovereignty and national identity. The protest, however, dispersed peacefully, and local residents offered a range of reactions—some welcoming the Christian leaders’ visit as a recognition of Iznik’s spiritual history, others expressing discomfort.
The event’s timing was also carefully chosen. Originally planned for May 20, the anniversary of the council, the commemoration was rescheduled after the death of Pope Francis in April. Leo agreed to attend on November 28 to coincide with the feast of St. Andrew, celebrated by the Orthodox Patriarchate on November 30—a gesture of ecumenical sensitivity.
Pope Leo’s visit to Turkey began the previous day, November 27, with a raucous welcome at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul. There, he encouraged Turkey’s tiny Catholic community to find strength in their small numbers. "The logic of littleness is the church’s true strength," he told them in English, as reported by Fox News. He also highlighted the church’s mission to serve the vulnerable, particularly migrants and refugees. Later, Leo visited the Little Sisters of the Poor Nursing Home in Istanbul, where Sister Margret described him as "so simple. We just felt he was at home. He felt very much at ease. Everybody got what they expected: a blessing, a kind word. It’s just enormous."
Throughout his stay, Leo’s message remained consistent: unity, humility, and service. He concluded his speech at Iznik by thanking Patriarch Bartholomew for his "great wisdom and foresight" in organizing the commemoration and prayed that the anniversary "may bear the abundant fruits of reconciliation, unity and peace." The ceremony at the ancient basilica closed the second day of Leo’s visit, but his ecumenical mission continued, with further meetings planned with Christian leaders and a visit to Istanbul’s iconic Sultan Ahmed Mosque.
While the divisions that split the Eastern and Western churches in the Great Schism of 1054 remain, the shared recitation of the Nicene Creed on the very soil where it was first proclaimed offered a powerful symbol of hope. As Pope Leo and Patriarch Bartholomew stood together, their words and actions pointed toward a future where, perhaps, unity among Christians might be more than just a prayer.
