There is only one year left until the Church celebrates the 1700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council in history: the Council of Nicaea. In 2025, Orthodox and Catholics plan to celebrate this historic date together.
The celebration includes two key events. One is the potential trip of the pope to Turkey, where he also visited in 2014. Although the Vatican has not confirmed this, the advisor of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has indicated that Francis plans to attend this celebration.
NIKOS TZOITIS
Advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Rome
Bartholomew proposed to hold it in Nicaea, in present-day Turkey. The ruins of the first ecumenical Synod are there. It is a significant event and preparations have already begun, initiatives are underway and speeches are being prepared.
The other event could take place in Rome. During the Patriarch's most recent visit to the Vatican in June, Francis not only said he wholeheartedly wished to go to Nicaea; he also invited them to participate in the Jubilee in the Eternal City, which also marks the Jubilee Year for the Orthodox Church.
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