In Easter encyclical, Ecumenical Patriarch recalls Nicaea anniversary
April 18, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: In his 2025 Easter encyclical, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who holds a primacy of honor among the Orthodox churches, recalled the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.
“The Lord’s raising from the dead constitutes the nucleus of the Gospel, the stable point of reference for all the books of the New Testament, as well as for the liturgical life and devotion of the Orthodox Christians,” he wrote. “Indeed, the words ‘Christ is Risen!’ summarize the theology of the Church.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch—born in 1940, and enthroned in 1991—added:
For the Holy Great Church of Christ, one source of such resurrectional joy is also found this year in the common celebration of Easter by the entire Christian world, along with the commemoration of the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, which condemned the heresy of Arius ...The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
The Council of Nicaea inaugurates a new age in the conciliar history of the Church, the transition from the local to the ecumenical synodal level ... The “spirit of Nicaea” exists unspoiled in the life of the Church, whose unity is associated with the correct understanding and development of its conciliar identity. Discussion on the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea reminds us of the common Christian archetypes and the meaning behind the struggle against the perversion of our spotless faith, encouraging us to turn toward the depth and essence of Church tradition.
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