WCC News: Recalling Council of Nicaea can inspire today’s call for unity, says WCC’s Pillay

Commemorating the 1700th anniversary in 2025 of the Council of Nicaea is an inspiration to Christians today to work for the unity of the church, according to Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC). Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 09 February 2024 At the Council of Nicaea, bishops representing the whole of Christendom gathered together for the first time to discuss the faith and witness of the church. “Recalling the significance of the Council of Nicaea renews our call for full visible unity, the cornerstone of the ecumenical movement,” Pillay said in a greeting to an 8 February webinar, “From Nicaea, Walking Together to Unity: The Beginning of a New Beginning.” “This journey, which we believe to be a vital part of the Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity on which we have embarked, reminds us that our goal is not just increasing theological agreement but a unity that is visible and tangible, reflecting the oneness of the body of Christ,” he said. The WCC’s activities to commemorate Nicaea in 2025 will culminate in the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, to be held near Alexandra, Egypt, in October 2025, Pillay said.  Pillay’s greetings were presented by the webinar’s moderator, Nausikaa Haupt, ecumenical officer of the Catholic Diocese of Stockholm, Sweden, alongside those of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew; Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity; and Bishop Dr Thomas Schirrmacher, general secretary of the World Evangelical Alliance. Speakers coming from different church traditions offered reflections on different aspects of Nicaea and its significance today.  The event was supported by Pasqua Together 2025 (Easter Together 2025), which is calling for all churches to celebrate Easter on the same date, as was agreed at the Council of Nicaea. Over time, however, Eastern and Western Christianity developed different ways of calculating when Easter should fall, but in 2025 their calendars coincide and they will celebrate Easter on the same day. “The quest for a common day to celebrate Easter is a symbol of our desire for unity,” said Pillay. “Aligning our Easter celebrations would not only be a remarkable expression of unity but also a powerful witness to the world of our shared faith in the resurrection of Christ.” "The Council of Nicaea and its meaning for the today’s world", message by Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay Programme of the webinar “From Nicaea, Walking Together to Unity: The Beginning of a New Beginning” More information on Nicaea 2025 See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland