Pope Leo XIV Calls for Unity at Nicaea Site

IZNIK, Turkey — On the second day of his inaugural foreign trip, Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, visited the lakeside ruins where bishops convened in 325 for the First Council of Nicaea. Standing with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew amid the exposed foundations of the basilica on the shore of Lake Iznik, the pope prayed for reconciliation and warned against using religion to justify war, violence or fanaticism, urging instead fraternal encounter, dialogue and cooperation. He has used the visit to press for unity among Christian denominations and to encourage cooperation among religions and communities more broadly. Speaking alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the trip, the pope cautioned that rising division and polarization threaten humanity’s future. The council at Nicaea was summoned by Emperor Constantine to settle a doctrinal crisis over the relationship of Jesus to God and to help stabilize an empire emerging from civil war. For about 250 years Christians had endured persecution before Constantine’s decision allowed public worship across the Roman world. The most contested issue at the council was the teaching of Arius, an Alexandrian priest who argued that Jesus was the highest created being rather than fully equal to God; the assembly rejected that view and affirmed that the Son is of the same substance as the Father, language that underpins the creed still recited in many churches today. The exact site of the council became clear only about 11 years ago, when aerial photographs revealed ruins that had been submerged under several feet of water, Turkish archaeologist Mustafa Sahin told NPR. Local residents had long known the stones; swimmers sometimes rested on them when water levels were low. As the lake receded, the basilica’s apse and dozens of graves were revealed on dry land. The Christian Church remained largely united until the Great Schism of 1054 split East and West over theological and political disputes. At the Nicaea site on Friday, Pope Leo XIV and Patriarch Bartholomew shared a moment of silent prayer over the ruins. Ahead of the anniversary, the pope issued an apostolic letter describing the creed as a common Christian heritage formed when the wounds of persecution were still fresh. He and the patriarch are scheduled to sign a joint declaration on Saturday as a contemporary gesture of unity.