Pope Leo XIV has called for renewed unity among Christian communities during the 2025 Ecumenical Week in Stockholm, Sweden, marking the centenary of a seminal global Christian conference and the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. Addressing participants, the Pope emphasized the shared witness of Christians to the suffering of humanity and underscored the enduring importance of the creeds that bind believers together.
Historic Anniversaries Commemorated in Stockholm
This year’s Ecumenical Week carries special significance as it commemorates two major milestones: one hundred years since the 1925 Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work in Stockholm, and seventeen centuries since the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. These events are notable for promoting dialogue and unity among denominations and for affirming foundational doctrines of the Christian faith.
Papal Message: A Call to Deeper Fellowship and Hope
Pope Leo’s message, delivered to attendees by Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, appealed for Christians to give a shared witness to the suffering present in the world today. He invoked the Holy Spirit, recalling the role of divine inspiration in the historic Council of Nicaea and expressing hope that this same Spirit would “deepen your fellowship this week, and awaken fresh hope for the unity which the Lord so ardently desires among His followers.”
Unity Founded on Core Christian Beliefs
The Pope stressed that the faith articulated at Nicaea—affirming the divinity of Jesus Christ and the doctrine of Him being “true God from true God” and “consubstantial” (homoousios) with the Father—remains the common foundation for Christian unity across denominations. He described these creedal statements as continuing to bind Christians together nearly two millennia later, regardless of internal differences.