{"id":15470,"date":"2025-11-28T18:02:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T01:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/pope-joins-eastern-western-patriarchs-at-historic-christian-site-in-turkey-to-pray-for-unity\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T19:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:34:12","slug":"pope-joins-eastern-western-patriarchs-at-historic-christian-site-in-turkey-to-pray-for-unity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/pope-joins-eastern-western-patriarchs-at-historic-christian-site-in-turkey-to-pray-for-unity\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope joins Eastern, Western patriarchs at historic Christian site in Turkey to pray for unity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Pope
Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians, arrive for an ecumenical prayer service at the archaeological site of the Byzantine-era Saint Neophytos Basilica in Iznik, Turkey, on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. The service marks the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. (Khalil Hamra\/The Associated Press)<\/span>Khalil Hamra<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

IZNIK, Turkey \u2013 Pope Leo XIV joined Eastern and Western patriarchs and priests Friday to commemorate an important anniversary in Christian history, gathering at the Turkish site of the A.D. 325 meeting of bishops to pray for Christian unity.<\/p>\n

Leo, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and other Christian leaders met on the shores of Lake Iznik, the site of the Council of Nicaea that produced a creed still recited by millions of Christians today.<\/p>\n

Standing over the ruins, the men recited the creed, which Leo said was \u201cof fundamental importance in the journey that Christians are making toward full communion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this way, we are all invited to overcome the scandal of the divisions that unfortunately still exist and to nurture the desire for unity for which the Lord Jesus prayed and gave his life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The prayer was the highlight of Leo\u2019s visit to Turkey and the main reason for his trip, his first as pope.<\/p>\n

A crucial moment in Christianity<\/div>\n

The Nicaea gathering occurred when Eastern and Western churches were united. They split in the Great Schism of 1054, largely over disagreements about papal primacy. Even today, Catholic, Orthodox and most historic Protestant groups accept the Nicene Creed, making it the most widely accepted creed in Christendom.<\/p>\n

Celebrating its origins at the site with Catholic and Orthodox leaders and other Christian representatives marked a historic moment in the centuries-old quest to reunite Christians.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Nicene Creed acts like a seed for the whole of our Christian existence. It is a symbol not of a bare minimum; it is a symbol of the whole,\u201d said Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world\u2019s Orthodox Christians.<\/p>\n

At the start of the prayer service, he said they were gathering not just to remember the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here to bear living witness to the same faith expressed by the fathers of Nicaea. We return to this wellspring of the Christian faith in order to move forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Pope
Pope Leo XIV arrives for a meeting with the clergy at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday. (Domenico Stinellis\/The Associated Press)<\/span>Domenico Stinellis<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
A prayer for unity<\/div>\n

Roman Emperor Constantine convened the bishops after consolidating control following years of civil war and political intrigue.<\/p>\n

Constantine did not formally convert to Christianity until 337, but by 325 he had shown tolerance and favor toward a Christian sect that had emerged from the last major Roman persecution.<\/p>\n

The creed recited today by Catholics begins: \u201cI believe in one God, the Father almighty.\u201d<\/p>\n

The service, featuring alternating Catholic and Orthodox hymns, took place at the lakeside archaeological site of the ancient Basilica of Saint Neophytos. The stone foundations, recently uncovered by receding waters, are believed to be on the site of an earlier church that hosted the council 1,700 years ago.<\/p>\n

In addition to Leo and Bartholomew, participants included priests, patriarchs and bishops from Orthodox Greek, Syrian, Coptic, Malankarese, Armenian, Protestant and Anglican churches.<\/p>\n

Leo said Christians must strongly reject using religion to justify war, violence \u201cor any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead, the paths to follow are those of fraternal encounter, dialogue and cooperation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A brief protest before Leo arrived<\/div>\n

Christians are a minority in predominantly Sunni Muslim Turkey. Ahead of the prayer in Iznik, about 20 members of a small Turkish Islamic party staged a brief protest, saying the encounter threatened Turkey\u2019s sovereignty and identity.<\/p>\n

Under heavy police presence, Mehmet Kaygusuz of the New Welfare Party read a statement denouncing what he called efforts to establish a \u201cVatican-like Greek Orthodox state\u201d in Turkey. The group dispersed peacefully.<\/p>\n

Iznik resident Suleyman Bulut, 35, acknowledged his town\u2019s deep historical and spiritual significance for Christians and said he had no issue with them honoring their heritage.<\/p>\n

\u201cMuslims (too) should go and visit places that belong to us in the rest of the world, in Europe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But Hasan Maral, a 41-year-old shopkeeper, said he felt uncomfortable with the visit. \u201cThe pope coming here feels contradictory to my faith,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A boost for Turkey\u2019s tiny Catholic community<\/div>\n

Leo began his first full day in Istanbul by encouraging Turkey\u2019s small Catholic community to find strength in its size. Vatican statistics show about 33,000 Catholics in a nation of 85 million, most of whom are Sunni Muslims.<\/p>\n

He received a raucous welcome at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, greeted with shouts of \u201cPapa Leo\u201d and \u201cViva il Papa\u201d (Long live the pope).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe logic of littleness is the church\u2019s true strength,\u201d Leo told them in English. \u201cThe significant presence of migrants and refugees in this country presents the church with the challenge of welcoming and serving some of the most vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leo later visited nuns from the Little Sisters of the Poor, who run a nursing home in Istanbul.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was so simple. We just felt he was at home. He felt very much at ease. Everybody got what they expected: a blessing, a kind word. It\u2019s just enormous,\u201d said Sister Margret of the Little Sisters of the Poor Nursing Home.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, Leo continues his ecumenical focus, meeting with Bartholomew and other Christian leaders. He will also visit the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, commonly known as the Blue Mosque, and celebrate a late afternoon Mass in Istanbul\u2019s Volkswagen Arena.<\/p>\n

Leo heads to Lebanon on Sunday for the second and final leg of his trip.<\/p>\n

Winfield reported from Istanbul. Associated Press writers Serra Yedikardes in Istanbul and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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