Pope Leo XIV joins Orthodox leader to mark 1,700 years since the First Council of Nicaea during historic Turkey visit

Pope Leo XIV joined Patriarch Bartholomew I, leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, on Friday to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, a landmark gathering that shaped early Christian doctrine.

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The celebration forms the second day of the pontiff’s four-day visit to Turkey.

The American pope arrived in Ankara on Thursday, meeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to urge Turkey to act as a mediator in global conflicts.

“May Turkey be a source of stability and rapprochement between peoples, in service of a just and lasting peace,” Pope Leo XIV said.

His convoy passed through nearly empty streets under tight security in a nation where Christians number only about 100,000.

On Friday, the 70-year-old pontiff attended an ecumenical prayer service in Iznik, overlooking the ruins of a fourth-century basilica built on the site of the original council.

Patriarch Bartholomew, who invited Leo to the service, described the gathering as a reminder that “we are more powerful and more credible when we are united in our witness and response to the challenges of the contemporary world.”

The First Council of Nicaea, convened in 325 AD, produced a foundational statement of Christian faith.

Despite doctrinal differences that later led to the Great Schism of 1054, the Catholic and Orthodox Churches have maintained dialogue and hold occasional joint celebrations.

Recent efforts have included attempts to align the dates of Easter, which currently differ due to the Gregorian and Julian calendars.

Pope Leo’s visit comes amid tensions within the Orthodox world, intensified by the war in Ukraine and the fragmentation of the Moscow and Constantinople patriarchates.

Patriarch Kirill of Russia, who opposes Constantinople’s recognition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, was not invited to Iznik.

Vatican officials emphasised the need to avoid inflaming geopolitical sensitivities while celebrating ecumenical unity.

Leo XIV is the fifth pope to visit Turkey, following Paul VI in 1967, John Paul II in 1979, Benedict XVI in 2006, and Francis in 2014.

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The pontiff will continue his trip in Istanbul before departing for Lebanon on Sunday.