Vatican: no formal confirmation of plan for 2025 ecumenical gathering in Nicea

June 03, 2014

The Vatican has declined to confirm that Pope Francis and Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople have agreed to hold an ecumenical meeting at Nicea in 2025.

In an interview last week with the AsiaNews service, the Ecumenical Patriarch revealed the plans for a gathering at the Turkish city that hosted “the first truly ecumenical synod, where the Creed was first promulgated.” The meeting would mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea.

However, Father Thomas Rosica, a spokesman for the Vatican press office, cautioned: “No formal announcement of or convocation of this event has come from the Vatican.” While he did not contradict the statement by Patriarch Bartholomew, he added that it is “very early to jump to conclusions.”

In a related development, however, the Vatican Insider disclosed that Patriarch Bartholomew would join the Pope and his guests, Israel’s President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a June 8 meeting at the Vatican to pray for peace. Neither the Vatican nor the Patriarchate of Constantinople has confirmed that report.

 

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Further information:

• Vatican: Too early to confirm 2025 Orthodox-Catholic summit (RNS)
• Prayer for Peace on June 8th: Bartholomew will be there too (Vatican Insider)
• Pope, Orthodox Patriarch look to new meeting at Nicea (CWN, 5/30)