Bartholomew: With Francis, we invite all Christians to celebrate the first synod of Nicaea in 2025

Asia News ^ | May 29, 2014 | NAT da Polis

[NYer]

Istanbul (AsiaNews) - On his return from Jerusalem , where he met with Pope Francis at the Holy Sepulchre, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, has revealed an important appointment for unity between Catholics and Orthodox: a gathering at Nicaea in 2025, where the first real ecumenical council of the undivided Church was celebrated.

Speaking exclusively with AsiaNews, Bartholomew says that together with Pope Francis "we agreed to leave as a legacy to ourselves and our successors a gathering in Nicaea in 2025, to celebrate together, after 17 centuries , the first truly ecumenical synod, where the Creed was first promulgated".

The Council of Nicaea (now Iznik, 130 km south- east of Istanbul) , brought together more than 300 bishops from East and West in  325 and is considered the first true ecumenical council. It was there that the formula of the Creed was decided, similar to the one recited during the liturgy today, saying that Jesus "is co-substantial to the Father,"to counter the Aryan ideology.

Francis and Bartolomew met to mark 50 years since the embrace between Paul VI and Athenagoras. The 1964 meeting broke a centuries old silence between the Christian East and the West, with all the socio-political consequences that have arisen, and from which Europe still suffers.

The meeting at the Holy Sepulchre has revitalized dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox , two Christian visions that despite their differences, have a common vision of the sacraments and  apostolic tradition.

"The dialogue for unity between Catholics and Orthodox - Bartholomew tells AsiaNews - will start again from Jerusalem. In this city, in the autumn , a meeting of the Catholic-Orthodox Joint Commission  will be held hosted by the Greek -Orthodox patriarch Theophilos III . It is a long journey in which we all must be committed without hypocrisy".

 "Jerusalem - continues Bartholomew - is the place, the land of the dialogue between God and man, the place where the Logos of God was incarnated. Our predecessors Paul VI and Athenagoras have chosen this place to break a silence that lasted centuries between the two sister Churches".

"I walked with my brother Francis in the Holy Land not with the fears of Luke and Cleopas on their way to Emmaus (cf. Luke 24: 13-35), but inspired by a living hope which we learn from our Lord".

[NYer]

It is not immediately clear what the actual nature or real purpose of this gathering would be.

And it would seem very early to jump to the conclusion that this meeting might turn into an actual Ecumenical Council, bringing together bishops from both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

But that is precisely what some are doing.

A report on the Commonweal magazine website, posted yesterday, May 30, is entitled "Nicea III in 2025," suggesting that the proposed gathering may be an Ecumenical Council, and not just a Roman Catholic Council, but a Council for the entire Christian world.

Here is that report:

Nicea III in 2025?

[NYer]

Ping!

[Bryanw92]

By 2025, will there be any organized Christianity left in this secularized and muslimized world?

[SubMareener]

That sounds about right! The Great Tribulation starts near the end of 2017 and Jesus returns in 2025.

[Genoa]

entire Christian world

Ummmm . . . . no.

[Genoa]

“Aryan theology” should be “Arian theology.” Big difference!

[Biggirl]

The good news is that the Christian faith is GROWING bigtime in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. So I do not worry about that.

[Biggirl]

Ummmm................YES.

[Biggirl]

Did not Jesus WARNED believers not to speculate about dates and times, because only “ the Father in Heaven knows” ?

[Genoa]

So you expect the Baptists to join in?

[Genoa]

not to speculate about dates and times

Amen! It could be today!

[Biggirl]

It is time for ALL Christians to come together. We unite by our common baptism.

[Jeff Chandler]

The Great Tribulation starts near the end of 2017 and Jesus returns in 2025.

Let me mark that on my google calendar.

[Wyrd bið ful aræd]

"It is not immediately clear what the actual nature or real purpose of this gathering would be."

So in other words Pope Francis is sticking to his usual modus operandi.

[cloudmountain]

From Google:

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The Aryan race was a racial grouping commonly used in the period of the late 19th century to the mid 20th century to describe peoples of European and Western Asian heritage. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or subrace of the larger Caucasian race.

==================================
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius (c. AD 250–336), a Christian presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of God the Father to the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Arius asserted that the Son of God was a subordinate entity to God the Father. Deemed a heretic by the Ecumenical First Council of Nicaea of 325, Arius was later exonerated in 335 at the regional First Synod of Tyre, and then, after his death, pronounced a heretic again at the Ecumenical First Council of Constantinople of 381.
The Roman Emperors Constantius II (337–361) and Valens (364–378) were Arians or Semi-Arians.

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Lol. "Semi-Arians"?? Even back then there were the wordmeisters lawyers, parsing every syllable.

[SubMareener]

That admonition refers to the day and time of the Rapture of the Church. So I didn’t speculate on that, although it is recorded by John in the Book of the Revelation, that Jesus called John up to Heaven to see the things that must happen before Jesus opened the First Seal.

[GreyFriar]

And did the Semi-Arians become seminarians?

But in seriousness, this would be a good time to include all who follow Jesus, i.e. the Protestants too.

Genoa, good catch on Aryans vice Arians

[SubMareener]

You should also add the date when God cancels the United States of America by drawing a slash across it with the shadow of the Moon. Monday, August 21, 2017

[cloudmountain]

And did the Semi-Arians become seminarians?

LOL. GOOD one.
Your answer: ONLY half of them did.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

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But in seriousness, this would be a good time to include all who follow Jesus, i.e. the Protestants too.

True!
Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa!

Note purple color to represent contrition! :o)

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Genoa, good catch on Aryans vice Arians

Thanks. But, I Cloud Mountain, made the catch.
Isn't "vice"supposed to be "versus"?

[GreyFriar]

I’m feeling a bit criminal this morning, thus the ‘vice.’