1 January 2025 – New Year

On Saturday 29 November, Pope Leo XIV and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Patriarch Bartholomew signed a Joint Declaration. They had met together to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. The meeting took place amidst the archaeological remains of the Council’s site.

‘The Council of Nicaea held in 325AD was a providential event of unity.’ they said in their Declaration. Acknowledging their differences, they went on to say that, ‘We must also recognize that what binds us together in the faith expressed in the creed of Nicaea.’

Having moved away from declaring that the Westminster Confession of Faith is our subordinate standard, the Kirk has embraced a ‘Book of Confessions’ which not only includes the Confession of Faith but the Nicene Creed bringing us in line with these historic churches.

The two leaders are convinced that the commemoration of the Creed and its pivotal role in bringing the two denominations together ‘can inspire new and courageous steps on the path towards unity’. The Council of Nicaea provided the criteria for determining the date of Easter. A common date still eludes the Universal Church but is on the agenda.

Crucially, the two church leaders also said, ‘The goal of Christian unity includes the objective of contributing in a fundamental and life-giving manner to peace among all peoples.’ It is the fulfilment of the prayer of Jesus, ‘that they may all be one, even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you … so that the world may believe’.

The day before, Pope Leo expanded on this theme. ‘The more we are reconciled, the more we Christians can bear credible witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is a proclamation of hope for all.’ A divided Church is an ineffective witness to a world torn apart by war. Our hope for the New Year is a united Church bearing witness to the angels hymn, ‘Glory to God, peace on earth.’

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