The Council of Nicaea in 325 as depicted in a fresco in Salone Sistino at the Vatican. / Credit: Giovanni Guerra (1544-1618), Cesare Nebbia (1534-1614) e aiuti, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 28, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

In the summer of A.D. 325, more than 300 bishops gathered in Nicaea — located in modern-day northern Turkey — to promulgate a common Christian creed, settle Christological disputes that arose from the Arian heresy, and promote unity in the Church.

The first ecumenical council, known as the Council of Nicaea, is still accepted as authoritative by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and many Protestant denominations. The common beliefs still offer a strong element of unity in an otherwise fractured Christianity 1,700 years later.

During the council, the bishops established the initial formulation of the Nicene Creed, which is the profession of faith still recited at the Catholic Mass, Orthodox liturgies, and some Protestant services. It also rejected heretical Arian claims that Christ was a created being who lacked an eternal divine nature and rather confirmed that the Son is eternally begotten of the Father.

The council was called by Emperor Constantine — a convert to Christianity — less than 15 years after the empire halted the persecution of Christians and granted them the freedom to worship. It came just 20 years after the reign of Emperor Diocletian, who brutally persecuted Christians for their rejection of paganism.

“That council represents a fundamental stage in the development of the creed shared by all the Churches and ecclesial communities,” Pope Leo XIV said in May, acknowledging the 1,700th anniversary.

“While we are on the path towards the reestablishment of full communion among all Christians, we recognize that this unity can only be unity in faith,” the pontiff said.

The Arian heresy

The primary purpose of the council was to settle a major question about Christ’s divine nature and address Arianism, which was a heresy promoted by the priest Arius asserting that Jesus Christ was a created being and not eternal.

“Arius began to preach something that was scandalous to many Christian believers and [which] seemed incompatible to the Christian faith as witnessed to in Scripture and transmitted through the tradition of the Church,” Dominican Father Dominic Legge, the director of the Thomistic Institute and a professor of theology, told CNA.

Arius wrote in “Thalia” that he believed the Father “made the Son” and “produced him as a son for himself by begetting him.” He wrote that “the Son was not always [in existence], for he was not [in existence] before his generation.” He asserted that Christ was not eternal but “came into existence by the Father’s will.” Arius contested that Christ “is not true God” but was rather “made God by participation.”

Legge said that Arius understood that “there’s an infinite gap between God and creatures,” but where he was mistaken was that “he thought that the Son was on the ‘creature’ side of that gap” and “not equal in divinity to God.”

“Therefore, he considered him to be the highest creature,” Legge added. “The first creature, but nonetheless a creature.”

Legge said that at Nicaea there was “a consensus of bishops with very different approaches to the mystery of God and they could see that Arius had to be wrong and so they condemned him and they affirmed that the Son is ‘God from God, true God from true God.’”

The language adopted at Nicaea expressly contradicted Arius, affirming Christ is “true God from true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father.” It condemned Arius’ view as heresy. The vote was nearly unanimous with more than 300 bishops voting in favor of this text and only two siding with Arius.

St. Athanasius, one of the most outspoken opponents of Arianism at the council and in its aftermath, wrote in his “First Discourse Against the Arians” in the mid-fourth century that “the Scriptures declare the Son’s eternity.”

Athanasius notes, for example, the Gospel of St. John states that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He also cites Chapter 8 of the same Gospel in which Christ declares “before Abraham was, I am,” invoking the divine name used by God to indicate his eternity when appearing to Moses as the burning bush.

“The Lord himself says, ‘I am the Truth,’ not ‘I became the Truth,’ but always, ‘I am — I am the Shepherd — I am the Light‘ — and again, ‘Call me not, Lord and Master? And you call me well, for so I am,‘” Athanasius wrote. “Who, hearing such language from God, and the Wisdom, and Word of the Father, speaking of himself, will any longer hesitate about the truth, and not immediately believe that in the phrase ‘I am,‘ is signified that the Son is eternal and without beginning?”

Legge noted that Athanasius also warned that Arius’ position “threatened the central truth of Christianity that God became man for our salvation.”

Unifying the Church in the fourth century

Prior to the Council of Nicaea, bishops in the Church held many synods and councils to settle disputes that arose within Christianity.

This includes the Council of Jerusalem, which was an apostolic council detailed in Acts 15, and many local councils that did not represent the entire Church. Regional councils “have a kind of binding authority — but they’re not global,” according to Thomas Clemmons, a professor of Church history at The Catholic University of America.

When the Roman Empire halted its Christian persecution and Emperor Constantine converted to the faith, this allowed “the opportunity to have a more broad, ecumenical council,” Clemmons told CNA. Constantine embraced Christianity more than a decade before the council, though he was not actually baptized until moments before his death in A.D. 337.

Constantine saw a need for “a certain sense of unity,” he said, at a time with theological disputes, debates about the date of Easter, conflicts about episcopal jurisdictions, and canon law questions.

“His role was to unify and to have [those] other issues worked out,” Clemmons said.

The pursuit of unity helped produce the Nicene Creed, which Clemmons said “helps to clarify what more familiar scriptural language doesn’t.”

Neither the council nor the creed was universally adopted immediately. Clemmons noted that it was more quickly adopted in the East but took longer in the West. There were several attempts to overturn the council, but Clemmons said “it’s later tradition that will affirm it.”

“I don’t know if the significance of it was understood [at the time],” he said.

The dispute between Arians and defenders of Nicaea were tense for the next half century, with some emperors backing the creed and others backing Arianism. Ultimately, Clemmons said, the creed “convinces people over many decades but without the imperial enforcement you would expect.”

It was not until 380 when Emperor Theodosius declared that Nicene Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire. One year later, at the First Council of Constantinople, the Church reaffirmed the Council of Nicaea and updated the Nicene Creed by adding text about the Holy Spirit and the Church.

Common misconceptions

There are some prominent misconceptions about the Council of Nicaea that are prevalent in modern society.

Clemmons said the assertion that the Council of Nicaea established the biblical canon “is probably the most obvious” misconception. This subject was not debated at Nicaea and the council did not promulgate any teachings on this matter.

Another misconception, he noted, is the notion that the council established the Church and the papacy. Episcopal offices, including that of the pope (the bishop of Rome), were already in place and operating long before Nicaea, although the council did resolve some jurisdictional disputes.

Other misconceptions, according to Clemmons, is an asserted “novelty” of the process and the teachings. He noted that bishops often gathered in local councils and that the teachings defined at Nicaea were simply “the confirmation of the faith of the early Church.”

This story was first published on June 5, 2025, and has been updated.

Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople at an ecumenical event marking the 1,700th anniversary of Nicene Creed, in Iznik, Turkey, on Nov. 28, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media/Screenshot

Iznik, Turkey, Nov 28, 2025 / 08:05 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV commemorated the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea on Friday in the Turkish city historically known as the birthplace of the Nicene Creed, calling Christians to overcome “the scandal of divisions” and to renew their commitment to unity.

The pope spoke during an ecumenical prayer service held at the archaeological site of the ancient Basilica of St. Neophytos on the shore of Lake Iznik, southeast of Istanbul. The gathering marked one of the most symbolic moments of his apostolic visit to Turkey, which has focused heavily on ecumenical and interreligious outreach.

“We are all invited to overcome the scandal of divisions,” he said, urging Christians to nurture “the desire for unity for which the Lord Jesus prayed and gave his life.”

Pope Leo and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, considered first among equals among Eastern Orthodox bishops, were welcomed by two senior Orthodox bishops before proceeding to a platform beside the submerged ruins of the basilica. The two leaders stood before icons of Christ and of the council and lit candles together.

Iznik, formerly Nicaea, is located about 81 miles southeast of Istanbul. The remains of an early Christian basilica dedicated to St. Neophytos, a young martyr killed in 303 during the persecutions of Diocletian, were first identified in 2014 after aerial photographs revealed the outline of a submerged church. The basilica collapsed during an earthquake in 740, and its ruins are now visible from the lakeshore.

In his homily, Leo said the anniversary was “a precious opportunity to ask ourselves who Jesus Christ is in the lives of men and women today, and who he is for each one of us personally.” He cautioned against reducing Christ to “a kind of charismatic leader or superman,” recalling Arius’ denial of Christ’s divinity and the council’s defense of the full humanity and full divinity of Jesus.

“If God did not become man, how can mortal creatures participate in his immortal life?” the pope asked, emphasizing what was at stake in the fourth-century debate.

Leo said the Nicene confession of faith remains a foundation for unity among Christians worldwide. Quoting the creed, he underlined the proclamation of Christ as “consubstantial with the Father,” describing it as “a profound bond already uniting all Christians.” Citing St. Augustine, he added: “Although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one.”

A reconciled Christianity, he continued, can “bear credible witness to the Gospel” and offer “a proclamation of hope for all.”

The pope also extended his appeal for fraternity beyond the Christian world, insisting that authentic recognition of God as Father requires honoring all people as brothers and sisters. He warned against using religion “to justify war, violence, or any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism,” and called instead for “fraternal encounter, dialogue, and cooperation.”

Pope Leo’s schedule in Turkey includes a series of ecumenical events, among them the signing of a joint declaration with Patriarch Bartholomew I on Nov. 29 at the Patriarchal Palace. His trip also carries an interreligious dimension. Earlier on Friday he met the chief rabbi of Turkey, discussing the visit as a sign of peace and support for all religious communities. On Saturday, Nov. 29, he will visit the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.

Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople at an ecumenical event marking the 1,700th anniversary of Nicene Creed, in Iznik, Turkey, on Nov. 28, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media/Screenshot

Iznik, Turkey, Nov 28, 2025 / 08:05 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV commemorated the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea on Friday in the Turkish city historically known as the birthplace of the Nicene Creed, calling Christians to overcome “the scandal of divisions” and to renew their commitment to unity.

The pope spoke during an ecumenical prayer service held at the archaeological site of the ancient Basilica of St. Neophytos on the shore of Lake Iznik, southeast of Istanbul. The gathering marked one of the most symbolic moments of his apostolic visit to Turkey, which has focused heavily on ecumenical and interreligious outreach.

“We are all invited to overcome the scandal of divisions,” he said, urging Christians to nurture “the desire for unity for which the Lord Jesus prayed and gave his life.”

Pope Leo and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, considered first among equals among Eastern Orthodox bishops, were welcomed by two senior Orthodox bishops before proceeding to a platform beside the submerged ruins of the basilica. The two leaders stood before icons of Christ and of the council and lit candles together.

Iznik, formerly Nicaea, is located about 81 miles southeast of Istanbul. The remains of an early Christian basilica dedicated to St. Neophytos, a young martyr killed in 303 during the persecutions of Diocletian, were first identified in 2014 after aerial photographs revealed the outline of a submerged church. The basilica collapsed during an earthquake in 740, and its ruins are now visible from the lakeshore.

In his homily, Leo said the anniversary was “a precious opportunity to ask ourselves who Jesus Christ is in the lives of men and women today, and who he is for each one of us personally.” He cautioned against reducing Christ to “a kind of charismatic leader or superman,” recalling Arius’ denial of Christ’s divinity and the council’s defense of the full humanity and full divinity of Jesus.

“If God did not become man, how can mortal creatures participate in his immortal life?” the pope asked, emphasizing what was at stake in the fourth-century debate.

Leo said the Nicene confession of faith remains a foundation for unity among Christians worldwide. Quoting the creed, he underlined the proclamation of Christ as “consubstantial with the Father,” describing it as “a profound bond already uniting all Christians.” Citing St. Augustine, he added: “Although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one.”

A reconciled Christianity, he continued, can “bear credible witness to the Gospel” and offer “a proclamation of hope for all.”

The pope also extended his appeal for fraternity beyond the Christian world, insisting that authentic recognition of God as Father requires honoring all people as brothers and sisters. He warned against using religion “to justify war, violence, or any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism,” and called instead for “fraternal encounter, dialogue, and cooperation.”

Pope Leo’s schedule in Turkey includes a series of ecumenical events, among them the signing of a joint declaration with Patriarch Bartholomew I on Nov. 29 at the Patriarchal Palace. His trip also carries an interreligious dimension. Earlier on Friday he met the chief rabbi of Turkey, discussing the visit as a sign of peace and support for all religious communities. On Saturday, Nov. 29, he will visit the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.

Co-founder Bob Hogan (left) and CEO and co-founder Daniel Cruz (right) are launching a pro-life health insurance plan that is in line with Catholic morality. / Credit: Courtesy of Presidio Healthcare

CNA Staff, Nov 28, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Two Texas pro-lifers are launching a health care plan that embraces Catholic life ethics, creating an ethical option for Christians.

Health insurance companies often cover things that are in tension with Catholic Church teaching or a Christian pro-life ethic, such as abortion, contraceptives, or assisted suicide.

Daniel Cruz and Bob Hogan founded the FortressPlan by Presidio Healthcare because they wanted a pro-life, Christian alternative. 

“FortressPlan,” which launched in November, does not cover any health care offerings that go against Catholic teaching. 

While making a start in Texas, the co-founders hope to expand across the U.S. 

Hogan, co-founder of Presidio and an alum of Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, said that health care sharing ministries “are largely unregulated and are not legally required to pay families’ medical bills,” which can “cause tremendous financial stress for families.”

As a more realistic alternative, he and Cruz “set out to create a real insurance company,” Hogan said in a statement shared with CNA. 

Cruz spoke with CNA about the Catholic values behind the FortressPlan. 

CNA: What makes Presidio Healthcare’s FortressPlan unique among insurance options in the U.S.?

Daniel Cruz: The FortressPlan stands out as the only health insurance plan that aligns with the culture of life. Unlike other insurers, it does not cover abortifacients, contraception, transgender treatments or surgeries, euthanasia, in vitro fertilization, or similar practices.

What makes the Fortress Plan pro-life and Christian? What inspired you to align the plan with the “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services”?

Presidio Healthcare Insurance Company is the first health insurer in the United States to be filed as a Catholic entity. Designed to respect the dignity of every person, the FortressPlan aligns with the “Ethical and Religious Directives [ERDs] for Catholic Health Care Services.”

The ERDs represent a formally recognized expression of Catholic moral doctrine, protected under federal conscience and religious-freedom laws, which allows us to operate in the private market with an authentically Catholic health plan. A major element of our mission is to promote life-affirming physicians and services, and the ERDs serve as a concrete guide to help us accomplish that aim.

What inspired you to launch the pro-life Christian health insurance option, the FortressPlan? What challenges have you faced in launching it?

I was approached by a former client to estimate the cost of an abortion for their health plan. This request ignited a passion to apply my skills as an actuary in a different direction. 

After discovering that no insurance companies were entirely pro-life or that sharing ministries fell short of offering true financial protection for families, I decided to establish the first pro-life Christian insurance company.

What are your future goals for the FortressPlan and this movement toward pro-life, Christian insurance? How do you hope it will impact people?

Our future objectives include expanding nationwide and entering both the ACA [Affordable Care Act] and employer markets, building a well-recognized brand that represents Christian health care.

Co-founder Bob Hogan (left) and CEO and co-founder Daniel Cruz (right) are launching a pro-life health insurance plan that is in line with Catholic morality. / Credit: Courtesy of Presidio Healthcare

CNA Staff, Nov 28, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Two Texas pro-lifers are launching a health care plan that embraces Catholic life ethics, creating an ethical option for Christians.

Health insurance companies often cover things that are in tension with Catholic Church teaching or a Christian pro-life ethic, such as abortion, contraceptives, or assisted suicide.

Daniel Cruz and Bob Hogan founded the FortressPlan by Presidio Healthcare because they wanted a pro-life, Christian alternative. 

“FortressPlan,” which launched in November, does not cover any health care offerings that go against Catholic teaching. 

While making a start in Texas, the co-founders hope to expand across the U.S. 

Hogan, co-founder of Presidio and an alum of Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, said that health care sharing ministries “are largely unregulated and are not legally required to pay families’ medical bills,” which can “cause tremendous financial stress for families.”

As a more realistic alternative, he and Cruz “set out to create a real insurance company,” Hogan said in a statement shared with CNA. 

Cruz spoke with CNA about the Catholic values behind the FortressPlan. 

CNA: What makes Presidio Healthcare’s FortressPlan unique among insurance options in the U.S.?

Daniel Cruz: The FortressPlan stands out as the only health insurance plan that aligns with the culture of life. Unlike other insurers, it does not cover abortifacients, contraception, transgender treatments or surgeries, euthanasia, in vitro fertilization, or similar practices.

What makes the Fortress Plan pro-life and Christian? What inspired you to align the plan with the “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services”?

Presidio Healthcare Insurance Company is the first health insurer in the United States to be filed as a Catholic entity. Designed to respect the dignity of every person, the FortressPlan aligns with the “Ethical and Religious Directives [ERDs] for Catholic Health Care Services.”

The ERDs represent a formally recognized expression of Catholic moral doctrine, protected under federal conscience and religious-freedom laws, which allows us to operate in the private market with an authentically Catholic health plan. A major element of our mission is to promote life-affirming physicians and services, and the ERDs serve as a concrete guide to help us accomplish that aim.

What inspired you to launch the pro-life Christian health insurance option, the FortressPlan? What challenges have you faced in launching it?

I was approached by a former client to estimate the cost of an abortion for their health plan. This request ignited a passion to apply my skills as an actuary in a different direction. 

After discovering that no insurance companies were entirely pro-life or that sharing ministries fell short of offering true financial protection for families, I decided to establish the first pro-life Christian insurance company.

What are your future goals for the FortressPlan and this movement toward pro-life, Christian insurance? How do you hope it will impact people?

Our future objectives include expanding nationwide and entering both the ACA [Affordable Care Act] and employer markets, building a well-recognized brand that represents Christian health care.

Members of Iglesia ni Cristo take part in a protest against corruption on Nov. 16, 2025, in Manila, Philippines. A powerful Philippine megachurch, Iglesia ni Cristo, mobilized over half a million members to join growing protests over alleged corruption in multibillion-peso flood control projects. Catholic leaders in the Philippines have also mobilized Catholics to participate in similar marches. / Credit: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Nov 28, 2025 / 05:53 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:

Filipino archbishop asks Catholics to attend protests against government corruption

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, the outgoing president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, has invited Filipinos across the country to attend rallies this weekend in Manila to protest government corruption. The protest comes on the heels of the Trillion Peso March held on Sept. 21, which drew hundreds of thousands.

Thousands of Filipinos are expected to participate in the march Sunday, according to Herald Malaysia Online. The protests come amid a growing political crisis and rising public anger over scandals and abuses of government funds.

Priest and security guard attacked in Trinidad 

A priest and a security guard at St. Benedict’s Roman Catholic Church in La Romaine, Trinidad, were the victims of an attack and robbery on Monday, Trinidad Express reported.

Five attackers cut the electricity, bound the security guard, entered the rectory, woke and tied up the priest Father Derek Anton, and stole various electronics and cash.

The crime is being investigated and the Archdiocese of Port of Spain has confirmed it. “At this time we ask you all for your prayers [for the victims] and for all victims of crime,” the archdiocese said in its statement.

Mozambique archbishop pleads for humanitarian support to aid displaced people

Archbishop Inacio Saure of Nampula, Mozambique, has issued an urgent plea for humanitarian aid for more than 30,000 people who have been displaced in the Alua district of Memba.

Saure, who is also president of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique, told Vatican News that the people who have fled their homes “are currently sheltering in the administrative post of Alua” due to recent terrorist incursions in Nampula province. The archbishop said he has instructed Caritas in Nampula to respond to the crisis. 

Catholic Church rallies in Thailand to assist victims of historic flooding

Historic flooding in southern Thailand has impacted over 2 million people, causing death and destruction and stranding many tourists. According to Vatican News, in response to the disaster Bishop Paul Trairong Multree of the Diocese of Surat Thani called a meeting Tuesday of Church-led relief groups.

“Our relief team will get working tomorrow morning immediately with [the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees], bringing drinking water and essentials to the people affected,” Trairong reportedly told LiCAS News, adding that supplies are expected to arrive from Bangkok and other dioceses.

Tensions between Pakistanis and Afghans may erupt into new war, Karachi priest says

Escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have created fear that a new war may be on the horizon, according to Father Mario Angelo Rodrigues, a priest of the Archdiocese of Karachi and rector of St. Patrick’s Catholic High School in Karachi.

He told Fides that resentments and fears have built in the wake of the influx of Afghani refugees and recent terrorist attacks. 

“To reestablish a climate of mutual trust and embark on a path to peace, the Pakistani government should accept the situation and grant residency to Afghan refugees who are living peacefully and have no links to terrorism, in the spirit of an open and pluralistic society,” the priest said.

He also noted that “the government in Kabul should cooperate in combating terrorism, our common enemy. As Pakistani Christians, we support paths of acceptance and brotherhood so that we can live in true peace within our society and with our neighbors.”

Nun who fights human trafficking reacts to new UN report on femicide

In the wake of a new United Nations report highlighting the high numbers of women killed by men and new forms of violence being caused by tech developments, Sister Abby Avelino, the international coordinator of Talitha Kum, an international group that fights human trafficking, told Vatican News that “digital violence is increasingly widespread, and the online world is now a major site of exploitation.”

The U.N. report shows that more than 38% of women are estimated to have experienced online violence, while 85% have witnessed abuse directed at other women on digital platforms.

Members of Iglesia ni Cristo take part in a protest against corruption on Nov. 16, 2025, in Manila, Philippines. A powerful Philippine megachurch, Iglesia ni Cristo, mobilized over half a million members to join growing protests over alleged corruption in multibillion-peso flood control projects. Catholic leaders in the Philippines have also mobilized Catholics to participate in similar marches. / Credit: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Nov 28, 2025 / 05:53 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:

Filipino archbishop asks Catholics to attend protests against government corruption

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, the outgoing president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, has invited Filipinos across the country to attend rallies this weekend in Manila to protest government corruption. The protest comes on the heels of the Trillion Peso March held on Sept. 21, which drew hundreds of thousands.

Thousands of Filipinos are expected to participate in the march Sunday, according to Herald Malaysia Online. The protests come amid a growing political crisis and rising public anger over scandals and abuses of government funds.

Priest and security guard attacked in Trinidad 

A priest and a security guard at St. Benedict’s Roman Catholic Church in La Romaine, Trinidad, were the victims of an attack and robbery on Monday, Trinidad Express reported.

Five attackers cut the electricity, bound the security guard, entered the rectory, woke and tied up the priest Father Derek Anton, and stole various electronics and cash.

The crime is being investigated and the Archdiocese of Port of Spain has confirmed it. “At this time we ask you all for your prayers [for the victims] and for all victims of crime,” the archdiocese said in its statement.

Mozambique archbishop pleads for humanitarian support to aid displaced people

Archbishop Inacio Saure of Nampula, Mozambique, has issued an urgent plea for humanitarian aid for more than 30,000 people who have been displaced in the Alua district of Memba.

Saure, who is also president of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique, told Vatican News that the people who have fled their homes “are currently sheltering in the administrative post of Alua” due to recent terrorist incursions in Nampula province. The archbishop said he has instructed Caritas in Nampula to respond to the crisis. 

Catholic Church rallies in Thailand to assist victims of historic flooding

Historic flooding in southern Thailand has impacted over 2 million people, causing death and destruction and stranding many tourists. According to Vatican News, in response to the disaster Bishop Paul Trairong Multree of the Diocese of Surat Thani called a meeting Tuesday of Church-led relief groups.

“Our relief team will get working tomorrow morning immediately with [the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees], bringing drinking water and essentials to the people affected,” Trairong reportedly told LiCAS News, adding that supplies are expected to arrive from Bangkok and other dioceses.

Tensions between Pakistanis and Afghans may erupt into new war, Karachi priest says

Escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have created fear that a new war may be on the horizon, according to Father Mario Angelo Rodrigues, a priest of the Archdiocese of Karachi and rector of St. Patrick’s Catholic High School in Karachi.

He told Fides that resentments and fears have built in the wake of the influx of Afghani refugees and recent terrorist attacks. 

“To reestablish a climate of mutual trust and embark on a path to peace, the Pakistani government should accept the situation and grant residency to Afghan refugees who are living peacefully and have no links to terrorism, in the spirit of an open and pluralistic society,” the priest said.

He also noted that “the government in Kabul should cooperate in combating terrorism, our common enemy. As Pakistani Christians, we support paths of acceptance and brotherhood so that we can live in true peace within our society and with our neighbors.”

Nun who fights human trafficking reacts to new UN report on femicide

In the wake of a new United Nations report highlighting the high numbers of women killed by men and new forms of violence being caused by tech developments, Sister Abby Avelino, the international coordinator of Talitha Kum, an international group that fights human trafficking, told Vatican News that “digital violence is increasingly widespread, and the online world is now a major site of exploitation.”

The U.N. report shows that more than 38% of women are estimated to have experienced online violence, while 85% have witnessed abuse directed at other women on digital platforms.

The season of Advent can be a time of hope and joy, as we look forward to Christ’s coming. But it can also be a time of anxiety, grief, fear, and even anger. During tumultuous times especially, these two sides of Advent are connected. Out of our fear, we look to our savior, born into […]

The post 9 Advent readings for the social justice advocate appeared first on U.S. Catholic.

IZNIK, Turkey (CNS) -- Although the ancient city of Nicaea lies in ruins and the geographic center of Christianity has shifted West, Pope Leo XIV and Christian leaders gathered at an archaeological site in Turkey to celebrate the enduring faith set out in the Nicene Creed.

Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople hosted the ecumenical prayer service and the common recitation of the Creed Nov. 28 at Iznik, site of the ancient Nicaea, about 80 miles southeast of Istanbul.

With the Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem or their representatives and with representatives of other Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant churches, Pope Leo marked the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea -- the primary motive for his first foreign trip as pope. 

The joint recitation of the Creed did not include the phrase known as the "filioque" -- the statement that the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son" -- since the phrase is not used by the Orthodox because it was inserted into the Latin Creed by Pope Benedict VIII in 1014.

Recent popes, including Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis and Pope Leo, have omitted the phrase at ecumenical prayer services.

Standing on a platform overlooking the remains of the Basilica of St. Neophytos, now partially submerged in Lake Iznik, the church leaders took turns leading the prayers -- in English, Greek and Arabic -- and lighting candles as a Catholic choir, singing in Latin, and an Orthodox choir, singing in Greek, alternated. 

Patriarch Bartholomew, welcoming the pope and other guests, noted that "despite so many intervening centuries and all the upheavals, difficulties and divisions they have brought, we nevertheless approach this sacred commemoration with shared reverence and a common feeling of hope."

"The power of this place does not reside in what passes away, but in what endures forever," he said.

Speaking after the patriarch, Pope Leo told his fellow Christian leaders that at a time when humanity is "afflicted by violence and conflict," the world "is crying out for reconciliation."

"The desire for full communion among all believers in Jesus Christ is always accompanied by the search for fraternity among all human beings," he said. "In the Nicene Creed, we profess our faith 'in one God, the Father.' Yet, it would not be possible to invoke God as Father if we refused to recognize as brothers and sisters all other men and women, who are created in the image of God." 

Though united by faith, the Russian Orthodox Church -- the largest of the world's Eastern Orthodox churches -- was not represented at the service. The Russian church broke relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate over the recognition in 2018 of the autonomy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. 

Belief in God the father, Pope Leo said in Iznik, means "there is a universal fraternity of men and women regardless of ethnicity, nationality, religion or personal perspectives."

With many of the Christian leaders, especially the Oriental Orthodox, coming from nations that recently faced or are facing war and persecution, Pope Leo said Christians must give concrete witness to their belief that all people are children of one God and therefore brothers and sisters to each other.

"Furthermore, we must strongly reject the use of religion for justifying war, violence or any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism," he said. "Instead, the paths to follow are those of fraternal encounter, dialogue and cooperation."

The pope also repeated a concern he had mentioned during a meeting with Catholic leaders earlier in the day: the risk that many Christians have departed from the Nicene Creed's firm belief in the divinity of Jesus.

"This question is especially important for Christians, who risk reducing Jesus Christ to a kind of charismatic leader or superman, a misrepresentation that ultimately leads to sadness and confusion," he said.

At the time of the Council of Nicaea, the pope said, Arius -- a priest from Alexandra in Egypt -- had denied the divinity of Christ, reducing him to "a mere intermediary between God and humanity, ignoring the reality of the Incarnation such that the divine and the human remained irremediably separated."

"But if God did not become man, how can mortal creatures participate in his immortal life?" Pope Leo asked.

The pope told the Christian leaders that sharing the same faith in Jesus and being able to recite the Creed together means there "is a profound bond already uniting all Christians."

"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," the pope said. "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."

Patriarch Bartholomew told the leaders that with "the fervor of the faith of Nicaea burning in our hearts," they must "run the course" of Christian unity in fulfillment of Jesus' prayer for the unity of his disciples.

"And, finally," the patriarch said, "let us love one another that with one mind we may confess: Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- Trinity consubstantial and undivided."
 

Pope Leo XIV visits a care home for the elderly run by a community of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 28, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Istanbul, Turkey, Nov 28, 2025 / 03:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV visited the Nursing Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Istanbul on Friday, telling the community that Christian charity begins not with doing but with being — i.e., living a real communion with those one serves.

“The secret of Christian charity is that before being for others, we must first be with others in a communion based on fraternity,” he said during the encounter on Nov. 28, the second day of his apostolic trip to Turkey, where he is marking the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea.

A papal stop at a charitable institution has become customary during international journeys, and Pope Leo chose to spend time with the elderly as a sign of closeness to those often marginalized in modern societies.

Founded in France in 1839 by St. Jeanne Jugan, the Little Sisters of the Poor serve elderly people in need around the world, including in Turkey, where they welcome residents of different religious backgrounds. The pope was greeted at the residence by the mother superior, former superior, and provincial leader before proceeding to the chapel to meet residents, staff, and benefactors.

Reflecting on the congregation’s name, the pope told the sisters that their mission mirrors the life of Christ himself. “The Lord has called you not only to assist or help the poor but has also called you to be their ‘sisters.’ You are to be like Jesus, whom the Father sent to us not only to help and serve us but also to be our brother.”

Turning to the residents, he warned that the word “elderly” risks losing its meaning in cultures driven by efficiency and materialism. Such attitudes, he said, lead societies to forget the dignity and value of older persons. Scripture and tradition, by contrast, present the elderly as bearers of memory and wisdom.

“As Pope Francis loved to repeat — the elderly are the wisdom of a people, a treasure for their grandchildren, families, and society as a whole,” he said.

Pope Leo concluded by thanking the community for its patient, prayerful witness and prayed that the Lord would strengthen all who live and serve in the home.