It had been widely reported that Patriarch Bartholomew I and Pope Francis had agreed on the gathering to mark 1700 years since the First Council of Nicaea.

This was what Patriarch Bartholomew told Asia News following his meeting with the Pope in Jerusalem.

But Vatican spokesman Fr Thomas Rosica said no formal announcement or convocation of this event has come from the Vatican.

"It is very early to jump to conclusions," he said.

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In 2025, Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians may return to Nicaea, the spot in modern-day Turkey where Christianity was literally defined.

In 325, early followers of Jesus came together to figure out what it means to be a Christian; the goal was to create theological consensus across all of Christendom.

This was way before the faith sub-divided into East vs. West, Catholics vs. Protestants, Southern Baptists vs. Primitive Baptists—these were the early days of the religion, when it still seemed like it could be observed as one, united faith.

The council's effect on Christianity was huge; for one thing, most Bible-school students still learn some version of the Nicene Creed, the profession of Christian faith.

On his way home from a meeting with Pope Francis in the Holy Land, Patriarch Bartholomew I, the primary leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians,gave an interview in which he said that he and Francis are planning a gathering in Nicaea 11 years from now "to celebrate together, after 17 centuries , the first truly ecumenical synod."

That's a pretty big deal; in 1054, theological disagreements led to a schism in Christianity, which is how Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians became separate faith traditions.

This is a call back to a time before the schism, before the fundamental disagreements that kept popes and patriarchs from talking to each other for more than 900 years. Continue reading.

Source: The Atlantic

Image: Icon of the first council of Nicaea, with Emperor Constantine and the first bishops, Royal Doors