Metropolitan Job of Pisidia of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is the co-president of the Joint International Commission for the theological dialogue between the Roman-Catholic and the Orthodox Church and the vice moderator of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC). He reflects on the commemoration of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, and on how churches can share messages of hope, love, and solidarity.
During the recent days that included both the ecumenical prayer service in Nicaea/İznik and the historic visit of Pope Leo XIV to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople, you were present as a leading figure in the field of inter-Christian dialogue. How would you describe the significance of these days?
Metropolitan Job: I believe the highlight of these days was the joint celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, on the very site where it took place. Besides the presence of the Pope of Rome and the Orthodox Church, represented by the primates and official delegations of the four ancient Orthodox patriarchates (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem), all the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the World Christian communions were present. This was a meaningful presence: it demonstrated once again that the Nicene faith is the common denominator of all Christian Churches and the foundation upon which visible unity must be built.
One should remember that at the first conference of the Faith and Order Movement in Lausanne in 1927, this symbol of faith was recognized as an ecumenical one. Later, a Faith and Order study-document entitled “Confessing the One Faith” clearly affirms that “the Nicene Creed is a conciliar creed which, through its wide reception, became the ecumenical symbol of the unity of the Church in faith.”
During the recent gathering, Christian leaders proclaimed together the Nicene–Constantinopolitan Creed in its original form. How should this shared confession be understood within the broader context of contemporary ecclesiological rapprochement?
Metropolitan Job: It is significant that the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed was recited together without the addition of the Filioque. The addition of the Filioque to the creed was the source of controversies between East and West in the past. In the past decades, an agreement has been reached within the ecumenical movement to favor the original Greek version, that is to say without the Filioque. This was affirmed in 2003 by the important document of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation entitled: “The Filioque: A Church Dividing Issue? An Agreed Statement.” The same was reaffirmed last year by the Common Statement on the Filioque of the Joint International Commission on Theological Dialogue between the Lutheran World Federation and the Orthodox Church. Recently, in his last Apostolic Letter Unitate Fidei on the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Niceae, Pope Leo XIV quoted the Nicene-Constantinople Creed in its original version, and noted that the Filioque has been inserted into the Latin Creed by Pope Benedict VIII in 1014 and that this issue is now being studied within the Joint International Commission for the Orthodox-Catholic theological dialogue.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been consistently advancing the cause of christian unity, through theological dialogue and ecclesiastical diplomacy, including the historic encounters with successive Popes of the Roman See. How would you describe His distinctive contribution, vision, and long-term impact on the ecumenical work on unity?
Metropolitan Job: For His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, theological dialogue is not an option, but an obligation. Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed that “all may be one.” Visible unity is a prerequisite for the effectiveness of our Christian witness. Division among Christians contradicts the message of the Gospel. Among all the bilateral and multilateral dialogues that exist, each with its own value and importance, the Ecumenical Patriarch is convinced that theological dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church holds great promise because Catholics and Orthodox have far more in common than what actually divides them. Points of contention are often the result of past misunderstandings and can be overcome through scholarly honesty and objectivity.
How do you envision the WCC contributing concretely to the next stages of Christian rapprochement?
I personally believe that the recent World Conference on Faith and Order was a success. Some participants asked me why such conferences are only held once every thirty years. We should hold them more often. Regarding practical matters, such as the joint celebration of Easter, the Aleppo Consultation made some very interesting proposals. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much follow-up. Why not promote the work we have done? The ecumenical movement is a century old, and the shelves of libraries and archives are full of very interesting and constructive documents. Unfortunately, the reception of these documents by our churches is inadequate. We must work tirelessly to ensure their reception
We live at a time marked by polycrisis and a broad lost of trust in both political and, at times, religious leadership. In such a world, why does the pursuit of Christian unity still matter? How can the Churches offer authentic hope and renewed meaning to human beings who struggle with fear, injustice, and existential uncertainty?
Metropolitan Job: Faced with numerous atrocities and threats, the world today needs a message of hope, love, and solidarity. It doesn’t need fleeting, ephemeral comfort, nor empty promises. It needs a powerful message: the Gospel. For our witness to the Gospel to resonate deeply, we must proclaim it with one voice and one heart. If we spread it through our divisions, it loses its credibility. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,” Christ affirmed to his disciples shortly before his Passion. Our duty is to promote love and unity, not hatred and division.
Source: oikoumene.org / Photos: EP press
