Pope Francis to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in Turkey in 2025.

“It is my hope that the commemoration of this highly significant event will inspire all believers in Christ the Lord to testify together to their faith and their desire for greater communion,” he told a delegation of Orthodox leaders.

The pope thanked the group for Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s invitation to celebrate the anniversary “near the place where the council met. It is a trip that I truly wish to make.”

Pope Francis, likewise, invited the delegation and the faithful they represent to come to Rome for the Holy Year 2025. He asked them to accompany and support “with your prayers this year of grace, so that abundant spiritual fruits may not be lacking. It would also be very nice to have you present.”