Throughout the world with a single heart: the week of prayer for the unity of Christians

The connection with the first ecumenical council of Nicea

When celebrating the week of prayer for the unity of Christians, the churches also made special emphasis that this 2025 is fulfilled the 1700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council of Nicea.

For example, the Churches of France celebrated a special connection with the unity of the Christians during an event organized on February 18 in Lyon, in which the three co -presidents of the Council of Christian Churches of France participated: the metropolite Dimitrios, president of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops of France; Pastor Christian Krieger, president of the Protestant Federation of France; and Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, president of the French Episcopal Conference.

Lyon has a special link with the week of prayer for the unity of Christians, since it was here that the Catholic priest Paul Couturier defended in 1935 the “universal week of prayer for the unity of Christians”, based on prayer ” The unity that Christ wants, by the media he wants. ” This was one of the initiatives that contributed to creating the week of prayer that we celebrated today.

Coinciding with that event, the Council of Christian Churches of France published a statement to commemorate Nicea’s anniversary, signed by the three co -presidents: “One of the objectives of Nicea 325 was the unity of the Church,” recalled the statement; “The anniversary of this first council could be an opportunity to dream in the 21st century with a new council, a council of the unit, which brings together all confessions and take a decisive step towards the visible unity of Christians.”