Let us emphasize religious unity over and above religious divisions

By Msgr. John Wynand Katende

Posted on: Wednesday 21st January 2026

Division is known to be the archenemy of mankind. Jesus was fully aware that His Church would be a victim of disunity. Today, His Church is wounded with divisions. In response to His Priestly prayer for the realization of Christian unity, as expressed in the gospel of John. 17:21, the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches jointly organize an annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, between 18-25 January. Those dates cover the days between the feasts of St Peter and St Paul, and therefore have a symbolic significance. Often referred to as two of the great “Pillars of the Church”, they each played an incredibly essential role in the establishment of the early Church. 

With due respect to this year’s given theme: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling”, from Ephesians 4:4, I propose to, retrospectively internalize the significance of the Nicene Creed, promulgated 1700 years ago, at the Nicene Ecumenical Council in modern-day Turkey, in AD 325. 

The word creed derives from the Latin credo, meaning, “I believe.”  While the Nicene Creed itself is not in the Bible, it summarizes biblical truths accepted as authoritative by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and major Protestant churches. 

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. The Nicene Creed was preceded by the Apostles’ Creed, attributed to the teaching of the Apostles.

To mark the 1700th anniversary, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, made a joint pilgrimage to Turkey, last November. The pilgrimage would also strengthen the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, after centuries of division since the Great Schism of 1054. It involved other leaders and representatives of Christian World Communions and faith groups. 

The Nicene Creed is significant to Christianity because it clearly summarizes the belief in God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and their distinct roles within the Trinity as the Creator, Savior, and Giver. Saying the Creed binds Christians together as a believing community, across different traditions and practices. Pope Leo XIV called upon Christians to overcome “the scandal of divisions” and to renew their commitment to Christian unity, for which the Lord Jesus prayed and gave His life. 

The Council addressed Arianism, a heresy promoted by the priest Arius. A heresy is a belief that doesn't agree with the official tenets of a particular religion. Arius asserted that Jesus Christ was a created being and not eternal; threatening the central truth of Christianity that God became man for our salvation. The Council expressly affirmed that Christ is “true God from true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father.” “If God did not become man, how can mortal creatures participate in his immortal life?” (Pope Leo XIV). 

During the gathering, Pope Leo XIV invited Christians to ask themselves who Jesus Christ is in their lives, collectively and personally. He cautioned against reducing Christ to “a kind of charismatic leader or superman.” His counterpart, Patriarch Bartholomew I, commented that the Nicene Creed acts like a seed for the whole of our Christian existence. “It is a symbol not of a bare minimum; it is a symbol of the whole.” “The world today can feel so fragmented and divided, but Christ calls the Church to be one.”, observed the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Rt. Rev. Anthony Poggo.

The unity Christians share is very evident and felt the strongest while they pray for it together. It is called spiritual ecumenism. In that respect, the church leaders took turns leading the prayers, and lighting candles as a Catholic choir, singing in Latin, and an Orthodox choir, singing in Greek, alternated. 

In the context of interreligious encounter, dialogue, and cooperation, Pope Leo XIV also met the Chief Rabbi of Turkey, and the Sultan of Ahmed Mosque, discussing the visit as a sign of peace and support for all religious communities. He insisted 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. We should emphasize what unites us over above what divides us: One God, one humanity.