“The proclamation of our common faith requires before all else that we love one another.”
Pope Francis offered that reminder on Thursday as he met with a delegation of Orthodox clergy taking part in a study visit to Rome.
Promoted by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, the fifth Study Visit brought together priests and monks from the Armenian, Coptic, Ehiopian, Eritrean, Malankara, and Syrian Oriental Orthodox Churches.
In his greetings to the group at the Casa Santa Marta, the Pope called the annual visit an “exchange of gifts,” which helps theological dialogue to go hand-in-hand with the dialogue of charity.
He noted that this year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the first Ecumencial Council, which produced the Nicene Creed, a Symbol of Faith professed by all Christians.
‘Symbol’ of Christian faith
Pope Francis went on to explore the meaning of the term “Symbol” in reference to the Nicene Creed.
On a theological level, he said, the Creed “sets forth the ensemble of the principal truths of the Christian faith, which harmoniously complement one another.”
The Nicene Creed, he added, was the first synthetic Symbol created by the Church, and was therefore “exemplary and unparalleled.”
The Pope said the Creed also bears an ecclesiological significance, since it unites both truth and believers as a single Christian people.
“In antiquity, the Greek word symbolon indicated half of a document broken in two, to be presented as a sign of identity,” he said, noting that the Nicene Creed represents a sign of our identity and communion.
Each Christian, added the Pope, possesses a piece of the symbol, which can be fully expressed only when united completely to all other pieces, as witnessed in the Nicene Creed’s original plural form: “We believe.”
“Carrying this image a step further,” he said, “I would say that we Christians, still divided, are like ‘shards’ who must recover unity in the confession of the one faith.”
Christian unity sought in fraternal love
Pope Francis then reflected on the spiritual significance of the Symbol of Faith, recalling that it is primarily a prayer of praise that unites Christians to God.
“Union with God necessarily takes place through unity among us Christians who proclaim the same faith,” he said.
The Pope urged Christians to feel united to Christians of all traditions when we profess our faith by proclaiming the Nicene Creed.
He pointed out that the Eastern liturgy has a phrase that preceeds the recitation of the Creed: “Let us love one another, that in unity of spirit we may profess our faith in the Father, in the Son and in the Holy Spirit.”
In conclusion, Pope Francis expressed his hope that the study visit of the Orthodox priests and monks would serve as a “symbol” of communion as the Church journeys toward full union for which Jesus prayed.
