Pope Leo issues apostolic letter on the Creed

Marking the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and its Creed, Pope Leo published In Unitate Fidei (In the Unity of Faith) on November 23.

The Pope said he wanted the apostolic letter released in anticipation of his visit to Turkey from November 27-30 to celebrate with Orthodox and Protestant leaders the anniversary of the Creed that Christians share.

In affirming monotheism and the true humanity and divinity of Christ, the Pope said, the Council of Nicaea wanted “to reaffirm that the one true God is not inaccessibly distant from us, but on the contrary has drawn near and has come to encounter us in Jesus Christ”.

“This is the heart of our Christian life,” Pope Leo wrote. “For this reason, we commit to follow Jesus as our master, companion, brother and friend.”

Believing that God became human in Jesus means “that we now encounter the Lord in our brothers and sisters in need”, the Pope said. That is why Jesus said: “As you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.”

Reciting the Creed, the Pope said, should prompt Christians to “examine our conscience”.

The questions they should ask, he wrote, include: “What does God mean to me and how do I bear witness to my faith in him? Is the one and only God truly the Lord of my life, or do I have idols that I place before God and his commandments? Is God for me the living God, close to me in every situation, the Father to whom I turn with filial trust?”

Other questions were: “Is he the Creator to whom I owe everything I am and have, whose mark I can find in every creature? Am I willing to share the goods of the earth, which belong to everyone, in a just and equitable manner? How do I treat creation, the work of his hands? Do I exploit and destroy it, or do I use it with reverence and gratitude, caring for and cultivating it as the common home of humanity?”

In his letter, Pope Leo affirmed the Catholic Church’s commitment to the search for Christian unity and said, “The Nicene Creed can be the basis and reference point for this journey.”

The full text of the apostolic letter can be read here.

FULL STORY

Pope issues apostolic letter on the Creed, marking anniversary of Nicaea (By Cindy Wooden/CNS)

Pope Leo issues Apostolic Letter ‘In unitate fidei’ on Nicaea Anniversary (Vatican News)