Notes from Rome By the Most Rev. Joe Roesch, MIC The next day, Thanksgiving, Pope Leo left Rome for an apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon. In Turkey, he observed the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea which took place in 325 A.D. It was the first universal or worldwide council of bishops, which had been called for by the Emperor Constantine to decide on important matters along with the pope. Christians had been persecuted in the Roman Empire since the time of Christ. Just 12 years before this Council, Constantine and another emperor had issued an edict that finally gave Christians legal status and relief from the years of persecution. In 380 A.D., Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire — quite a change. The Council of Nicaea was convoked especially to resolve a major theological controversy of the time. There was a debate about the nature of Jesus. Was He truly God like the Father? One side asserted that only God the Father was eternal and that the Son of God had been created by the Father at some point. Was the Son therefore subordinate to the Father? The legates of the pope at the time, Sylvester I, along with the bishops resolved the controversy at that first council by formulating the Nicene Creed. It was later expanded at the First Council of Constantinople in 381. We continue to recite the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed every Sunday during Mass. Why is this important? It preserves Christ’s divinity. If Jesus was not truly God, how could He be our Savior? In the Creed, we proclaim that Jesus is “Light from Light, true God from true God.” We also proclaim that Jesus is not a mere creature like us, brought into being out of nothing. Jesus Christ is “begotten, not made.” He is truly the Son of God. He is “consubstantial with the Father.” Understanding the truths of our faith — about the Holy Trinity and about the humanity and the divinity of Christ— are things that the Church has been coming to understand on a deeper level from the very beginning. Through the centuries, there have been heresies and, therefore, theological debates and councils needed to clarify matters. In honor of the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, Pope Leo issued an apostolic letter, In unitate fidei (In the unity of faith). He hopes that his voyage and the celebration of this anniversary will bring us closer to Christian unity, especially with the Orthodox Church. It is worth reading. In it, he mentions another, longer document by the International Theological Commission: “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour — the 1700th Anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325-2025).” This gives a synthesis of our faith and reminds us that the Creed is a wonderful resource for rediscovering the truths of our faith. The document is around 70 pages and would be wonderful for an adult formation group in a parish to read in stages and discuss together. Our faith cannot just remain on the page; we must live it. Jesus is the model for each of us. We are called to live like He lived. We want to have a relationship with God the Father like Jesus and to offer ourselves for others as Jesus did for us. Let us thank God for the great gift of our faith and revive in our hearts the fire of our love for Jesus Christ! LIGHT FROM LIGHT I recently had the honor of meeting Pope Leo XIV. I told him that the members of our Congregation and our Marian Helpers are praying for him. He said, “Thank you!” What a joy it was to speak with him in English, his native tongue! Let us continue to pray for him and for his important ministry as Vicar of Christ. The Most Rev. Joe Roesch, MIC, is the Superior General of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. He lives in Rome. Listen to his podcasts, including “Saint Faustina’s Diary in a Year,” on TheDivineMercy.org/podcasts and DivineMercyPlus.org/podcasts. © Vatican Media Marian Helper • Spring 2026 • Marian.org 7 The Most Rev. Joe Roesch, MIC, encourages readers to live the words of the Nicene Creed.
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