The Council in Nicaea, convoked in 325, gathered together bishops from the entire Oikoumenē, i.e. Universe, so as to answer the challenges of the time, first of all, the heresy of Arius, which undermined the very foundations of faith in the Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. But this Council became not only a sort of theological landmark — it laid down the model of ecclesiastical being based upon the principle of conciliarity: the joint prayerful discerning of the Truth in the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle Paul reminds us: God is not the author of confusion but of peace (1 Cor. 14:33) — and it was in peace, in the spirit of brotherly ministry, vividly present among the Fathers of the Council, that the searches for unanimity and the truth took place. This assembly of archpastors became a manifestation of profound trust in the common experience of the Church, where each voice had a meaning, and the truth was determined not by the prestige of power but by unanimity in the Holy Spirit, as said about it in the Book of Acts: For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us (Acts 15:28). Such a formula, born back at the Apostolic Council, revived again in Nicaea. The First Ecumenical Council not only became a response to a theological crisis but also strengthened the foundations of conciliar thinking and existence of the Church. It showed that the voice of the Church is not a private opinion of individuals but a fruit of spiritual conciliar discerning.

Celebrating this year’s anniversary, we cannot neglect the role of the state authorities in this event as well. The Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine the Great, seeking peace in his state, initiated the convocation of this Council. His support made it possible to bring bishops together on a scale unseen before, and in this we find an example of good co-operation between the Church and the state.

However, the close intermingling of what is ecclesiastical and what is state, laid in the era of Constantine, started to also carry a danger, manifested in the further history of the Church: the influence of political ambitions and interests upon theological decisions as well as the temptation of external unity without internal concord. The Lord testified in the face of the Roman governor: My kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). And it is vital for us to remember that when co-operating with the state, the Church should not lose her prophetic freedom, her calling to be the light of the world (see Matt. 5:14).

The Church is always open to constructive co-operation with the state authorities. And there are many areas of public life today in which such co-operation is entirely possible. It is, in particular, works of mercy and charity, care about the preservation of historical heritage, the support of the institution of family, etc. But at the same time, we should always remember that matters of theological and canonical nature cannot be resolved by political methods. And hence, the co-operation of the Church with the state should not turn into interference of the state authorities in purely ecclesiastical affairs.

Therefore, the Nicene Council gives us not only fundamental dogmatic legacy but also a deep lesson: the Church lives and develops through conciliarity, through listening to the Holy Spirit in the heart of the Church, not through external authority or political support.