Pope Francis expressed on Thursday his aspiration to visit Turkey next year to honor the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which marks the first ecumenical council in Christianity.
This pilgrimage to Nicaea, currently situated in ?znik near a lake southeast of Istanbul, is planned during a significant Holy Year, a major event celebrated once every 25 years within the Christian community.

The Pope is expected to take this opportunity to further engage with Orthodox Christians, as the anniversary falls before the Great Schism of 1054 that resulted in the split between the Eastern and Western churches.
Nicaea is one of the seven ecumenical councils recognized by the Eastern Orthodox Church, making it a crucial site for such dialogue.

Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide, mentioned in September that he anticipates Pope Francis will commemorate the anniversary in May 2025.
The original Council of Nicaea, convened in 325 under Emperor Constantine I, brought together around 300 bishops, culminating in the creation of the Nicaean Creed, which continues to be recited in Christian services today.

During his audience with the International Theological Commission at the Vatican, Francis articulated that the Council of Nicaea represented a “milestone in the history of the church and humanity as a whole.”

Pope Francis made his inaugural visit to Turkey in 2014, where he had the opportunity to meet Patriarch Bartholomew, along with their interactions in Jerusalem earlier that same year and various meetings at the Vatican in subsequent times.