Vol. 16 No. 39 (2025): 1700TH YEAR OF THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA AND 60TH YEAR OF THE CLOSURE OF VATICAN II DOSSIER NO. 2

The Council of Nicaea (325) represents a fundamental milestone in the history of Christianities, whose importance manifests itself in its debates, documents, and in its continuing relevance for the life of the Church, with particular emphasis on ecumenical dialogue. On the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of its convening, in 2022, the international research project "Always Nicaea" (325-2025) was conceived to investigate the fecundity and contemporary relevance of the event from an ecumenical perspective. Promoted by institutions such as the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Southern Italy, PFTIM and the Catholic University of Pernambuco, UNICAP, the initiative, formalised in 2024, arose from the appeals of Patriarch Bartholomew I and Pope Francis. With the pontificate of Leo XIV, successor to Francis, this call to unity gains fresh impetus. Together, they propose to rediscover the spiritual, synodal and ecumenical dimension of Nicaea, viewing it as a source for evangelical reform of the Church in the face of twenty-first-century challenges. This dossier, like the previous one, focuses on the need for historical-theological deepening regarding the reconstruction of the Council and its reception, illuminated by unpublished documentation and by a critical evaluation of historiography. Ultimately, the reflection seeks to understand how Nicaea can, even today, serve as a model of unity, inserting itself into a broader analysis of the meaning of the category "council" in the Churches of East and West.

Coordination: Prof. Dr. Riccardo Burigana, PFTIM e Prof. Dr. Luiz Carlos Luz Marques, UNICAP.