Speech of the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs at the Press conference to announce the joint scientific conference between

The Middle East Council of Churches and the Romaion Cultural Association

The 1700th Jubilee of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea

Speech of the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs

Distinguished guests, those interested and following the affairs of the Council of Nicaea, and members of the media,

Welcome to the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches, in the first year after its fiftieth anniversary, and after decades of tireless work towards unity among the churches, as well as social unity, promoting and defending the values of justice and peace.

This is the first joint project between the Middle East Council of Churches and the Romaoin Cultural Association, and it marks the beginning of promising joint activities in the field of intellectual interaction, openness, and dialogue among the components of Christianity in our region and the world.

It is also the fifth scientific conference of this association, which is active in the field of Romaion culture, now and in the future, and whose members include an elite group of scholars and thinkers from our country, with some of the MECC’s staff as its members.

It is a given in faith-based cultural work that those concerned with unity initiatives meet around an intellectual and research project of such historical importance, as this represents a consolidation of Christian faith unity and brings believers closer together based on shared faith aspirations.

On the thirty-first of May 2025, more than two thousand years after the birth of Christianity in our blessed and troubled East, and seventeen centuries after the Council of Nicaea was held, Christians are gathering around this great event in the history of the Christian mission. They will review its details, dynamics, and the events surrounding it, shedding new light that will increase the understanding of believers and scholars of this chapter in the Church's life.

This council, convened by order of Emperor Constantine I and attended by hundreds of bishops from around the world, focused on studying church disagreements about the nature of Jesus—whether it is the same as that of the Lord or of humans—and it resolved the dispute with those holding heretical views. It was the council of faith certainty, dispelling doubt with conviction and producing the Creed that the Church has followed to this day. That is why it deserves careful attention in our region as in the whole world, and everyone witnesses the large number of seminars and conferences held about it.

The organizers of the conference have adopted a scientific pedagogic approach based on historical and objective progression, dividing its work into four axes: it starts with the historical context preceding the council, i.e., the social and cultural circumstances, to place the council within the framework that explains its occurrence. Next comes an explanation of the ecclesiastical problem that preceded the council, to clarify how the council was a response to challenges within the heart of Christ's Church that required its convening. Then the lecturers will present and analyze the council's proceedings and agenda, so that in the end, participants may discuss the council's short- and long-term outcomes. This approach makes it easier for attendees and later readers of the conference proceedings to understand the trajectory and details of such a rich and significant phenomenon in the history of the Christian mission. The organizing committee deserves every appreciation for its good work and performance.

As for the lecturers, their names speak for themselves in light of their high status and scholarly achievements; each, in their area of expertise, will best illuminate the various dimensions of the Council of Nicaea.
As is customary in the Roum Cultural Association, and now an annual tradition and part of its institutional culture, the conference will include honoring a creative Roum figure who has left a mark on Eastern and global society through their achievements. Thus, the late Dr. Asad Rustum, historian of the Antiochian See, will be honored and his name added to the "Golden Register of Distinguished Deceased Roum."

We are betting on the achievements of this conference, which will not only shed light on aspects of the Council of Nicaea and the course of Christian unity that may still be unknown, but will also open new horizons for research work in Christian unity as well as societal unity. It will also provide support for ecumenical work.

This conference addresses all stakeholders, so welcome religious leaders, intellectuals, researchers, theology professors, and students—your participation in this intellectual partnership is essential for a deeper understanding of our faith and social history, which may offer valuable lessons.