Historic ecumenical service held in London and Jerusalem on anniversary of Council of Nicaea

Temple Church - Image: Jacquie Scott

The Temple Church in London and Co-Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus in Jerusalem were the settings for an historic simultaneous ecumenical service yesterday, marking the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. The event featured a livestream broadcast from the two churches and shown on screens.

At the Council of Nicaea, in the year 325, church leaders formally assembled to agree on Christian doctrine and endorse the Nicene Creed.

The choice of the Temple Church for this event was particularly significant. It was built in 1162 to recreate the Rotunda of the Holy Sepulchre, or Anastasis, in Jerusalem, commissioned by Constantine soon after the Council of Niceae.

Organisers at the Temple church said yesterday's service was planned "to bring us all together in unity to pray for peace in the midst of the current troubles in the Holy Land and in our shared concern for the founding communities of our faith."

As the clergy processed into both churches the Temple Singers led the hymn: Jerusalem the Golden.

In London, Cardinal Vincent Nichols welcomed those present with a blessing. He then delivered a message prepared for the occasion by the late Pope Francis in which he prayed for peace in the Holy Land and prayed this "commendable initiative" which he said "bears eloquent witness to the rich religious tapestry that characterises the land of Our Saviour's birth and calls attention too the enduring desire for peace held dear by its citizen's today."

In Jerusalem Cardinal Pizzabella welcomed everyone in the first words of Pope Leo XIV as Pope:

"Peace be with all of you!"

He said: "Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for God's flock . I too would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families, and all people whoever they are, all of the people all over the earth.

This is the peace of the Risen Christ, an unarmed peace and a disarming peace, humble and persevering .It comes from God. God, God who loves us all unconditionally . We still have in our ears that weak , but always courageous voice off Pope Francis as he blessed Rome!

The Pope who blessed Rome gave his blessing to the world that Easter morning. Allow me to follow up on that same blessing.: God loves us. God loves you all, and evil will not prevail.

We are all in the hands of God. Therefore without fear, united hand in hand with God and among ourselves we move forward. We are disciples of Christ.

Christ preceded us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him as the bridge to allow it to be reached by God and his light."

His Beatitude Theopphilus II, Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem gave a welcome prayer in Greek, known as the Prayer of the Emperor Justinian, before the Temple Singers in London sung a beautiful rendition of Howell's Oh for the Peace of Jerusalem.

The Anglican Bishop of Southwark RT Rev Christopher Chessun then led the congregation in prayers for Christian Unity.

The Magnificat Custody Choir in Jerusalem sang a hymn the divinity of Christ in Arabic before both congregations in London and Jerusalem stood to say the Nicene Creed in their own languages - a prayer which has united all Christians around the world through the centuries.

Cardinal Patriarch Pizzabella gave the Sermon (read the full text HERE) before the Lord's Prayer was sung in Arabic by the choir in Jerusalem.

Archbishop Hosam Naoum, Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem gave a reading and the Friends of the Holy Land prayer. There was a beautiful Agnus Dei by Barber, sung by Temple Singers; intercessions; and a very moving Niceno -Constantinopolitan in it original form sung by the Temple Singers before the final blessing which was given by Rev Robin Griffiths Jones, Master of the Temple.

After the service in London, there was a reception at the Inner Temple Inn, where Brendan Metcalfe, director of Friends of the Holy Land thanked everyone for coming and gave an update on the work of the charity, which supports many projects working with thousands of vulnerable Christians living in the West Bank, Gaza, Israel and Jordan.

He pointed out that the need for prayer and support has never been greater. On a trip to Jerusalem and the West Bank last month, Mr Metcalfe said he witnessed "not only the scale of suffering but also the quiet strength and resilience of the Christian communities we serve."

The situation has deteriorated considerable since USAID has been cancelled and other governments have reduce their support. He said: "There is a constant threat of taxation from the Israeli Government especially for support of Christian schools - for the first time in recent memory, most Christian schools in Israel operated at a deficit last year due to targeted cuts in government education grants.

"In the West Bank, economic devastation is now the norm. The daily realities of checkpoints, travel restrictions, and fear of violence have reached unprecedented levels" he said.

Yet, while Christian population is drastically declining, Christian organisations are playing a vital role at many levels, he pointed out. They are the third largest employer of Palestinians after the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA)

"If we allow the Christian presence to continue to diminish, who will provide this vital support?" he said.

"Importantly, Christians in the Holy Land act as witness for all of us, Christians from around the world, in the land where Jesus walked."

If you would like to support the work of Friends of the Holy Land, see: www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk/

FURTHER LINKS

Temple Church: www.templechurch.com/

Council of Nicaea: www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/councils-of-nicaea

See a recording of the service (available for 48 hours) here:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tCwQG1TPvJk&pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5tD