As usual, much activity goes on behind the scenes in the church. There are processes that will become more visible within the next year. It might seem trivial to some or irrelevant to one’s daily experience of church, and yet it may fundamentally alter how we think about church.
When Pope Francis was elected, one of the first trips he made was to Amman, Jordan and then Jerusalem. The main purpose of that trip was to speak with the Orthodox Patriarchs about Christian unity. During that 2014 trip, the Pope expressed a desire with the Patriarchs to establish communion by 2025. The Roman Church is on its way of doing that with the Oriental Orthodox Churches.
The year 2025 will mark the 1,700 anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council when our Creed was established. Next year will be a year of Jubilee (Pilgrims of Hope) in both churches. One of major points of discussion is a shared celebration of the date of Easter, and Pope Francis is favoring following the Orthodox calendar for Easter. It is an important step of reconciliation that is intended to lead towards unity.
This is intended to be a source of greater communion, an aspect of the Synod on Synodality. There will be ongoing reflections on what this unity to means within each of the churches. It is also a step in leading to future discussions with other Christian faiths.
This will be a further offshoot of Vatican II and its four Constitutions (liturgy, revelation, the church in itself, and the church in relationship to the world.) This means there may be significant changes within the church, and that will be unsettling for some. It will be a time of reflection for us to examine: What does it mean to be church? What does Christian unity mean for the faith?
Here is the website for Jubilee 2025.
https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.htmlhttps://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html
I’m every day inspired by where Francis leads us. Hopeful, joyful even.
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