(OSV News): Catholics are increasing cooperation with other Christian denominations to address global challenges, Church delegates reported at the sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, organised by the World Council of Churches [WCC] at the Coptic Orthodox Church’s Logos Papal Centre at Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, marking the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
“Our recent synod declared the Church wishes to be more ecumenical—if the Holy Spirit was at work then, the same is true now,” said Myriam Wijlens, a Catholic professor and co-organiser who has worked with the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity since 2008.
“The signals suggest we are all now following the same path in a world crying out for unity and peace, as Christians strive to contribute to a culture of mutual listening and dialogue,” she said.
Wijlens, the Dutch-born theologian and canon, highlighted that article 138 of the 16th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, published in October 2024, declared ecumenical dialogue fundamental for synodality, recommending “ecumenical synodal practices, including forms of consultation and discernment on questions of shared and urgent interest.”
She noted the “whole Christian world” was represented at the October 24-28 conference, with a new generation “shifting perspectives to the Global South,” and that ecumenical prayers and discussions resembled a “synodal process.”
Our recent synod declared the Church wishes to be more ecumenical—if the Holy Spirit was at work then, the same is true now
Myriam Wijlens
The gathering, which focused on “faith, mission and unity,” drew 400 participants from the WCC’s 356 member-denominations, including a Vatican delegation led by Kurt Cardinal Koch, prefect of the dicastery.
The conference, opened by Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, featured keynote speakers such as Reverend Jerry Pillay, the WCC’s general secretary, and Norwegian pastor Stephanie Dietrich, moderator of the council’s Faith and Order Commission.
In his address, Cardinal Koch said the WCC, founded in 1948, clearly stood “on the ground of the Council of Nicaea,” upholding a Trinitarian faith enabling “unity of the universal Church” through diverse local expressions.
He emphasised Nicaea’s ecumenical importance, saying, “Its Creed is therefore common to all Christian Churches and ecclesial communities, uniting them to this day.” The cardinal expressed hope that the 1,700th anniversary would be celebrated “in an ecumenical spirit,” and that the Creed would be “reappropriated in ecumenical fellowship.”
Although not a WCC member, the Catholic Church has fully participated in the Faith and Order Commission since 1968 and co-organises a Joint Working Group to develop “ecumenical tools.”
Wijlens noted that raising training standards in the Faith and Order Commission produced “higher-quality theological discourse,” with most participants now internationally experienced. Conference debates, covering issues from accountability to baptismal ecclesiology, closely paralleled themes from the Catholic Church’s recent Synod on Synodality.
[The Nicene] Creed is therefore common to all Christian Churches and ecclesial communities, uniting them to this day Reverend Jerry Pillay
“Ecumenical Affirmation”, published on October 28, stressed Christ’s call to unity is “as urgent as ever,” urging Christians to demonstrate unity “in personal encounters,” not just words. It noted that shared mission reveals common ground and that faith drives both shared vision and action.
A “Call to all Christians” admitted past wrongs, including “enslavement, colonialism, and power,” and called for “repentance,” “justice and reconciliation.” It emphasised that unity grows when Christians, rooted in baptism, share prayer and life, moving toward mutual sharing of the Eucharist and “recognition of each other’s ministries.”
Wijlens said WCC documents are “approved by consensus,” allowing for some disagreement. She cited Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming Nicaea visit and joint declaration with Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I as progress since Vatican II.
“The Catholic Church has long since affirmed its relationship with other Churches, seeing them not as schismatics but as Churches in the true theological sense,” Wijlens said.
“Over the past six decades, all popes have continued meeting leaders of other Churches, and ecumenical signs are everywhere. With many great projects for the future, this world conference was one of the first great expressions of the Catholic Church’s new synodal spirit,” she said.
