(LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV, in a new apostolic letter, recalls the Nicene Creed in its original form — without the Filioque — as the foundation of the Christian faith, emphasizing the primacy of the ecumenical path.

On Sunday, November 23, the Pope published an apostolic letter dedicated to the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, In Unitate Fidei (“In the Unity of Faith”), in which he proposes renewed momentum for an ecumenical profession of faith.

“We share the same faith in the one and only God, the Father of all people; we confess together the one Lord and true Son of God, Jesus Christ, and the one Holy Spirit, who inspires us and impels us towards full unity and the common witness to the Gospel. Truly, what unites us is much greater than what divides us,” wrote the Pontiff.

In the text, aimed at promoting the unity of Christians with reference to the first professions of faith, Pope Leo XIV cites the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381 in its original form, without the Filioque. This fully conscious choice is part of a broader discourse on ecumenism as a path of reconciliation, intending to establish a future common ground with the Eastern Churches.

“We must therefore leave behind,” the Pope concludes, “theological controversies that have lost their raison d’être in order to develop a common understanding and even more, a common prayer to the Holy Spirit, so that he may gather us all together in one faith and one love.”

“This does not imply an ecumenism that attempts to return to the state prior to the divisions, nor is it a mutual recognition of the current status quo of the diversity of Churches and ecclesial communities,” he continued. “Rather, it is an ecumenism that looks to the future, that seeks reconciliation through dialogue as we share our gifts and spiritual heritage.”

In other words, “we are getting rid of the filioque to appease the Greeks.” https://t.co/qF0IDgmyDp

— Fr. John Lovell (@Fr_Lovell) November 23, 2025

Writing for Pelican+, Catholic commentator Murray Rundus called this passage “one of the most concerning and confusing parts of the document.”

“Here lies the main problem I have with the text that I believe introduces an element of confusion into Catholic and Orthodox relations. If the Filioque and the dogmas related to the institution of the Papacy no longer justify separation, then either those dogmas must be treated as negotiable, or separation must be treated as morally indifferent. Both options are incompatible with Catholic ecclesiology,” said Rundus.

WATCH: Young convert urges Pope Leo to be faithful, stop being ‘confusing and abstract’

Radical Fidelity, a traditional Catholic Substack blog, also criticized the passage: “This raises the disturbing question: Which controversies? The filioque? Papal primacy? Apostolic succession? Transubstantiation? Justification? Marian dogmas? Every one of these so-called controversies resulted in infallible teachings defined by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Dogmatic truth never loses its purpose.”

“The most troubling statement in the entire passage, however, is the exhortation to “leave behind theological controversies that have lost their purpose.” This raises the disturbing question: Which controversies? The filioque? Papal primacy? Apostolic succession?… pic.twitter.com/OBnB4flEtC

— Radical Fidelity (@Radical_Fidelit) November 24, 2025

Pope Leo emphasizes in particular that the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed still constitutes the fundamental and indispensable theological bond among all Christian confessions.

Referring to the 381 text, he presents it in the form universally recognized by the ancient Church, noting that the Latin addition “Filioque” — not present in the original version — is a “subject of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue.” The Pope recalls that this insertion entered the Roman liturgy only later, in 1014, by the action of Pope Benedict VIII.

In the apostolic letter, the Pope also reiterates that the truth of faith, “the common heritage of Christians, deserves to be professed and understood in ever new and relevant ways” by all, without adopting a privileged point of view.

This approach is reinforced by reference to the International Theological Commission document Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. The 1700th Anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, published on April 3, 2025.

The document states, citing an article published in L’Osservatore Romano on September 13, 1995, that “the Catholic Church acknowledges the conciliar, ecumenical, normative and irrevocable value of the Symbol professed in Greek at Constantinople in 381 by the Second Ecumenical Council,” without the Filioque.

It further adds that “no profession of faith peculiar to a particular liturgical tradition can contradict this expression of the faith taught and professed by the undivided Church.”

The First Council of Nicaea (325) defined the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father to oppose Arianism, while the Council of Constantinople (381) completed the doctrine on the Holy Spirit, affirming His divinity and worship together with the other two Persons. Only centuries later, between the 8th and 11th centuries, did the Latin West insert into liturgical symbols — not into conciliar canons — the expression “Filioque,” to emphasize the single divine origin of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity. The East, having not participated in this development, contested its legitimacy, considering it a unilateral intervention on ecumenical texts.

At the end of the 17th century, especially in Scotland and England, some Christians introduced so-called “latitudinarianism,” an approach that reduced faith to “a few broad” general articles, considering it sufficient to adhere to the first professions of faith for salvation. This view, which would form the basis of subsequent attempts at ecumenical dialogue, was condemned by Pope Pius IX in the Syllabus of Errors (1864) as a dangerous deviation, because it emptied the richness and precision of Catholic doctrine, leaving room for vague interpretations and opinions contrary to revealed truth.