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At the Huffington Ecumenical Institute’s conference “Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches: Moving the Dialogue Forward,” held Nov. 4-6 in Brookline, Mass., His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America offered a hopeful outlook on future dialogue between the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Find conference livestreams here.

Welcoming clergy, theologians, and representatives from both the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Archbishop spoke of the “undiminished resonance” of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, seventeen centuries after its 325 convening.

“Between all our Churches,” His Eminence said, “despite subsequent divergences—usually based in differing expressions of the same ideas—we all retain Nicaea’s unified definition of faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

As Chairman of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA, Archbishop Elpidophoros expressed gratitude for the presence of many fellow members, assuring attendees that he would share the conference’s work at the Assembly’s annual meeting, which will convene this weekend.

Reflecting on the shared creed, the Archbishop emphasized that “the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed remains the touchstone by which all theology stands or falls.” He cited the late Pope John Paul II’s own recognition of the Father as “the one origin both of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” underscoring the continued opportunity for dialogue and understanding among all Christians.

“Given this admission from our Roman Catholic brethren,” His Eminence said, “it leaves us—the Christians of the East—with a tremendous responsibility to move our own dialogue forward.”

Drawing from the recent words of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Archbishop reflected on the challenge and humility required in theological discourse. 

“This is where we always begin, with the inestimable gulf between our language and the ineffable language of God,” he said, quoting the Ecumenical Patriarch. “We know that speaking about God–theologizing–is a risky business.” 

“When we rely on our rational minds to master the utter incomprehensibility of God,” Archbishop Elpidophoros continued, “we have entered the realm of hubris, where our pride will inevitably go before the proverbial fall.”

He nevertheless affirmed that the enduring witness of Nicaea offers reason for hope:

“The genius of Nicaea One,” he said, “has stood the test of time—seventeen centuries! That simple yet profound word, ὁμοούσιος … has proven to be prophetic for the Christian faith.”

Citing the teaching of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew that Christ is “ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρί καὶ ὁμοούσιον τῇ Μητρί,” the Archbishop reminded that this truth unites humanity to divinity through the Incarnation.

“Because our Lord is as much ‘consubstantial’ with His Holy Mother as He is with His Heavenly Father,” he said, “we too are enveloped within the ‘Divine Nature’ through that shared Human Nature.”

Concluding his address, Archbishop Elpidophoros called upon all present to renew “the prophetic status of Nicaea One” within the life of the Church.

“When the Councils of the Church voiced the Nicene Creed, it was in the first person plural–‘we believe,’” he said. “That plurality of voices could be available to us again, even after seventeen hundred years, and all the historical, political, and societal detritus of those intervening centuries.”

“We cannot change the past, but we can learn from it. What’s done is done, but that is surely not all there is to do.”

“I pray … we hear in each other’s voices the possibility of speaking once again as ‘we,’” he said. 

He also urged that those present “embrace every consequence of the ὁμοούσιον, and find a way to go beyond the inadequacies of ages past, and forge a path into the future which is in accord with the ‘Way,’ to which the Lord called us, the path of forgiveness, compassion, and love.” 

“May we find it quickly,” he concluded, “by His grace and love for humankind.”

Read His Eminence’s address here.

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