Meeting with Cardinal Burke

Cardinal Raymond Burke was received in a private audience by Pope Leo XIV this morning at the Apostolic Palace. As of writing, no details of the meeting have been shared.

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Pope Leo’s Commitment to Christian Unity

Later in the day, Pope Leo XIV addressed participants of the 2025 Ecumenical Week in Stockholm with a message marking both the centenary of the 1925 Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work and the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea. His words came as Christians from across the world gathered to reflect on unity, service, and the shared mission of the Church in a troubled world.

The Pope began by recalling the Council of Nicaea in 325, where bishops articulated the divinity of Christ with the profession that He is “true God from true God, consubstantial with the Father.” This ancient declaration, the Holy Father emphasized, remains the faith that binds Christians across confessions. “That Council stood as a courageous sign of unity amidst difference,” he said, reminding participants that fidelity to Christ has always carried the power to overcome division.

Turning to the historic 1925 Stockholm Conference, Pope Leo highlighted the vision of Archbishop Nathan Söderblom, who convened nearly 600 Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant leaders under the motto “service unites.” While the Catholic Church was not represented at that first gathering, the Pope expressed joy that today Catholics stand alongside other Christians as “fellow disciples of Christ,” united in baptism and mission.

The Holy Father situated this ongoing commitment within the Catholic Church’s embrace of ecumenism at the Second Vatican Council. Unitatis Redintegratio, the Council’s decree on ecumenism, he reminded, called the faithful to a dialogue of love, grounded in both theological reflection and common witness. “The unity Christ wills for his Church must be visible,” Pope Leo said, adding that Christians are called to work together wherever possible, especially in the face of humanity’s wounds.

Reflecting on the chosen theme of this Ecumenical Week—“Time for God’s peace”—the Pope spoke to the urgent need for reconciliation in a world scarred by conflict, inequality, and environmental crises. True peace, he noted, is not a human achievement but “a sign of the Lord’s presence with us,” a gift that must also be embraced as a mission.

Closing his message, Pope Leo XIV prayed that the Holy Spirit, who guided Nicaea, would deepen Christian fellowship in Stockholm and inspire new hope for the unity Christ desires among all His followers.

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