Pope Leo XIV Seeks Bridge with Orthodox, Citing Nicene Creed Without 'Filioque'


-By Ruben Mario Brodrick 

​Vatican City — Pope Leo XIV has issued a new apostolic letter, In Unitate Fidei ("In the Unity of Faith"), on the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, proposing a major ecumenical push that centers on the original Nicene Creed, explicitly omitting the controversial Latin clause, Filioque ("and the Son").

​The apostolic letter, published Sunday, November 23, emphasizes the primacy of Christian unity and reconciliation with the Eastern Churches, asserting that "what unites us is much greater than what divides us."

​The Controversial Omission

​The key point of contention is the Pope's conscious choice to cite the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381 in its original form, which describes the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father, but not including the later Western insertion, "and the Son" (Filioque).

​The Filioque has been a flashpoint in Catholic-Orthodox relations for centuries, contributing to the Great Schism. Pope Benedict VIII formally inserted the clause into the Roman liturgy in 1014. By omitting it in the foundation of his ecumenical proposal, Pope Leo XIV aims to establish a common ground with the Orthodox Church.

​Calling for an End to 'Lost' Debates

​In a passage that has drawn immediate criticism from conservative Catholic commentators, the Pontiff calls for a new direction:

​“We must therefore leave behind theological controversies that have lost their raison d’être in order to develop a common understanding... it is an ecumenism that looks to the future, that seeks reconciliation through dialogue as we share our gifts and spiritual heritage.”


​The Pope reiterated that this future-focused ecumenism is neither a return to the pre-division state nor a simple recognition of the current status quo among diverse Christian communities.

​Catholic Commentators Voice Concern

​The apostolic letter has been met with immediate concern from some Catholic commentators, who view the language as ambiguous regarding the permanent nature of Catholic dogma.

​Catholic commentator Murray Rundus of Pelican+ called the passage "one of the most concerning and confusing parts of the document," stating that treating dogmas like the Filioque or Papal primacy as negotiable or morally indifferent "are incompatible with Catholic ecclesiology."

​Similarly, the blog Radical Fidelity questioned which specific controversies the Pope was referring to, noting: "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.”

​Theology of the Text

​Pope Leo XIV defends his approach by stressing that the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381 remains the "fundamental and indispensable theological bond" among all Christian confessions.

​He also referenced a 2025 document from the International Theological Commission, which acknowledged the "normative and irrevocable value" of the Symbol professed in Greek at Constantinople in 381 without the Filioque, adding that no later profession of faith "can contradict this expression of the faith taught and professed by the undivided Church."

​The letter highlights the historical context, where the Filioque insertion in the Latin West was a centuries-later development (8th-11th centuries) intended to emphasize the single divine origin of the Holy Spirit, which was contested by the East as a unilateral intervention on ecumenical texts.

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