Greetings from the Church of the Resurrection, Bucharest in Romania! Most people here in Romania are Orthodox Christians. When the Orthodox say the Nicene Creed, they say that the Holy Spirit ‘proceeds from the Father,’ in contrast to most Western churches, where we say that the Holy Spirit ‘proceeds from the Father and the Son.’ 

This difference has been (and continues to be) a major tension and cause of division in the life of the Universal Church. In our chaplaincy in Bucharest, we have been on a journey with the Nicene Creed this year; not a physical journey, like the pilgrimages to Nicaea, but a spiritual one. We have used the course material prepared by the Diocese, and our Chaplaincy Council has engaged with some of the important Anglican-Orthodox joint statements on the creed. 

After a period of discernment, we decided that we would omit the controversial Filioque clause from our recitation of the Nicene Creed, in line with the Church of England’s current position that permits both variations. This has been an enormous step in our local ecumenical relationships. In Romanian, the creed is mostly commonly called Simbolul Credinței - the Symbol of Faith. I think this is a beautiful name that expresses the tangible, visible unity of faith to which the Nicene Creed points us. 

I pray that we can grow more and more into this unity, not just in this anniversary year, but in the years to come. 

You can download Father Nevsky's reflection here:  An Ecumenical Perspective

We encourage you to be thinking about your own response to the Nicene Creed.