The year 2025 will mark the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325, which inspired the modern ecumenical movement to work on issues on Faith and Order for the unity of the church and humankind. Additionally, 2025 will also mark the 100th anniversary of the first Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work, held in Stockholm in 1925.
Sweden’s prime minister and members of the Royal Family are expected to join many Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, Orthodox and other Protestant leaders for the gathering, which will feature a prayer vigil, worship services, cultural events plus over 70 seminars and roundtable discussions. At the weekend, there will also be a ‘Reach Peace’ youth festival aimed at 18- to 30-year-olds from different Christian traditions.
https://lutheranworld.org/news/swedens-ecumenical-week-mark-legacy-stockholm-conference
This week, as Stockholm hosts the Ecumenical Week from August 18–24, churches and ecumenical organizations from across the world are gathering for a centennial commemoration of the 1925 Stockholm Conference on Life and Work. The Christian Council of Sweden is welcoming thousands of participants, including church leaders, presenters, and decision-makers, who will join more than 70 seminars, prayer services, and cultural events under the theme “Time for God’s Peace.”
The Stockholm Conference of 1925, initiated by Archbishop Nathan Söderblom, served as a significant beginning for the modern ecumenical movement. Bishop Dr Jonas Jonson, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Strängnäs in the Church of Sweden, who has been actively involved in the life and work of the World Council of Churches (WCC) for more than 60 years, traced the history of how the WCC began decades before its official founding in 1948.
Pope Leo XIV:
“We believe that the unity Christ wills for his Church must be visible, and that such unity grows through theological dialogue, common worship where possible and shared witness in the face of humanity’s suffering,”
“While the Catholic Church was not represented at that first gathering, I can affirm, with humility and joy, that we stand with you today as fellow disciples of Christ, recognizing that what unites us is far greater than what divides us,”
https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/christians-are-called-help-world-find-peace-reconciliation-pope-says
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