Professor Paul L. Gavrilyuk, who holds the Aquinas Chair in Theology and Philosophy, is the founding President of the International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA), a historic academic association of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christian scholars with strong ecumenical interests.
On Saturday, June 7, a major conference organized by IOTA marked the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in Rome. The conference — part of the Department of Theology and and College of Arts and Science's Encountering Orthodoxy Initiative — concluded with a private audience of conference attendees with Pope Leo XIV. Gavrilyuk was personally greeted by the Pope and was also featured in a Vatican News article about the impact of the Council of Nicaea.
From the story:
Around 5,000 people attending the Jubilee of the Holy See processed through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday, June 9, led by Pope Leo XIV.
As they entered, they passed by a plaque that memorialized an encounter in 1967 between Pope St. Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople. The inscription says they prayed “for the restitution of full communion between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.”
Dr. Paul Gavrilyuk, president of the International Orthodox Theological Association, joined the Vatican employees on their pilgrimage to mark the 2025 Jubilee year.
Speaking to Vatican News, Dr. Gavrilyuk said the historic meetings between the Pope and the Patriarch were “incredibly important steps towards Church unity,” which his organization hopes to continue.
He attended the Jubilee of the Holy See “to offer my gratitude to God and also to listen to the Pope's wise words about Christian unity and reconciliation.”
