The sixth international conference of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Faith and Order opened at the Monastery of St. Pishoy in Wadi El-Natrun, bringing together more than 400 participants from 100 countries. Hosted at the Papal “Logos” Center, this marks the first time the conference has been held on the African continent, according to the WCC website.

Opening the gathering, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, welcomed the delegates and reflected on the spiritual significance of the venue:

“Welcome to Egypt, to the holy monastery of St. Pishoy — in the desert that has been a beacon of monasticism since the 4th century. From here, from the land of St. Mark, the world learned of a faith strengthened by the blood of the martyrs and the legacy of the Fathers of the Church,” said the Patriarch.

Pope Tawadros reminded participants that the conference coincides with the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325 AD), which played a decisive role in defining the Orthodox doctrine of the Trinity and formulating the Nicene Creed.

“The Council of Nicaea was a turning point in the history of Christian theology. It affirmed the truth of the consubstantiality of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and ended the heresies that diminished the divinity of Christ,” the Patriarch stated.

Addressing the theme of the conference — “Where Are We Today on the Way to Visible Unity?” — Pope Tawadros emphasized that genuine Christian unity cannot exist without theological dialogue:

“True unity is unity in faith, expressed in communion in the sacraments: ‘one Lord, one faith, one baptism’ (Eph. 4:5). Dialogue is not a concession of truth but a testimony to it, offered in the spirit of love.”

He urged churches to preserve the apostolic faith while remaining open to constructive dialogue that leads to unity “in truth and love.”

WCC General Secretary Prof. Jerry Pillay thanked the Coptic Orthodox Church for its hospitality, noting that holding the conference in Egypt carries deep symbolic meaning:

“We are on the land where monasticism was born, where the Church endured persecution and bore witness to faith. This spiritual environment inspires us to seek paths of reconciliation and unity,” he said.

Organized by the WCC’s Commission on Faith and Order, the conference runs until October 28 and includes representatives of the Coptic, Greek Orthodox, Anglican, and Evangelical churches of Egypt, as well as delegates from Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa.

Concluding his address, Pope Tawadros II expressed hope that the gathering in Wadi El-Natrun would serve as “a shining sign that Egypt, the Middle East, and Africa continue to be a living bridge between Churches — a bridge of hope and unity for the entire Christian world.”