Christians meeting in Egypt, 1,700 years after a key event in the history of their faith, have reaffirmed their commitment to the Nicene Creed, which states, "We affirm one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church" – a call for unity.

The event was held from October 24 to 28 at the Logos Papal Center in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, according to the World Council of Churches.

"Let us aspire to live the unity for which Christ prayed, that the world may believe and experience God's gifts of healing, justice and abundant life," the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order said at its conclusion.

It made a "Call to all Christians" as its message on the last day of the gathering.

During a closing blessing, Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church reflected that the church is still called to be a witness in the same way it was called 1,700 years ago at the Council of Nicaea.

"This gathering unites us in the spirit of Nicaea—the spirit of faith, reflection, and the continued call to cooperation and love among all churches," he said. "This unity can only be achieved through theological dialogue among the churches."

According to the WCC, the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, at its meeting in Wadi El Natrun in Egypt, wrestled with issues of the place of the church in the world and the question of "decolonising its theology and mission."

"For us in the Caribbean, Egypt is also the site of another key biblical moment – it is the place of forced labour, exploitation, imperial domination, one in which we learn the name and the power of God to deliver," Caribbean theologian Rev. Carlton Turner told a plenary on the fourth day of the conference.

          - 'WORDS OF BOB MARLEY'

"It is where we hear the words, 'Let my people go.' It is the land of the Exodus, and we sing it, we hear it in the haunting words of Bob Marley," said Turner, deputy director of research at the Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham, Britain.

About 400 participants gathered for the conference, organized by the Commission on Faith and Order of the WCC, taking place at the Logos Papal Center of the Coptic Orthodox Church at Wadi El Natrun, southwest of Alexandria, Egypt.

The conference is the centerpiece of the WCC's activities to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in AD 325, the first gathering of church leaders under the patronage of Roman Emperor Constantine I.

Constantine was also known as Constantine the Great, and was a pivotal figure in Roman history, known for his conversion to Christianity and the establishment of Constantinople, present day Istanbul, as the new capital of the Roman Empire.

The ancient city of Nicea is located within the modern Turkish city of İznik.

"The Council of Nicaea marked the transition from Christians being a persecuted minority to becoming a church recognised by the Roman State," but according to the WCC, it also raised issues about the entanglement of church and empire.

The meeting was a highly politically motivated gathering, said the Rev. Evangelos Thiani of the Nairobi archdiocese of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, in his presentation.

"Under Constantine, the relationship between church and state took a new direction," he said.

"The state's influence on religious affairs and theology, along with the church's use of the state in its missionary efforts and expansion, began to evolve."

This fostered the form of political religiosity that still influences the political ecclesiology of Christians today, said Thiani.

"While some churches have rejected the excessive closeness of the state and the church, others believe it is essential."