ASIA/MACAO - The Council of Nicaea at the Center of the 14th Forum for Young Chinese Scholars in Catholic Studies

Saturday, 13 December 2025 local churches history university

MACAO

2025-12-13
The Council of Nicaea at the Center of the 14th Forum for Young Chinese Scholars in Catholic Studies

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Macao (Agenzia Fides) - “The 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea: Christian Unity and the Development of Human Civilization.” This is the theme of the first part of the 14th Forum for Young Chinese Scholars in Catholic Studies. It opened on December 11 at St. Joseph University in Macao and concludes on December 15.

During the five-day conference, the working sessions are divided into five sections: 1. Historical studies of the Eastern and Western Churches before and after the Council of Nicaea; 2. Research on the Council of Nicaea, the subsequent ecumenical councils, and patristic theology; 3. Theological, philosophical, and legal studies on the Council of Nicaea and subsequent ecumenical councils in relation to the Christian faith; 4. History and future of Christian unity; 5. Exchange and dialogue between the Christian faith and different civilizations in a mutual learning process.
The Forum in Macao is jointly organized by St. Joseph University in Macao and the Institute of Catholic Studies and Culture in Beijing, under the direction of Father Peter Zhao Jianmin, with the support of St. Francis Xavier University in Hong Kong and the Institute of Catholic Studies at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan.
The 1700th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council was also the focus of Pope Leo XIV's first apostolic journey. Given the historical significance of the topic, the sessions are divided into separate courses for professors and postgraduate students to facilitate the free exchange of research findings.

Last year, in December 2024, thanks to the support of all involved—church institutions and individuals, as well as the civil authorities of Beijing and Macao—the 13th Forum for Catholic Studies in Macao was held. This forum, which focused on the 800th anniversary of the birth of St. Thomas Aquinas, was hosted at St. Joseph University. The Institute for Catholic Studies and Culture was officially founded in Beijing on August 3, 2002, by Father Peter Zhao Jianmin. The Institute is dedicated to academic research with the aim of fostering a platform for mutual learning between civilizations and promoting cultural exchange through academic engagement. In December 2008, the Institute hosted the first Forum for Catholic Studies for young Chinese scholars in Beijing. Since then, the Forum has been held annually at the same time.

In December 2019, the Institute hosted the twelfth Forum in Beijing. The Forum was suspended in subsequent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the 13th Forum was held outside Beijing for the first time and marked the beginning of a collaboration with St. Joseph University in Macao. (Agenzia Fides, 13/12/2025)