Pope Leo XIV yesterday issued In Unitate Fidei, an apostolic letter on the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

Pope Leo recalled the Council’s historical context, emphasized the Nicene Creed’s profession of the divinity of Christ, and reflected on its ecumenical implications today. He also spoke about the relation between the Incarnation of the Son of God and His presence in the poor today.

The Pope also discussed the continuation of the Council of Nicaea’s work at the ecumenical councils of Constantinople (381) and Chalcedon (451). He rejected the charge that the word used in the Creed to describe the divinity of Christ—homooúsios, or consubstantial—represents a hellenization of the Christian faith.

Bangladeshi Catholics took part in a march for peace following bomb attacks on the cathedral in Dhaka, the nation’s capital, and on a Catholic school there.

Auxiliary Bishop Subroto Boniface Gomes of Dhaka said that participants in the silent march and sit-in for peace wished to “denounce the intimidation we have suffered and to say that, as a Christian community, we are ready to build an inclusive country that respects the dignity of all cultures, ethnicities, and religions, rejecting all forms of fundamentalism and violence.”

Bangladesh, a South Asian nation of 170 million (map), is the world’s 8th most populous nation; it is 89% Muslim and 9% Hindu.

Pope Leo XIV appealed yesterday for the release of priests, faithful, and students who have been abducted in Nigeria and Cameroon.

“I feel great pain, above all for the many young men and women who have been abducted and for their distressed families,” Pope Leo said during his Sunday Angelus address. “I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages and urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release.”

The Pontiff also recalled that World Youth Day was celebrated in the dioceses of the world on the feast of Christ the King. (The major international World Youth Days now take place every four years; the day is celebrated annually at the diocesan level in other years.)

“On the feast of Christ the King, I pray that every young person may discover the beauty and joy of following him, the Lord, and dedicating him or herself to his Kingdom of love, justice and peace,” the Pope said.

Citing St. Augustine’s reflections on singing, Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to the work of choirs as he celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the feast of Christ the King, which coincided this year with the Jubilee of Choirs.

“Singing reminds us that we are a Church on a journey, an authentic synodal reality capable of sharing with everyone the vocation to praise and joy on this pilgrimage of love and hope,” Pope Leo preached. “Above all, dedicate yourselves to facilitating the participation of the people of God, without giving in to the temptation of ostentation, which prevents the entire liturgical assembly from actively participating in the singing.”

Bishop Wolfgang Pisa of Lindi, Tanzania, spoke with Vatican News about the violent suppression of protests following the October 29 general election.

“Many people, both in mortuaries and on the streets, were prevented from identifying the bodies of their relatives or friends,” he said. “Still today, it is difficult to know the true extent of what occurred.”

Pope Leo XIV met on November 24 with Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

A brief statement from the Vatican press office, released after the meeting, said that the conversation had centered on church-state relations, but also included discussion of international affairs and the challenges facing Georgia.

The Vatican has announced that the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) will release a document on polygamy on Tuesday, November 25.

The document, entitled Una Caro: In Praise of Monogamy, is described as a “doctrinal Note on the value of marriage as an exclusive union and mutual belonging.” Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the prefect of the DDF, will chair a press conference introducing the document.

Pope Leo XIV met on November 24 with Latvia’s Prime Minister Evika Silina.

A brief statement from the Vatican press office, released after the meeting, said that the conversation had centered on church-state relations, but also included discussion of international affairs, particularly the quest for peace in Ukraine.

More than 300 children were abducted from a Catholic school in Nigeria on Friday, November 21.

Fifty of the children later escaped, but authorities were mounting a rescue operation to free 265 children who remained in the kidnappers’ custody, along with 12 teachers.

Responding to the attack—which followed soon after the seizure of another 38 people from a church in the state of Kwara—Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu announced that he would recruit 30,000 new police officers to combat the wave of kidnapping.

Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda, Cameroon, has warned that he will order churches closed and pastoral activities stopped in a troubled region if a priest who was kidnapped on November 15 is not released.

The archbishop said that if Father John Berinyuy Tatah is not freed by November 26, “I request all the priests, religious personnel from all Catholic institutions in Ndop deanery will be closed. Priests will be evacuated for their safety, and the Blessed Sacrament will be removed from the churches.”

The archbishop said that if the priest is not released, he will ask all the priests and lay people of the archdiocese to join with him and “march to the place where he is being held, and will either bring him back home or remain there until he is released.”