Is it possible that a word in the Catholic Creed — the word is “filioque” which means “and from the Son” — might be quietly “dropped” in order to help make more possible the reunion of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, divided since 1054?
We Catholics have used that word in the Creed officially since 1014. However, its insertion into the Creed — as a way of guarding against Arian tendencies in the Church, tendencies aimed at lessening the assertion of the divine nature of Jesus Christ, that is, tended to diminish Christ’s divinity — dates all the way back to the late 500s in Spain.
The phrase was first officially added to the creed at the Third Council of Toledo in Spain in 589 AD.
Why was the word inserted?
To counter Arianism, a heresy that denied the divinity of Christ. ‘
By stating that “the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and from the Son,” the Council emphasized the Son’s equality with the Father.
The practice gradually spread through the rest of the Western Church.
The phrase was not immediately adopted in Rome, but gained support under leaders like the Frankish emperor, Charlemagne, in the late 700s and early 800s, and was officially added to the Roman Catholic version of the creed in 1014 A.D.)
But, the phrase was never adopted in the Greek-speaking eastern Roman Empire, and, after the breakdown in relations between the Greek-speaking and Latin-speaking Christians in 1054 A.D,, the eastern Christians accused the Latins of having altered the Creed.
Thus, since 1054, the use of the word “filioque” (“and from the Son”) in reference to the sending of procession of the Holy Spirit, has been a matter of division and dispute between Catholics and Orthodox.
Now, one Catholic observer, American lawyer Peter Anderson, a longtime collaborator with Inside the Vatican magazine, who has followed events in the Orthodox world closely since the 1980s — so, for 40 years — thinks it may be possible that Pope Leo may quietly drop the use of “filioque” in the Creed in order to eliminate this matter of dispute with the Orthodox.(!)
Here is a recent letter Anderson wrote on the eve of Pope Leo’s apostolic journey to Turkey, which will begin on Thursday, November 27 — Thanksgiving Day in the United States.
Anderson, analyzing Pope Leo’s recent text on the Creed, and noting that Leo argues that the original wording of the Creed did not include the word “filioque,” writes: “I believe that Pope Leo may be signaling that he is open to using translations of the historic Greek language of the Creed without the Filioque in the Catholic liturgy in the future.”
Anderson says he believes western Christians could continue to hold that the Holy Spirit proceeded also “from the Son,” even if they agreed not to say that when they recited the Creed, which did not have that word in it in 381, when it was approved by the Council of Constantinople.
Therefore, he adds: “For the sake of promoting Christian unity, the use by all Churches of the same language for the Creed would, in my opinion, be a very positive step.”
Here below is Anderson’s entire argument regarding this rather important point for the doctrine of our faith, the recitation of our Creed, and relations with our separated Orthodox brethren.
—RM
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Pope Leo’s Apostolic Letter and the Filioque
By Peter Anderson
Tuesday, November 24, 2025
In anticipation of Pope Leo’s pilgrimage to Nicaea (now called İznik) later this week with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Pope Leo has issued an Apostolic Letter, entitled In Unitate Fidei, on the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
The full text of the Letter in English can be read at this link.
Translations of the Letter are available at the foregoing link in seven other languages, including Arabic. Hopefully, official Greek and Russian translations will be available in the future.
In terms of Catholic – Orthodox relations, the most interesting aspect of the Letter for me was its treatment of the Filioque.
In this regard, the Letter states as follows:
“Saint Athanasius became the firm foundation of the Nicene Creed through his unyielding and steadfast faith. Although he was deposed and expelled from the Episcopal See of Alexandria five times, he returned each time as bishop. Even while in exile, he continued to guide the People of God through his writings and letters. Like Moses, Athanasius was unable to enter the promised land of ecclesial peace. This grace was reserved for a new generation, known in some places as the ‘Nicene youth.’ In the East, this generation included the three Cappadocian Fathers: Saint Basil of Caesarea (c. 330-379), who was given the title ‘the Great’; his brother Saint Gregory of Nyssa (335-394); and Basil’s greatest friend, Saint Gregory Nazianzen (329/30-390). In the West, significant figures include Saint Hilary of Poitiers (c. 315-367), his student Saint Martin of Tours (c. 316-397) and, above all, Saint Ambrose of Milan (333-397) and Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430).
“The particular merit of the three Cappadocians was bringing to completion the formulation of the Nicene Creed by showing that, in God, Unity and Trinity are in no way contradictory. This development led to the formulation of the article of faith concerning the Holy Spirit at the First Council of Constantinople in 381. Consequently, the Creed took the name ‘Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed,’ and now states: ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.’” [10]
“At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the Council of Constantinople was recognized as ecumenical, and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed was declared to be universally binding. [11] It therefore constituted a bond of unity between the East and the West.
“In the 16 century, it was also upheld by the ecclesial communities that arose from the Reformation.
“The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed is thus the common profession of all Christian traditions.”
The Pope’s wording of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed follows the original Greek-language text of the Creed.
By using the phrase “now states:,” the Pope clearly indicates that the original Greek language is still the proper language for the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed today [Note: emphasis added].
This language does not include the Filioque.
The Filioque is relegated in the Letter to footnote 10 which reads as follows:
“First Council of Constantinople, Expositio fidei: CC, Conc. Oec. Gen. Decr. 1, 57 20-24. The statement “and proceeds from the Father and the Son ( Filioque)” is not found in the text of Constantinople; it was inserted into the Latin Creed by Pope Benedict VIII in 1014 and is a subject of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue. ”
The footnote contains absolutely no defense for adding the Filioque in 1014.
The reference to the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue implies that the Catholic position on the Filioque is open for discussion.
Interestingly, Pope Leo, an Augustinian, does not mention in the footnote St. Augustine, his spiritual father, who is often cited by supporters of the Filioque.
After adopting the definition of the “Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed” which does not include the Filioque, Pope Leo states that this Creed “was declared to be universally binding,” and that this Creed “constituted a bond of unity between the East and the West.”
He also states: “The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed is thus the common profession of all Christian traditions.”
However, the language of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed used in the Catholic liturgy added the Filioque and does not track the language of the original Greek which Pope Leo finds still applicable today.
Through these statements, I believe that Pope Leo may be signaling that he is open to using translations of the historic Greek language of the Creed without the Filioque in the Catholic liturgy in the future.
The North American Orthodox-Catholic Consultation on October 25, 2003, issued a 19-page document entitled: “The Filioque: A Church Dividing Issue?: An Agreed Statement.” The full text is found at this link.
One of the joint recommendations of the Consultation was the following: “that the Catholic Church, as a consequence of the normative and irrevocable dogmatic value of the Creed of 381, use the original Greek text alone in making translations of that Creed for catechetical and liturgical use.” (See p. 19)
In my opinion, the use in the Catholic liturgy of a translation of the original Greek text, which refers only to procession from the Father [Note: emphasis added], is not inconsistent with Catholics still retaining their theological position that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son.
For the sake of promoting Christian unity, the use by all churches of the same language for the Creed would, in my opinion, be a very positive step.
As previously reported in this newsletter, the Coordinating Committee of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches met in Rethymno, Crete on September 8 – 12, 2025. (link)
The Coordinating Committee has formed a subcommittee on the subject of the Filioque, and this subcommittee has prepared a draft report. It appears that Committee will consider the issue of the Filioque after it finalizes a draft document on the subject of papal infallibility.
I do not expect that Pope Leo will make a sudden decision at İznik or elsewhere to use translations of the original Greek text in the Catholic liturgy.
Especially for language that has been in the Catholic Mass for a millennium, I expect that Pope Leo would first seek general support from the Catholic episcopate.
However, I would predict that the Filioquewill no longer be part of the Catholic Mass by the end of his pontificate.
Aside from the points discussed above, the entire Apostolic Letter is worth reading. The Letter also includes Pope Leo’s positive views on ecumenism.
—Peter Anderson, Seattle, Washington, USA
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