Lutheran-Orthodox Commission Recommends Recitation of Creed Without Filioque

Participants at the recent meeting of the International Lutheran-Orthodox Commission on Theological Dialogue in Larnaca, Cyprus. Photo: Lutheran World Federation

JUNE 6, 2025 — On the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and in preparation for Pentecost Sunday, the Lutheran World Federation and a delegation of the Orthodox Church have released a communication titled, “Common Statement on the Holy Spirit, the Church, and the World: The Joint International Commission on Theological Dialogue Between the Lutheran World Federation and the Orthodox Church.”

This comes after meetings were held from May 19-24 in Larnaca, Cyprus on the issue of synodality and primacy. 

In a sprawling statement released June 6, the Joint International Commission “offers a shared reflection on the Spirit’s role in creation, liturgy, and the mission of the Church in today’s world.”

Notably, the very last item in the statement reads:

The Lutheran-Orthodox International Joint Commission recommends that all Lutheran churches who do not already do so begin using translations of the Nicene Creed based upon the original Greek wording, without the filioque.

This statement builds off of the July 2024 “Common Statement on the Filioque,” also issued by the Joint International Commission on Theological Dialogue Between the Lutheran World Federation and the Orthodox Church.

In the statement from last year, the suggestion was made to to use the original Greek without the filioque “in the hope that this will contribute to the healing of age-old divisions between our communities and enable us to confess together the faith of the Ecumenical Councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381).”

The 2024 statement concludes:

Moreover, we both affirm that in our Trinitarian doctrine the Father is the cause (αἴτiος) of the generation of the Son and of the procession of the Spirit. The Orthodox understand that the Filioque was often meant to underline the relationship between the Son and the Spirit and the Lutherans are aware that in the Orthodox tradition the Spirit is sometimes conceived as proceeding (ἐκπορευόμενον) through the Son. We are also aware that there are other ways to indicate the relationship of the Son and the Spirit. We hope that the exploration of the formula ‘through the Son’ used by Maximus the Confessor, John of Damascus, and Tarasius of Constantinople and relevant views by Gregory of Cyprus and Gregory Palamas, might facilitate our common effort to reach further agreement regarding the procession of the Holy Spirit.

According to the Orthodox Times, the Lutheran World Federation was represented by Bishop Dr. Johann Schneider (Co-President, Evangelical Church in Central Germany), Professor Dr. Dirk Lange (Co-President, LWF Geneva), Dr. Maria Louise Munkholt Christensen (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark), Professor Dr. Heta Hurskainen (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland), Professor Ian McFarland (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America), Professor Priit Rohtmets (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Estonia), Ms. Jazmin Soto Mayta (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bolivia), Professor Martin Wallraff (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Italy), and Counselor, Professor Jennifer Wasmuth (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover, Germany).

The Orthodox delegation consisted of Metropolitan Kirill of Krini, Professor (Ecumenical Patriarchate); Deacon Ecumenius Amanatidis, Deputy Secretary of the Holy Synod (Secretary, Ecumenical Patriarchate); Metropolitan Petros of Axum (Patriarchate of Alexandria); Archimandrite Dr. Philip Hall (Patriarchate of Antioch); Metropolitan Timotheos of Bostra (Patriarchate of Jerusalem); Professor Dr. Rade Kisić (Patriarchate of Serbia); Protopresbyter Professor Dr. Cosmin Pricop (Patriarchate of Romania); Protosyncellus Professor Dr. Giorgi Zviadadze (Patriarchate of Georgia); Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamasos and Oreini (Church of Cyprus); Metropolitan Grigorios of Peristeri, Professor (Church of Greece); Jerzy Betlejko (Church of Poland); Professor Dr. Nathan Hoppe (Church of Albania); and Presbyter Dr. Václav Ježek (Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia).

Bishop Dr. Damaskinos of Haapsalu (Ecumenical Patriarchate – Orthodox Church of Estonia), Dr Talvikki Ahonen (Ecumenical Patriarchate – Orthodox Church of Finland), Professor Nikos Nicolaides (Church of Cyprus), Protopresbyter Stefanos Chrysanthos (Church of Cyprus) and Professor Dr Dimitrios Bathrellos (Church of Greece) participated as consultants.

For the full statement from June 6, visit here. For the 2024 “Common Statement on the Filioque,” visit here.

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