A senior US diplomat will travel to Türkiye this week as part of Washington’s participation in events marking the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, which Pope Leo XIV will also attend.
Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Michael Rigas will travel to Türkiye, Iraq and Jerusalem from November 27 to December 5, the State Department said on Tuesday.
In Türkiye, Rigas will lead the US delegation for the celebration of the Council of Nicaea and hold talks with Turkish counterparts “to advance the US–Türkiye bilateral relationship.”
He will also meet with Istanbul’s Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, according to the statement.
The First Council of Nicaea, convened in CE 325 by the Roman Emperor Constantine, brought together bishops from across the early Christian world and produced foundational decisions on core doctrines of the Christianity.
Nicaea is the ancient name of Iznik, a lakeside town in Türkiye’s Bursa province near Istanbul.
