August 2025
Who is Jesus Really? The Questions at the Heart of the Council of Nicaea
Rimini, August 26 – Who is Jesus really? And what is the relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? These questions, which may seem distant from everyday life, in reality touch the way we look at the world and live our relationships. The exhibition “Light from Light”, set up at the Rimini Meeting and dedicated to the Council of Nicaea, seeks to answer these questions, a decisive turning point in the history of the Church.
A Dialogue Between Faith and the Present
“Knowing Christ is born from the desire to understand who we are and to find the reasons for faith,” says Andrea Giai Merlera, a volunteer who guides visitors through the exhibition. The journey within the exhibition is a dialogue with the present, showing how the conflicts and controversies that have marked the Church did not destroy it, but rather clarified what is essential and contributed to its unity.
The Genesis of the Exhibition “Light from Light”
“We have received the light of Christ, now we must penetrate the mystery,” emphasizes curator Ilaria Vigorelli, who recounts the creation of the installation. “The central point is this: to remember that Jesus is a fact, not an abstract idea. From here the journey begins, retracing the profile of the Basilica of Nicaea.”
Mystery, Intellect, and Wonder
The strength of the exhibition lies in its ability to hold together two levels: on the one hand, the concreteness of a historical event that took place over 1700 years ago, and on the other, the questions each of us carries today. “The mystery surpasses our intellect – continues Vigorelli – but it also requires our intellect to be communicated. Only wonder knows, said Gregory of Nyssa. So too we, when we are moved to wonder, restore splendor to the Father.”
An Installation that Brings History to Life
The setup makes this tension between history and life visible. The walls of the Basilica of Nicaea rise within the fairgrounds, while panels, images, and installations allow everyone to enter into the heart of the Council. “We are intellectuals, we tend to lose ourselves in words,” admits Vigorelli. “But the contribution of graphic designers, architects, and artists was decisive in making this theme accessible to all.”
A Universal Message for Believers and Non-Believers
The result is a journey that speaks not only to believers but also to anyone who questions life and relationships. Because, as the exhibition reminds us, Christianity is not first of all a set of rules or theories, but the encounter with a fact that continues to change history.
Don’t miss the opportunity to explore further the exhibition “Light from Light: Nicaea 1700 Years Later” with the video of the meeting held on August 26, 2025, at 5:00 p.m., in the Sala Neri Generali Cattolica at the Rimini Meeting. Moderated by Andrea D’Auria and introduced by Bernhard Scholz, it featured prominent speakers such as the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, and Cardinal Kurt Koch.
