Pope Francis says he hopes to travel to Turkey next year to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity’s first ecumenical council.

Should Pope Francis visit Turkey next year as he wishes to commemorate a landmark anniversary for the Council of Nicaea, it will mark a key opportunity for him to make advancements on several key ecumenical and geopolitical priorities.

Pope Francis said on Thursday he planned to visit Turkey's Iznik next year for the anniversary of the first council of the Christian Church, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The Council of Nicaea took place in the ancient city of Nicaea in 325 A.D. in the former Roman Empire, which is now the present-day city of İznik, in northwestern Turkey

Pope tells plan to mark 1,700th anniversary of pivotal First Council of Nicaea, in AD 325, where the early church made key decisions - Anadolu Ajansı

The early centuries of Christianity were marked by debate about how Jesus could be both God and man, and the Church decided on the issue at the First Council of Nicaea in 325.