Opening Address to the Council of Nicaea

Most holy fathers of the church of Christ on Earth,

I stand before you today to implore you to work with speed and diligence to heal those tragic wounds that threaten to tear our church, and the whole empire, apart. I speak honestly when I say that, after having been miraculously saved by Christ, I was both saddened and troubled to discover the bitter rivalries and divisions for which I have called you here today to resolve. It is with the greatest urgency that I remind you of the stakes of failing to resolve this ordeal. Allow me to share with you a message I first delivered to Alexander and Arius and the beginning of this process: “For as long as you continue to contend about these small and very insignificant questions, I believe it indeed to be not merely unbecoming, but positively evil, that so large a portion of God’s people which belongs to your jurisdiction should be thus divided.” The matters before us cannot be considered merely questions of faith, but rather, ones with the potential to determine the future of the greatest empire the world ever has, and ever will, bear witness to.

It is with this in mind that I remind you that I am no expert in the affairs of the church. I pray that you all will put your extraordinary talents to use to reach decisions that are agreeable to all and will allow the church to prosper, eventually uniting all peoples in Christ under my authority. Only after such a solution has been forged will I find satisfaction. Unity ought to be your highest priority in making decisions; only when that is the case will we, by the grace of God, manage to avoid the grave consequences of failing to put your differences aside. And while I hope that we may reach an agreement quickly and with little squabbling, please know that the empire cannot afford, and will not stand to allow, obstructionism and partisanship. While leaving the questions of faith to you, it is my personal duty to ensure that the council ultimately succeeds, and I am willing to use whatever resources necessary in order to achieve that goal.

The time for controversy has come to an end. Allow us now, by the grace of God, to unite and guarantee the future of our great empire.