Fairfield University’s Center for Catholic Studies will welcome distinguished theologian Aristotle Papanikolaou, PhD, as the guest speaker for the 32nd Annual Christopher F. Mooney, S.J., Lecture in Theology, Religion & Society. The lecture will be held Wednesday, Nov. 12, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Aloysius P. Kelley Center, Presentation Room, and will also be available virtually.

Dr. Papanikolaou is a professor of Theology, holding the Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture, and serves as co-founding director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University. He earned his PhD in theology from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree from Holy Cross. A renowned scholar, he has delivered lectures worldwide, including at Georgetown University, the international conference Christian-Orthodox Theology in the 21st Century in Athens, Greece, and in Rome, Italy.

For this lecture, Dr. Papanikolaou will present “Celebrating the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea: The Christian Revolution: God in the 4th Century.” The lecture will explore the historic Council of Nicaea, convened in 325 CE by Roman Emperor Constantine as the first global synod of Christian leaders. Beyond practical matters such as the date of Easter, the council affirmed the full divinity of Jesus Christ—“God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God”—laying the foundation for the Christian creed and sparking a profound revolution in understanding divine-human communion.

The event is free and open to the public, both in-person and virtually. For registration and more information about the Center for Catholic Studies’ events, visit Fairfield.edu/cs.