The Seventh Ecumenical Council, also known as the Second Council of Nicaea, was held in 787 CE in Nicaea. This council was convened by Empress Irene of Byzantium and was significant in addressing the iconoclast controversy that had divided the Church.

The central issue of the council was the use of icons in worship. The iconoclasts, or "image breakers," believed that the veneration of icons amounted to idolatry and opposed their use in churches. The iconodules, or "image devotees" argued that icons were important aids in worship and should be venerated as representations of holy figures, though not worshiped themselves.

The council reaffirmed the veneration of icons, declaring that icons of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints were legitimate aids in worship. The council distinguished between the veneration of icons (which involved honor and respect) and the worship due only to God. It decreed that the practice of venerating icons should be maintained and upheld, reinforcing the importance of images as a means of connecting with the divine.

In addition to its rulings on icons, the council addressed other theological and ecclesiastical issues, but its most lasting impact was on the acceptance and integration of icons into Christian worship. The decisions of the Seventh Ecumenical Council were later endorsed by the Orthodox Church and played a crucial role in resolving the iconoclast controversy, leading to a period of relative peace and unity within the Byzantine Empire.

Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, Pray to God for us!