The Roman Catholic Church’s Filioque Clause

The final version of the Nicene Creed was written and authorized by Constantinople’s Ecumenical Church Council in 381. The creed included the statement that the “Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.” However, the Roman Catholic Church changed the final version of the Nicene Creed by adding the Latin word Filioque, which means “and the Son.” So it read, “the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.” The addition of the word “Filioque” to the Nicene Creed was officially adopted by the Roman Catholic Church in 1014. This change to the Nicene Creed contributed to the deep division between the Eastern Orthodox and Western Roman Catholics.