Pope and Patriarch of Constantinople begin dialogue on transition to a single date of Easter celebration

Pope Leo and Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople have initiated discussions on the possibility of establishing a common date for the celebration of Easter for Christians of the Western and Eastern rites. This step is aimed “at achieving liturgical unity and may lead to a revision of the centuries-old traditions of calculating the date of the main Christian holiday.”

According to the Ukrinform news agency, citing the head of the UGCC Information Department, Ihor Yatsiv, the issue of introducing a common Easter was actively discussed last year as part of events dedicated to the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea. According to a representative of the UGCC, reaching an agreement at the highest church level will allow for an automatic transition to a single calendar for celebrations in Ukraine.

To date, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has already carried out a calendar reform: from September 1, 2023, it switched to a new style for fixed holidays (such as Christmas and Epiphany), but retained the existing Paschal calendar for movable holidays. “The ideal solution would be if the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople agreed on the date of a joint Easter,” said Father Igor, adding that until this happens, the UGCC remains in unity with the OCU within the country.

As reported earlier, a group of Orthodox theologians of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, who gathered in Boston, called for overcoming the historical differences between the Eastern and Western Christian traditions and unifying the date of Easter in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. According to Phanar experts, the calculation of Easter according to the Julian calendar is an outdated practice, as the “old style” does not meet astronomical criteria. In addition, it is believed that the transfer of the Easter date to the “new style” will help to overcome the existing division in the so-called mixed families, where spouses profess Orthodoxy and Catholicism/Protestantism.