Head of UGCC calls on Orthodox and Catholics to celebrate Easter on a single date

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), Sviatoslav Shevchuk, has called on the Christian world to find a common date for celebrating Easter. In his opinion, the establishment of a single day of celebration will help overcome the centuries-old division between Eastern and Western traditions.

In his Easter sermon, Shevchuk explained that the recent calendar reform of the UGCC and the OCU was not enough to fully synchronize with the Western world. In 2026, Greek Catholics in Ukraine will continue to celebrate Easter according to the Eastern Paschal calendar together with the Orthodox, while the foreign communities of the UGCC will follow the Western calendar.

Sviatoslav Shevchuk noted that the Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops deliberately decided not to take steps that could “create additional difficulties for achieving unity” with their Orthodox brethren. Nevertheless, he emphasized that the existence of two different Easter celebrations based on different interpretations of the decisions of the First Council of Nicaea remains a factor in dividing the faithful. The head of the UGCC expressed hope that the “voice from Kyiv” will be heard by all Christians, and the east and west will no longer be divided on this holy day.

Earlier, we reported that the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is considering moving to a common date for Easter in coordination with Rome and Constantinople. As of today, all foreign structures of the organization already celebrate the Resurrection of Christ according to the Western calendar, while inside Ukraine, the Eastern tradition is maintained to ensure church unity.