Catholics will accept a common date for Easter in the East and West, pope says

[Michie]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — During the celebrations for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s willingness to accept a proposal for a common date for celebrating Easter in the West and the East.

Noting that in 2025 the date coincides on the West’s Gregorian calendar and the East’s Julian calendar, Pope Francis said that “I renew my appeal that this coincidence may serve as an appeal to all Christians to take a decisive step forward toward unity around a common date for Easter.”

“The Catholic Church is open to accepting the date that everyone wants: a date of unity,” he said Jan. 25 during an ecumenical evening prayer service at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

The service marked the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which focused on this year’s celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which gave Christians a common Creed and a formula for determining a common date for the celebration of Easter.

Before the Council of Nicaea in 325, different Christian communities celebrated Easter on different dates; the council decided that for the unity of the Christian community and its witness, Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Continued below.

Catholics will accept a common date for Easter in the East and West, pope says

Pope Francis reaffirms the Church's openness to adopting a common Easter date for the East and West, a step toward Christian unity.

www.oursundayvisitor.com

 

[chevyontheriver]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — During the celebrations for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s willingness to accept a proposal for a common date for celebrating Easter in the West and the East.

Noting that in 2025 the date coincides on the West’s Gregorian calendar and the East’s Julian calendar, Pope Francis said that “I renew my appeal that this coincidence may serve as an appeal to all Christians to take a decisive step forward toward unity around a common date for Easter.”

“The Catholic Church is open to accepting the date that everyone wants: a date of unity,” he said Jan. 25 during an ecumenical evening prayer service at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

The service marked the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which focused on this year’s celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which gave Christians a common Creed and a formula for determining a common date for the celebration of Easter.

Before the Council of Nicaea in 325, different Christian communities celebrated Easter on different dates; the council decided that for the unity of the Christian community and its witness, Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Continued below.

Catholics will accept a common date for Easter in the East and West, pope says

Pope Francis reaffirms the Church's openness to adopting a common Easter date for the East and West, a step toward Christian unity.

www.oursundayvisitor.com

The real solution is for the Orthodox to get a real calendar that tracks with the sun. We already agree that Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. We simply follow Nicaea. Not hard. We just have trouble agreeing on the date of the equinox. Is it observable in accord with the Gregorian Calendar, or is it not intended to be observed but only following an increasingly out of date Julian Calendar. The Julian Calendar was pretty good for the time of the Caesars but it's off now by weeks.

I don't think the Orthodox will abandon the 'first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox' for Easter. Nor do I think they should. I think we should keep it no matter what pope Francis opines. He should also opine that Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. He should spend his efforts on an agreement on when the equinox is. But the Orthodox will not come to any consensus with Catholics on that point either, so why bother. It's kind of lame that people can't agree on when the equinox is. In Julius Caesar's day they could figure it out. In pope Gregory's day they could figure it out. Protestants even figured it out after a while. Is Orthodox Science a total oxymoron or can they figure it out in 2025. That will be the day.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

The real solution is for the Orthodox to get a real calendar that tracks with the sun. We already agree that Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. We simply follow Nicaea. Not hard. We just have trouble agreeing on the date of the equinox. Is it observable in accord with the Gregorian Calendar, or is it not intended to be observed but only following an increasingly out of date Julian Calendar. The Julian Calendar was pretty good for the time of the Caesars but it's off now by weeks.

I don't think the Orthodox will abandon the 'first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox' for Easter. Nor do I think they should. I think we should keep it no matter what pope Francis opines. He should also opine that Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. He should spend his efforts on an agreement on when the equinox is. But the Orthodox will not come to any consensus with Catholics on that point either, so why bother. It's kind of lame that people can't agree on when the equinox is. In Julius Caesar's day they could figure it out. In pope Gregory's day they could figure it out. Protestants even figured it out after a while. Is Orthodox Science a total oxymoron or can they figure it out in 2025. That will be the day.

I don't think the Orthodox will go along with anything proposed by any Pope.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I don't think the Orthodox will go along with anything proposed by any Pope.

‘Fraid so. Especially not this pope, but no pope. The reason they persist with the Julian Calendar is that the Gregorian Calendar was sponsored by a pope. More stubborn than even the Protestants.

 

[RileyG]

I don't think the Orthodox will go along with anything proposed by any Pope.

Many Orthodox are VERY anti-Catholic, that's true.

 

[RileyG]

‘Fraid so. Especially not this pope, but no pope. The reason they persist with the Julian Calendar is that the Gregorian Calendar was sponsored by a pope. More stubborn than even the Protestants.

The TRUE Orthodox are those in communion with Rome who accept the Pope. I'm not talking about Pope Francis specifically, but the office of the papacy. I'm praying the Eastern Catholics will increase in holiness, and in number, and more and more Orthodox will join their rank.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

Many Orthodox are VERY anti-Catholic, that's true.

Except Orthodox ARE Catholic...in the original meaning of the word...just not ROMAN Catholic...

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

The TRUE Orthodox are those in communion with Rome who accept the Pope. I'm not talking about Pope Francis specifically, but the office of the papacy. I'm praying the Eastern Catholics will increase in holiness, and in number, and more and more Orthodox will join their rank.

and you wonder, with statements like that, why "many" Orthodox are "VERY anti-catholic"... sheesh! @ArmyMatt @prodromos @The Liturgist

 

[JimR-OCDS]

‘Fraid so. Especially not this pope, but no pope. The reason they persist with the Julian Calendar is that the Gregorian Calendar was sponsored by a pope. More stubborn than even the Protestants.

I have found that the Orthodox are culturally centered and more anti-Rome than anything else.

Even the Orthodox are in union with each other. There is the Greek Orthodox who want nothing
to do with the Russian Orthodox, And of course the Ukraine Orthodox hate the Russian Orthodox.

Rome has one unified Church.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I have found that the Orthodox are culturally centered and more anti-Rome than anything else.

Even the Orthodox are in union with each other. There is the Greek Orthodox who want nothing
to do with the Russian Orthodox, And of course the Ukraine Orthodox hate the Russian Orthodox.

Rome has one unified Church.

A lot of the kerfuffle among the Orthodox comes down to which calendar they follow and just how excommunicated the folks who don't follow a particular calendar are and just how excommunicated the folks are who even tolerate those who follow the wrong calendar. This is best exemplified by the 'Old Calendrists' who objected to a revised Julian calendar that didn't yet agree with the Gregorian calendar but merely fixed the leap year issue to keep it in 'offset synch with the Gregorian calendar. In other words still 13 days off but no longer diverging.

Catholics can even use different calendars, as the Latin Rite uses the Gregorian calendar while some Eastern Rite Catholics use the Julian calendar. It's no biggie. Odd but cool. Except to the Orthodox it's huge. Go figure.

 

[RileyG]

and you wonder, with statements like that, why "many" Orthodox are "VERY anti-catholic"... sheesh! @ArmyMatt @prodromos @The Liturgist

I wasn’t referring to them, just some others I’ve seen on Reddit, which isn’t a very friendly from. Just to be CLEAR

 

[chevyontheriver]

and you wonder, with statements like that, why "many" Orthodox are "VERY anti-catholic"... sheesh! @ArmyMatt @prodromos @The Liturgist

I'm wondering if your post is here in a spirit of fellowship or some other spirit?

 

[RileyG]

Except Orthodox ARE Catholic...in the original meaning of the word...just not ROMAN Catholic...

I disagree

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

I'm wondering if your post is here in a spirit of fellowship or some other spirit?

Well since I am Orthodox and the Orthodox were called out, I felt I should respond.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

I disagree

You disagree with what? That the Orthodox are Catholic?

 

[RileyG]

Well since I am Orthodox and the Orthodox were called out, I felt I should respond.

I mean everything in the most respectful way possible. Per the RCC, we see the EO in schism because they don’t recognize the office of the papacy. They do have valid sacraments though.

My apologies if I came off as rude.

God bless

 

[RileyG]

You disagree with what? That the Orthodox are Catholic?

If you mean their official title is The Orthodox Catholic Church, then I would agree.

If by universal? I supposed that’s also accurate?

I’m just rambling now lol

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

I mean everything in the most respectful way possible. Per the RCC, we see the EO in schism because they don’t recognize the office of the papacy. They do have valid sacraments though.

My apologies if I came off as rude.

God bless

I understand that. The Orthodox Church sees the Church of Rome as schismatic.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Well since I am Orthodox and the Orthodox were called out, I felt I should respond.

What I hear you saying is that you think forum rules do not apply to you and that anything you don't like can be responded to outside of a spirit of fellowship. Please tell me if I misunderstand.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I understand that. The Orthodox Church sees the Church of Rome as schismatic.

Is THIS posted in a spirit of fellowship? Or do you feel the right to say whatever you feel like in OBOB.