Patriarch of Constantinople: Conversations Are Underway for Catholics and Orthodox to Celebrate Easter on the Same Date

C'est pour rire! Conversations may be going on between Constantinople and Rome, but Bartholomew is dreaming if he thinks the Slavic Autocephalous Orthodox Churches will follow him!

From Zenit

By Joachin Meisner Hertz

(ZENIT News / Constantinople (Istanbul), 15.11.2022).- In an interview with a Turkish media , the Patriarch of Constantinople stated that conversations are underway between representatives of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches to come to an agreement on the common celebration of the most important date for Christians, namely, Easter.

The conversations are being held in the framework of the coming celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which took place in 325 AD, whose dispositions continue to be binding for both Christians denominations. Patriarch Bartholomew disclosed that specialists in the scientific realm will be consulted to identify the most accurate date for the Easter celebration, given that it’s not about religious considerations but about something that has to do with astronomy, a scientific area of human knowledge. “Our objective is that in this context of the anniversary, we can find a solution in regard to Easter. The Pope has the best intentions and I think the moment has arrived, both for the Orthodox Church as well as the Catholic, to fix a common date to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection . I hope that on this occasion we will be able to come to an agreement,” said the Patriarch of Constantinople.

The 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea will also coincide with the 2025 Ordinary Jubilee of the Catholic Church, an ecclesial event of global reach, which is usually celebrated every 25 years. In this framework, an agreement on the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection would be one of the most important moments of that Jubilee.