Bucharest, January 29, 2025
Photo: orthodoxwitness.org
Only a Pan-Orthodox Synod has the authority to discuss initiatives regarding the date of Pascha, says the Romanian Patriarchate.
The Church issued a statement on the matter yesterday in response to recent statements from Pope Francis about finding a common date for all Christendom to celebrate Pascha together.
The dating of Pascha has been a frequent topic of discussion in recent years with the upcoming celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea, which laid down the first Churchwide rules for dating the central Christian feast.
The Pope broached the issue again during a Vespers service on Saturday, January 25, saying:
Providentially, this year, Easter will be celebrated on the same day in the Gregorian and Julian calendars, right during this ecumenical anniversary. I renew my call so that this coincidence may be a call for all Christians to take a decisive step towards unity, around a common date for Easter, and the Catholic Church is willing to accept the date that everyone wants to make, a date of unity.
From the Orthodox side, the issue is of interest to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. In his address to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Monday, January 27, he said:
The Ecumenical Patriarchate is equally committed to the advancement of Christian unity, not only through theological dialogue, but also by vibrant discussions on a common date of Easter. We believe that the historical anniversary of Nicaea should inspire fresh theological conversation as well as renewed Christian cooperation. Let us build a world where Christ’s prayer for unity is finally realized.
For the Romanian Orthodox Church, any such discussions can only take place within the context of a Pan-Orthodox Synod.
The Romanian Church’s statement reads:
Following Pope Francis’ recent declaration regarding the establishment of a common date for celebrating the Lord’s Resurrection, we specify that any consultation regarding the date of Pascha and any potential decision can only take place within a future Pan-Orthodox Synod, with the participation of all Sister Orthodox Churches.
Therefore, this current initiative follows the same working process, taking into account the very important recommendation of the Synaxis of Primates and Representatives of Orthodox Churches, held between January 21-28, 2016, at the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Center in Chambésy, during which the following was specified: “regarding the topic of the calendar, it is appropriate that each Church be free to implement what it considers suitable for the spiritual formation of its parishioners, but without modifying the date of the common celebration of Pascha by all Orthodox Christians.”
Consequently, any initiative regarding the date of the celebration of Pascha can only be discussed within a Pan-Orthodox Synod.
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