Pope and Phanar head discuss common date for Easter celebrations
Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. Photo: cathedrale-orthodoxe.com
Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople are discussing the date for Easter to be shared by Catholics and Orthodox Christians. The Vatican head made the announcement in a conversation with the Jesuits during his trip to the Congo and South Sudan, reports tass.ru.
According to the pontiff, the parties hope to resolve the issue during a meeting in 2025 to mark the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council.
"We are preparing a meeting in 2025. With Patriarch Bartholomew we want to come to an agreement on a single date for Easter," the Pope said.
"We want to mark the round date of the Council as brothers and we are preparing," he added.
Francis stressed that Bartholomew was the first patriarch of Constantinople to come to the enthronement of the pope in 2013 "centuries later".
The Pope also noted that in 2025, the dates for Easter celebrations, which Catholics and Orthodox calculate differently, coincide.
As reported, the head of the UGCC, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, said that in preparation for the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the Vatican and the Patriarchate of Constantinople are working "on the common updated paschalia so that Christians around the world can celebrate Easter on the same day".
Read also
Israeli soldier destroys statue of Christ in Lebanon
In the Lebanese village of Debel, an IDF serviceman smashed the face of the Savior on a crucifix with hammer blows.
Shostatsky again complains of personnel shortage in OCU
The head of the Khmelnytskyi eparchy of the OCU has once again acknowledged an acute shortage of clergy – when communities “transfer” from the UOC, priests refuse to join the OCU.
Shostatsky: We call ourselves “OCU” to differ slightly from those in the MP
The head of the Khmelnytskyi eparchy of the OCU, Simeon (Shostatsky), stated that the name “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” was chosen in order to distinguish it from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Orthodox Christians in Germany take part in March for Life in Munich
Several thousand people took to the streets of the city to defend traditional values and children’s right to life.
UOC church damaged by shelling in Dobropillia
The Holy Trinity Church in Dobropillia sustained serious damage as a result of military action.
Pope calls for weapons to fall silent and for dialogue in Ukraine
The head of the Vatican expressed regret over the intensifying attacks on civilians and called the ceasefire in the Middle East “a reason for hope.”