The Catholic Church is ready to take a historic step toward Christian unity: establishing a common date for the celebration of Easter. This announcement came from Pope Leo XIV during a special meeting in Rome, organized as part of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea—a foundational moment for Christian history and the relationship between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
“This year, when all Christians celebrated Easter on the same day, is a powerful testament to what can be achieved through goodwill and dialogue. The Catholic Church remains open to finding a solution that would enable a common celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord,” the Pope declared.
The Head of the Holy See emphasized that several concrete alternatives exist to harmonize the calendar practices of the churches, without compromising the principles set forth in the Council of Nicaea. According to him, such a decision would not be merely symbolic but would strengthen the evangelistic mission of Christian communities worldwide.
“A common date for the ‘Feast of Feasts’ would reinforce our shared testimony to Jesus and the saving truth of the Gospel,” Pope Leo XIV stated, implying that the Vatican is prepared to engage seriously in the process of reaching consensus with other major Christian churches.
This proposal is expected to once again bring to the forefront the issue of the calendar—Julian or Gregorian—and requires deep inter-church dialogue. Nevertheless, the strong signal given by the Pope is considered an important step toward further rapprochement among Christians worldwide.
