Pope and Ecumenical Patriarch considering joint celebration of Easter

Father Ihor Yatsiv, Head of the UGCC Department for Information, commented on this to Ukrinform.

"Our Church is working to maintain unity in Ukraine and has implemented calendar reforms in collaboration with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Starting September 1, 2023, the UGCC will celebrate fixed feasts — such as Christmas, Epiphany, and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary — on the same dates as the rest of the world. However, the current Paschal cycle, which determines the date of Easter, will remain unchanged. The ideal solution would be for the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople to agree on a common date for the Paschal cycle. Unfortunately, this has not yet happened, but we see positive signs that dialogue has begun between the Pope and the Patriarch," said Fr Ihor.

He noted that the possibility of Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrating Easter together was discussed last year during the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea.

"Meetings between the Pope and the Patriarch took place there, raising the need to finally transition to a common date for Easter. Once agreements are reached at this level, we will automatically celebrate Easter together in Ukraine," noted the representative of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

At the same time, he mentioned that all Greek Catholic Church structures outside Ukraine use the Western method to calculate the date of Easter.

"The movable feasts, such as Easter, the Ascension of the Lord, and Pentecost, occur on different dates each year. They are calculated using specific formulas that take into account the solar calendar, the Jewish Passover, and other factors. The date is determined as the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox (March 21)," added Father Ihor.

Easter dates coincide every few years, and this is calculated in advance. Believers of both the Western and Eastern rites will celebrate Easter together as early as 2028. This year, Orthodox and Greek Catholics in Ukraine will celebrate Easter on April 12.

"This date is one week later than that of Roman Catholics and the global Catholic Church in general, but we maintain this unity within Ukraine to avoid division," noted Fr Ihor.