A group of prominent Orthodox Christian leaders in the United States is calling for renewed efforts to establish a common date for Easter with Catholics and Protestants.
The appeal follows a January 24, 2025 colloquium at Holy Cross Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, convened by the Huffington Ecumenical Institute.
The meeting coincided with the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, which established the foundational formula for determining the date of Easter.
Orthodox and Catholic Easter dates rooted in Nicaea
In 325 AD, Christian bishops agreed that Easter should be celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. Both Eastern Orthodox Christians and Western Christians, including Catholics and most Protestants, accept this rule. However, they use different calendar systems in determining the actual dates of Easter.
Most Orthodox churches rely on the Julian calendar, introduced in antiquity. The Roman Catholic Church and most Protestant denominations use the Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582 to correct inaccuracies in the Julian system. Today, the Julian calendar is thirteen days behind the Gregorian calendar. Because of these differences and variations in calculating lunar cycles, Easter frequently falls on different Sundays in Eastern and Western Christianity.
Theologians argue that the Orthodox method of calculation, which also uses a fixed date for the spring equinox and a nineteen-year lunar cycle approximation, increasingly diverges from astronomical realities and from the original intent of the Nicaean formula.
If the current system remains unchanged, they warn, Orthodox Easter will gradually be celebrated later in the solar year. For example, in 2027, Catholics and most Protestants will observe Easter on March 28, while most Orthodox churches will celebrate it on May 2.
Pastoral consequences for families
The issue is particularly significant in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and parts of Europe, where Orthodox Christians often live alongside Catholics and Protestants and frequently marry across denominational lines. When Easter falls on different dates, families may celebrate separately. Children may not be able to fully participate in both parents’ traditions during Christianity’s most important feast.
The statement emphasizes that the calendar question is pastoral rather than doctrinal. Adjusting the calculation of Easter would not alter core Christian beliefs about the Resurrection but would instead address how the Church applies the rule established at Nicaea.
The theologians also reference a 2024 statement by the North American Orthodox–Catholic Dialogue, endorsed by both the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the United States and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, which highlighted the pastoral care of mixed marriages.
Obstacles to change
The signatories identify three main obstacles: internal divisions among Orthodox churches worldwide, insufficient education about how Easter is calculated, and institutional reluctance to revisit long-standing practices.
Rather than calling for immediate global consensus among all Orthodox jurisdictions, they propose local and educational initiatives and encourage bishops, clergy, seminaries, and parishes to foster informed discussion about the historical and scientific basis of the Easter calculation.
They note that certain Orthodox jurisdictions already rely on the Gregorian calendar for fixed feast days without breaking communion. The Orthodox Church of Finland, for example, celebrates Easter according to the Gregorian calendar with the blessing of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
A visible sign of Christian unity for Orthodox and Catholics
While full theological unity between Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches remains unresolved, the theologians argue that celebrating Easter together would send a powerful global message.
Easter is the central feast of Christianity. Sharing that celebration on the same day worldwide, they say, would honor the legacy of Nicaea and demonstrate a practical commitment to Christian unity in the modern era.
They conclude that the issue deserves open, informed discussion not as a political maneuver but as a pastoral responsibility toward families and communities who experience the consequences of divided observances each year.
