WCC NEWS: WCC publishes Faith and Order paper encouraging churches to work for common celebration of Easter

The World Council of Churches has published a Faith and Order paper, "Towards a Common Date for Easter "as an encouragement to churches and Christians to work with one another in their own contexts for a common celebration of Easter. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 03 April 2025 Fresh impetus to explore the hope of a common date for Easter comes in 2025, when all Christians will celebrate Easter on a common day. The year 2025 also marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which addressed the need for a common celebration of the resurrection. Eastern and Western churches have used different calendars to calculate the date of Easter since the 16th century, and only rarely do they coincide. The publication contains four contributions from different church traditions on the search for a way to celebrate Easter on a common date every year that were presented at a webinar organized by the Commission on Faith and Order on "Easter 2025: Celebrating Together to Strengthen Unity." The organizers hope that these contributions may help animate the churches of the world and Christians in their contexts to work with one another towards a common celebration of Easter. “We hope these offerings—which include historical depth, rich reflection, and exciting practical suggestions—may help animate the churches of the world and Christians in their own contexts to work with one another toward a common celebration of Easter,” writes the publication’s coeditor, Rev. Prof. em Dr  Sandra Beardsall, in the introduction. “For we could then give visible witness to that mystery of faith that truly unites us, that refuses to give the last word to despair, and that invigorates us anew to pursue life for all in the world God so loves.” Coeditor Rev. Prof. Dr Martin Illert said: “We hope that the anniversary of Nicaea this year will help create a momentum so that in the future all Christians can celebrate Easter together.” The newly published paper also contains the document “Towards a Common Date for Easter” produced at a consultation jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches in Aleppo, Syria, in 1997, offering observations and specific recommendations for the churches. Link to the full publication: Towards a Common Date for Easter Recording of the webinar: Easter 2025: Celebrating together to strengthen unity Interview: WCC general secretary reflects on common date for celebration of Easter See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland