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Best said that calculating the date of Easter was "extremely complicated." He added that the differences over Easter dates were particularly acute in the Middle East where minority denominations wanted a resolution to pave the way for their "common witness to Christianity." He added that calls by some governments for Easter to be celebrated on a fixed calendar date every year had been categorically rejected by all participants at Aleppo.

Best said that another meeting on the common Easter was expected later this year.

Commenting on Metropolitan Kirill's proposal, Best said: "We well understand that it is a very sensitive issue for the Orthodox. We welcome Metropolitan Kirill's proposal as an important part of the discussion. It should be on the table. In the West there is quite a keen interest in this issue. The more we realize its effect on the life and witness of the churches, the more we are aware of the need to work together on this issue."

Viktor Malukhin, spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchate, told ENI that as yet there were no plans in Russia for joint Easter celebrations on April 15 between Orthodox and non-Orthodox churches.

Archbishop Kondrusiewicz could not be reached for comment. Father Bogdan Severinek, an official at Moscow's Roman Catholic Apostolic Administration, was not optimistic about the possibility of joint celebrations in Russia this Easter. "Liturgically it is impossible to celebrate Easter together as long as our church is not one," he told ENI.

Copyright © 2001 ENI.

Last year, our Christian History Corner examined why Western and Eastern Christians usually celebrate different dates for Easter.

"Toward a Common Date for Easter," also known as the Aleppo Statement, was the result of a consultation in Syria between the Middle East Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches. The groups sought to reconcile the differing methods for determining Easter. Though Orthodox and Protestant leaders have since tried to reignite the statement, it appears dead.

Frequently Asked Questions about Easter Dates and Calculation of the Ecclesiastical Calendar both give more information about the history of Easter calculations. The latter includes a CGI script for calculating Orthodox and Western Ecclesiastical Calendars.

The controversy over Easter is no small matter. As Christian Historyissue 60, "How the Irish Were Saved" pointed out, Celtic and Roman Christians fought over the dates at the Synod of Whitby in 664.

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April (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45