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However, he added, the Orthodox churches themselves had anticipated the Aleppo proposal at a meeting at Chambesy, Switzerland in 1977, and the Aleppo proposal responded to many of the Orthodox concerns.

Asked what the prospects were now, given that agreement had not been reached this year as the Aleppo meeting had hoped, Best said that there were possibilities that plans for a common Easter date would be explored by churches on a regional basis—for example in the Middle East, where the division over the celebration of Easter is especially visible. This had in fact been a suggestion of the Aleppo meeting.

He also pointed out that "we are presented—happily—with the fact that in the next few years, Easter will often fall on a common date." In 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2017 the dates coincide.

"We hope people will get attached to celebrating Easter together," Best said. "We would ask the churches to focus on these years of common celebration, emphasizing this as a sign of our unity. We hope there will be a growing sense that the common celebration of Easter should be the norm, not the exception."

Best said another meeting on the Aleppo proposal was likely in the second half of this year, with officials representing major Christian organizations. The general secretaries of the World Christian Communions supported plans for another meeting, he said.

In a message released April 5, the Russian Orthodox Church's department for external relations has indicated that Metropolitan Kyrill's proposal—which is markedly different from the Aleppo proposal—is the official position of the Russian church and "has been repeatedly stated by official representatives." The statement adds that the Russian church will continue to insist on this solution to the "problem" of Easter dates "regardless of whether or not non-Orthodox Christians are ready to accept [it]."

Copyright © 2001 ENI.

Last week, we reported on Kyrill's proposal that the Western churches adopt Orthodox dates for Easter.

In South Korea, meanwhile, Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox will be celebrate Easter together.

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

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