A discussion has begun regarding the possibility of a joint Easter celebration between Orthodox and Catholics, prompted by the fact that in 2025 the holiday falls on the same date for both churches.

In light of this, an official communiqué issued by the Patriarchate’s Hierarchy unanimously expresses the hope that a unified celebration can be established, starting in the spring of 2025. This year’s Easter, on April 20, coincides with the calendar for both churches.

“In this spirit, it is unanimously expressed that the common celebration of Easter next year by Eastern and Western Christianity should not merely be a fortunate coincidence but the beginning of establishing a common annual date for its celebration, by the Paschal calendar of our Orthodox Church,” states the announcement issued after the conclusion of the Synod of the Hierarchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

In his address to the Synod of the Hierarchy of the Throne, Patriarch Bartholomew reminded the Hierarchs that at the end of May 2025, there will be an official celebration in Nicaea of Bithynia to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council. The First Ecumenical Council, which convened in 325 AD in Nicaea, modern-day Turkey, a significant religious center during the Byzantine era, also dealt with the issue of a unified Easter celebration. The decisions of this Council are considered of crucial importance for the unity of the Churches, as it was there that the Nicene Creed, recognized by Orthodox, Catholics, and some Protestants, was formed.

The commemorative celebration to be held in May in Nicaea will also be attended by the Pope of Rome, Francis, who last December expressed for the first time his desire to establish a common Easter celebration.