Pope Francis Pope Francis said the Roman Catholic Church is ready to accept a common date for celebrating Passover with the Orthodox, who follow a different way of reckoning.

“The Catholic Church is prepared to accept the date that everyone wants, a date of unity,” the leader of the Roman Catholic Church said, off the record, during his sermon at the Mass that concluded the week of prayer for Christian unity.

“In a God-given way, Easter will be celebrated this year on the same day according to the Gregorian and Julian calendars, as is proper for this ecumenical anniversary,” he added, referring to the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea held exactly 1700 years ago.

It will be recalled that this year Orthodox and Catholics celebrate Easter on April 20.

“I reiterate my appeal that this coincidence serves as a reminder to all Christians to take a decisive step towards unity and for a common date for Easter,” he concluded.