Pope Francis called for all Christian denominations to celebrate Easter on the same date. This seems harmless and practical, even a pacifist move, but a backlash followed. Well-known Russian theologian Protodeacon Andrey Kurayev expressed his thoughts on the internet:

“The Pope’s proposal to designate a single all-Christian Easter day is unrealistic,” he wrote.

“For the Catholics, the Pope’s decision is self-sufficient, whereas the Orthodox Christians are still tied by their tradition, or to be more precise, the decision of the First Ecumenical Council [in 325 AD].”

The resurrection has been celebrated by Christians on different dates for thousands of years when Orthodox Christians adopted the Julian calendar and Catholics adopted the Gregorian. Pope Francis’ proposal echoes that of Pope John Paul II, who had also put forth a similar suggestion. The Second Vatican Council also offered Christians the option of celebrating Easter on the second Sunday of April.

The Greek Orthodox Church has yet to respond to the suggestion made by Pope Francis.