SW News: Yet, again, Pope Francis has reiterated his openness to celebrate Easter on the same day with the Orthodox Churches provided they agree on that matter. He made this commitment while receiving Mar Awa III, the Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Vatican on Saturday.

The pontiff thanked the Patriarch for the “ties forged in recent decades” and he recollected the “warm embrace in Erbil” while he visited Iraq last year. Pope Francis also expressed gratitude to the head of the Assyrian Church of the East for the willingness to have a common date to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord.

His Holiness the Pope said, "We are willing to accept any proposal that is made together." He was referring to the words of St Paul the Apostle. The pope added that celebrating the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 2025 is really significant. However, it is also important to celebrate Easter on the same date, he added. “Therefore, let us have the courage to put an end to this division, which sometimes makes us laugh: "When will your Christ rise again?" The sign to give is: one Christ for all of us. Let us be courageous and seek together : I am willing, but not me, the Catholic Church is willing to follow what Saint Paul VI said. Accept and we will go where you say".

Recently, Patriarch Bartholomew, the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, made a statement saying that a common date for Easter would be on the agenda during the anniversary celebrations of the Nicaea Council. He was speaking to a Roman Catholic delegation touring Turkey. He said that he had shared this idea with the Pope during their meeting in Bahrain recently.

Easter is never celebrated on the same day by Catholics, who follow the Gregorian Calendar, and most Orthodox Churches, who follow the Julian Calendar. In such a scenario, Catholics celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection ten days ahead of the Orthodox.