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![]() Unsuccesful 20th Century attempts to merge the dates of Easter:In 1920, the Patriarchate of Constantinople suggested that the Orthodox churches discuss and resolve a common date for Easter Sunday among themselves. In 1923, the Pan Orthodox Congress unilaterally decided to revise their calendar. Unfortunately, this prompted several schisms among Orthodox churches. Also in the 1920s, some secular groups were proposing a fixed date for Easter. The Sunday following the second Saturday in April was one suggestion. This would help commercial and public groups plan more easily. But it would sever the linkage between Easter and the Jewish Passover. Also, it would probably further split Christian observance of Easter as some churches adopted the new fixed date, while others continued to use the current pair of dates. Orthodox churches resumed discussion in 1961 during preparations for the Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church. The Roman Catholic Church discussed a common day at the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy at the Second Vatican Council, in 1963. Since 1965, The World Council of Churches has discussed the topic repeatedly. In 1997, the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches sponsored a meeting in Aleppo, Syria. Participants included the Anglican Communion, Armenian Orthodox Church, Ecumenical Patriarchate, Evangelical Churches in the Middle East, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, Lutheran World Federation, Middle East Council of Churches, Old-Catholic Churches of the Union of Utrecht, Orthodox Church in America, Patriarchate of Moscow, Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Seventh-day Adventists, and Syrian Orthodox Church. The group issued what has since been called "The Aleppo Statemen." It said in part:
They recommended that the original Nicene formula be continued: that Easter falls on the Sunday following the first full moon following the Spring Equinox. They recommend three changes in the method of calculating the date, to take effect in the year 2001:
They concluded that a fixed date for Easter would not work. Some faith groups would reject the idea, and the end result would be two or three Easter dates each year. The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation formed in 1965 by the U.S. Catholic bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of America endorsed the Aleppo Statement in 1998-OCT. 3 In 1999-MAY, the Anglican Journal commented:
In 2000-MAR, a dialogue established by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) recommended adoption of the Aleppo Statement. 5,6 Easter for year 2001 came and passed. The World Council of Churches then promoted adoption of the Aleppo Statementfor to start in 2004, when Easter was once more celebrated on the same day throughout the world. It also was unsuccessful. Some have suggested that a common Easter date be explored on a regional basis. One example would be in the Middle East, where the dual Easter dates are of particular concern. Another effort, according to the Encyclopædia Britannica:
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Original posting: 2018-APR-0 |
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