Orthodox Clergy, Theologians Issue Statement on Finding Common Date of Pascha

Pope Leo and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at a commemoration of the First Ecumenical Council in late 2025. Photo: EPA/ALESSANDRO DI MEO

FEB. 26, 2026 — A group of Orthodox clergy and theologians led by Fr. John Chryssavgis — a clergyman of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarchate — has issued a statement urging renewed efforts toward a common date for Easter between Orthodox and Western Christians. Meeting in January 2025 at Holy Cross School of Theology, they reflected on the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and argued that the Orthodox Church’s continued use of the Julian calendar results in an increasingly inaccurate calculation of Pascha, diverging from Nicaea’s original norms.

Citing pastoral, educational, and ecumenical concerns, the statement says that the Orthodox Church’s "current method of calculating the date of Pascha is no longer consistently faithful to the Nicaean norms. Continuing to apply this method will over time result in Orthodox Easter falling much later in the solar year. Renewed efforts are vital for the Orthodox Churches to calculate more accurately the date of Easter so that the Orthodox paschalion adheres to the Nicaean formula that the Orthodox Church professes as normative. Failure to do so will over time result in Western and Eastern Christians never celebrating Easter together."

The statement identified inter-Orthodox divisions, lack of education on the calendar issue, and hierarchical inertia as what the signees see as major obstacles to reform. It also emphasized the pastoral consequences of separate Easter celebrations, particularly in North America, where mixed marriages between Orthodox and other Christians are common.

Rather than calling for immediate pan-Orthodox action, the signatories proposed local and educational initiatives within individual jurisdictions, encouraging clergy and hierarchs to foster open discussion and provide information about the history and calculation of Pascha. They framed the pursuit of a common Easter date as a pastoral responsibility and a tangible step toward honoring the spirit of Nicaea while strengthening Christian unity.
 
"Much misinformation begs to be addressed, in particular why the celebration of Pascha must follow the Jewish Passover, why the Julian Calendar is incorrect for identifying the spring equinox, whether the Orthodox Church has always observed a common date, and whether our identity as Orthodox requires us always to be different or separate from all other Christian confessions," the statement reads.

Those who signed the statement are:

• Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis, Professor of Theology, Holy Cross School of Theology; Exec. Director, Huffington Ecumenical Institute at HCHC (HEI)
• Rev. Robert M. Arida, Dean Emeritus of Holy Trinity Cathedral (Boston, MA), Advisory Board Member (HEI))
• Rev. Dr. Radu Bordeianu, Professor of Theology and Director of Graduate Studies, Duquesne University
• Dr. George Demacopoulos, Fr. John Meyendorff & Patterson Family Chair of Orthodox Christian Studies, Fordham University
• Rev. Dr. John H. Erickson, Gramowich Professor Emeritus and former Dean, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary.
• Dr. John Fotopoulos, Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies and Theology, Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, IN)
• Rev. Dr. Philip Halikias, HCHC Administrator and Adjunct Professor of Ecumenical Relations and Advisory Board Member (HEI)
• Rev. John Maheras, Ecumenical Officer for the Metropolis of Boston (ret.) 
• Rev. Dr. Harry Pappas, Presiding Priest at Archangels Greek Orthodox Church (Stamford, CT) and Executive Board Member (HEI)
• Rev. Dr. Anthony Roeber, Professor of Church History, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary

Previously, the UOJ reported that Patr. Bartholomew and Pope Leo prayed together and signed a joint declaration at the Phanar. 

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