October 15, 2010

Bishops participating in the Middle East Synod have expressed a strong interest in fixing a common date for Easter, to be celebrated at the same time by Catholics, Orthodox, and other Christians.

Bishop William Shomali, an auxiliary of the Jerusalem patriarchate, said that agreement on a common date for Easter would be “a positive sign for Christians and also for non-Christians,” advancing the cause of unity among the faithful. The Catholic News Service reports that the topic of a common Easter date arose “repeatedly” during open-discussion periods at the Synod.

Since the calendar reforms of Pope Gregory XIII, Catholics and Protestants have celebrated Easter according to one schedule, while the Orthodox churches, using the old Julian calendar, use another date. The disparity between dates is a particularly vexing problems in countries where there are substantial populations of both Western and Eastern Christians—most notably in the Middle East.

So they would use the Eastern paschalion?

That'd be OK with me. I always like it when Julian & Gregorian calendar Pascha fall on the same day. Gives me a more concrete sense of solidarity with the Orthodox.

Slava Isusu Khrestu

Is there not something about the determination of Paskha not coinciding with Passover or coming before Passover?

The Catholics may all agree it would be a good idea, but, what will the Orthodox Churches say? I sometimes feel even in my parish that if it comes from the west and particularly from Rome then it has already two strikes against it.

But my personal opinion is something else. And there is always hope.

Z Bohom

Kolya

Suits me, too. My parish already celebrates Pascha by the Julian calendar.

It makes little difference to me as to the date as long as we come to some kind of consensus on the matter.
Stephanos I
If not now when? If not us, who?

There really is no reason all of the Catholic Churches of the Middle East should not use the Julian Paschalion. The Greek Catholics who use the Gregorian Paschalion originally used the Julian, and can unilaterally return to it without delay. The Latin Church in the region ought to switch to show solidarity with the other Christian Churches. It's such a simple matter, one wonders about the delay. If the Latin Church won't go along, the Eastern Catholic Churches ought to move without them, in keeping with the direction of the Liturgical Instruction that they remove as many differences as possible between themselves and the Orthodox Churches.

While the Liturgical Instruction is often invoked this way, that is not what it actually says. Rather:
[emphasis added] §21 link

It does note, however: §36

In all this the expediency of uniformity must be weighed against factual integrity: what is being gained against what is lost. The "appendix of the < Sacrosanctum Concilium>", for instance, would consider a fixed date for Pascha and would even entertain considering -- what follows the "unless" at the end -- even if grudgingly, something other than the seven day week. The seven day week takes us back to the first day of creation, a Sunday! Should that be abandoned in the civil calendar? Regarding the common celebration of Pascha, the Liturgical Instruction speaks of a "common spiritual climate." In one solution deferring to uniformity, it should be realized that the (physical) climate will be getting hotter and hotter.

I thought the late Pope John Paul II put Syria back on the Julian Calendar not long before he died.

How about tossing both calendars, and actually following the astronomical directives of the council?

Only one toss is necessary: For "actually following the astronomical directives of the council" one has only to use the Gregorian Calendar/Paschalion which does just that, or with only a few differences, use the Aleppo recommendation ( link ); see also the Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation response here.

I'm happy with the established calendar.

I and quite a few other people are happy with the Julian Calendar.

Fr. Serge

Spoke today with the Greek Orthodox priest and he said he saw it as we use the Nicean Formula along with the astronomical dating as a means of celebrating a common date.
Sounds very neuteral and plausable to me.
Stephanos I

I wonder how this would affect the secular date for Easter. As most countries that celebrate Easter as a Holiday which includes Good Friday, I wonder if they will adjust it to coincide with the Church. But I can see a huge push by the anti-Church groups against such a decision as it will be viewed as governments following Church rule.

That is essentially the Aleppo recommendation as noted above in a previous post.

The governments have already followed the Church in that they have adopted the Gregorian Calendar and de facto its Paschalion. An adjustment would be required if the Aleppo method or a similar one was adopted. Considering how close Aleppo's particular precise "astronomical" dating is to the already existing Gregorian Paschaleon ( link ), a reasonable approach would be to just keep the Gregorian method.

The "Nicean Formula along with the astronomical dating as a means of celebrating a common date" does not per se give a unique date (A meridian or functional equivalent must also be chosen.). One solution, however, already existing and in use, is the Gregorian Calendar/Paschaleon.

This reminds me of a family situation that goes something like this.

A family would gather periodically to celebrate a unique foundational event in the family’s history. Since there was some disagreement as to exactly when this celebration should happen, a highly regarded family patriarch at the time had specified that the gathering would be the first Sunday of each month and at noon, that is, when the sun was at its zenith. This was because the sun’s zenith and noonday light had a correspondence with the foundational event in the family’s past. The father also noted that they would follow a certain clock, one that was commonly used by many in those days, in reckoning the meeting time, although he was aware that the clock was off a bit.

Time and generations past and the members noticed that their meeting was occurring later and later in the day. Some, realizing that the clock was running too slow, wanted to fix and reset it to correspond with the sun’s zenith when reading 12 noon; others refused because they considered any correction as an innovation that did not follow the legacy of the father. So two groups were formed, the one keeping the status quo, called the orthoclocks, and the other with the revised timekeeping, called the cathoclocks.

More time and generations past, and one month the two groups met according to custom. Both groups celebrated worthily and well. But the cathoclocks met at noon on their clock which did in fact correspond with the sun’s zenith as the father had specified. The orthoclocks, however, were meeting at night, in pitch dark, to also celebrate the "foundational event in the family’s past" that had a correspondence with the "sun’s zenith and noonday light."

Nevertheless, it is said that the orthoclocks would at times say they were “happy” with their situation of celebrating in the dark.

I have plenty of candles.

I ask that this does not turn into another argument about calendars. Been there. Done that.

I think we all need to accept that many parts of the Church - East and West - are not currently able to put value in common witness. At least not to the point of saying anymore than "yes, we value common witness and you can adopt what we do because we've dogmatized the calendar and we ain't changing" (and this goes for pockets East and West).

As a practical way forward I'd say that the whole of the Middle East should adopt the Julian Calendar since it would provide a local common witness of Christ. The Muslims look at us and laugh. How can we be right about the Resurrection when we can not even agree on what day to celebrate it? We've made our small differences so much part of our identity that witnessing Christ is secondary.

I question that it is a way forward. It would achieve a local unity but in doing so it also only further entrenches (see above comments from this thread only) a divergent, defective calendar in the lives of the people. So the Muslims laugh because two Christian groups can't agree. What are Muslims going to be doing when the Christians together agree to use a faulty calendar, one that is contrary to their own accepted, stated norms? When a disinterested group (Aleppo, 1997) with Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant representation examined the issue of a common dating for Easter, they did not recommend acceptance of the Julian calendar as a solution.

If two groups are in their respective (similar) boats rowing and they realize they'd do better to pool their resources, it is not good sense for the group in the boat that is dry to get into the one that is taking on water. There is a decided preference in this forum's threads on the calendar issue (i.e., see above quotes for this thread) indicating a presumed preference for the Julian. By way of explanation, not argument, voicing a contrary opinion in response recommending the dry boat seems reasonable and warranted.

Oh, I am in general agreement. Your science is not faulty. But most parties are not approaching the calendar question on the basis of science. It mostly about emotion. It's like the old Slavic tale about a man marooned on an island in the middle of the ocean. Ten years later he is discovered. And it turns out that he has build two churches on the island. He is asked by the rescuers: "Why did you build two churches?" "Because, he says, that is the church I go to and the other one is the church I DON'T go to!"

Some of the mistrust East has for West and West has for East is legitimate. Much of it is not. Much healing is needed before the question can be resolved on the basis of science. I'd even go so far as to consider whether the Church is currently capable of following the example of the Church Fathers and blessing the civil calendar currently in use.

So in the short run (i.e., the next 4 or 5 decades), I'd say local unity in the Middle East can only be achieved if the West adopts the Julian Calendar in the Middle East. And, of course, there must be prayer. Much prayer.

And it is axiomatic that one must crawl before one can walk, that the cart should not come before the horse, and that perfect is the enemy of the good.

It has been a blessing to have Pascha together this year. I am looking forward to it again next year.

Perhaps one way is to proclaim a proposal to all churches in the world to have a 3 years fasting and prayer to determine the issue.
We argue a lot, spill ink a lot, but not giving in much consideration to pray together for resolution.
And I mean the whole, from grass root to top hierarchy.

But perhaps in the end, we will still not humble enough and say "Lord, after these 3 years, I know what you want. But please be merciful that I may keep this one unchanged."

Then better proclaim another 7 years of prayer and fasting together...

We've moved beyond the news item to revisiting the calendar - which is not, in itself 'news' and, as John has noted, 'been there, done that'.

Anyone desirous of devoting further hours of their calendar days or nights to the topic is welcome to open a new thread on the matter in an appropriate forum.

On Ray's expression of the joy of celebrating Pascha together and Alfonsus' recommendation of prayer and fasting as an approach to discerning what course of action should be taken, this thread is now closed. Thanks to all who have participated.

Many years,

Neil