New York, March 10, 2011 -- For the second year in a row -- due to an unusual coincidence of calendars and moon phases -- Easter will be observed on the same Sunday in all Christian traditions.
Most years, Easter -- the celebration of the raising of Jesus Christ from the dead -- is celebrated on different dates in western churches and most Orthodox churches because of ancient discrepancies in calculating the calendar. This year Easter is celebrated by all traditions on April 24.
Now the National Council of Churches is renewing a call to Christians to make this happen every year and agree on a common date to celebrate the most important event in Christian history.
Last year, NCC general secretary, the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, and Dr. Antonios Kireopolulos, the NCC's associate general secretary for Faith & Order and Interfaith Relations, sent a letter to member communions lamenting that "almost every year the Christian community is divided over which day to proclaim this Good News. Our split, based on a dispute having to do with ancient calendars, visibly betrays the message of reconciliation. It is a scandal that surely grieves our God."
Now Kinnamon and Kireopoulos are reasserting proposals in the letter to continue the movement toward a common Easter date based on the recommendations of the Aleppo Conference of 1997. Aleppo called upon Christians to:
► adhere to the decision of the first ecumenical council at Nicea to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox, thus maintaining the biblical association between Jesus’ death and Passover;
► agree to use the most up-to-date scientific methods to analyze the astronomical data (which is consistent with Nicea); and,
► use the meridian of Jerusalem (due to its centrality in the Passion of Christ) as the point of reference for these calculations.
Kinnamon and Kireopoulos wrote: "May we truly revel in the joy that comes with our united proclamation of the Good News. May God grant that in 2012 and beyond we may continue to proclaim with one voice that “Christ is risen!” For he is risen indeed."
Read more here: http://www.ncccusa.org/news/110310easteragain.html
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