News
In an Easter message to member churches, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia expresses his hope that “Christians throughout the world will join in prayer and celebration” as they celebrate Easter on the same date this year, an occurrence he considers a “real gift and blessing”.
Though the churches had been involved in ongoing dialogue on this subject, the fact that the calendars used to calculate the date of Easter are part of the liturgical traditions of each church has delayed the discussion in recent years. Kobia “humbly confesses the failure of our efforts” towards a common celebration, but speaks of the hope and strength found in the resurrection, renewing the promise that “the WCC will continue to invite churches to work together” on this issue.
Kobia believes that this year’s common date – a coincidence that will occur five times over the next ten years – “will encourage churches and Christians to revive and accelerate their efforts towards agreeing for a permanent common day” and a renewed “commitment to the unity of the Body of Christ, the Church”.
Full text of the general secretary’s letter:
wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/faith/eastermessage.html
More information on WCC work towards a common date and theological reflections on this topic are available: