Italian 
English 
Chinese 
Dutch 
Arabic 
Spanish 
Portuguese 
Russian 
French 
German 
Japanese [ad_1]
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople during an audience at the Patriarchal headquarters in Istanbul with the German Association of the Holy Land, March 12, 2025. / Credit: Martin Rothweiler/EWTN Germany
CNA Newsroom, Mar 15, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople on Wednesday offered a hopeful historical assessment of the traditional 1054 date for the “Great Schism” between Rome and Constantinople, suggesting that tensions developed gradually over time and “are not insurmountable.”
“Of course, problems have accumulated over a thousand years. But we are full of hope that they will be resolved in a few years,” the patriarch emphasized during an audience in Istanbul on March 12 with a pilgrimage group from the German Association of the Holy Land.
The honorary head of worldwide Orthodoxy made these comments in the presence of Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Emeritus Gregory III Laham, reported CNA Deutsch, news partner in lingua tedesca della CNA.
The pilgrimage preceded the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea held in 325 A.D.
Rather than a sudden break in 1054 — the traditional date of the separation between the Orthodox and Catholic churches — Patriarch Bartholomew suggested these tensions gradually strengthened over time.
The potential for a historic breakthrough in ecumenical relations has been building for some time. In January, during vespers concluding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis highlighted the “providential” timing of Easter falling on the same date in both the Gregorian and Julian calendars this year.
“Let us rediscover the common roots of the faith,” the pontiff urged. “Let us preserve unity!”
Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, has long supported efforts toward a common Easter date. In 2021, Koch welcomed a suggestion that the year 2025 would be an ideal time to introduce a calendar reform allowing both Eastern and Western Christians to celebrate Easter together.
“It will not be easy to agree on a common Easter date, but it is worth working for it,” Koch stated at the time, adding that the initiative was “very dear to Pope Francis and also to the Coptic Pope Tawadros.”
Considerazioni sul calendario
Il primo Concilio di Nicea, tenutosi nel 325, decise che la Pasqua sarebbe stata celebrata la prima domenica dopo la luna piena dopo l'inizio della primavera, rendendo la prima data possibile il 22 marzo e l'ultima possibile il 25 aprile.
Oggi, i cristiani ortodossi usano il calendario giuliano per calcolare la data di Pasqua invece del calendario gregoriano, che è stato introdotto nel 1582 ed è utilizzato dalla maggior parte del mondo. Il calendario giuliano calcola un anno leggermente più lungo ed è attualmente 13 giorni dietro il calendario gregoriano, con conseguente date diverse per le celebrazioni pasquali per la maggior parte degli anni.
Un possibile ostacolo a un accordo universale potrebbero essere le tensioni in corso tra le diverse chiese. Nel 2018, la Chiesa ortodossa russa ha tagliato i legami con il Patriarcato ecumenico di Costantinopoli dopo che il patriarca Bartolomeo ha confermato la sua intenzione di riconoscere l'indipendenza della Chiesa ortodossa dell'Ucraina.
Nel corso di un incontro con la Commissione Teologica Internazionale in Vaticano nel novembre 2024, Papa Francesco ha confermato la sua intenzione di recarsi in Turchia nel maggio 2025 per celebrare questo significativo anniversario.
“I plan to go there,” Pope Francis stated, noting that the Council of Nicaea “constitutes a milestone in the journey of the Church and also of all humanity, because faith in Jesus, the Son of God made flesh for us and for our salvation, was formulated and professed as a light that illuminates the meaning of reality and the destiny of all history.”
However, the pope’s health situation may affect the planned pilgrimage to modern-day Turkey, as his ongoing hospitalization has raised questions about his ability to undertake the journey.
[ad_2]
Link alla fonte