Ethan Walker
The Catholic Church and Orthodox Christians use different liturgical calendars, resulting in Easter being celebrated on different dates. While the Catholic Church uses the Gregorian calendar, most Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar. This year, for instance, Catholics celebrated Easter on March 31, while the Orthodox will celebrate it on May 5. However, in 2025, a rare coincidence will occur, with both denominations celebrating Easter on the same date, April 20. This convergence happens once every three to four years, and is due to astronomical calculations.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How often do Catholic and Orthodox Easters coincide? | In the 21st century, 31 times. |
| How often do they coincide in general? | About once every three to four years. |
| Last coincidence | 2025. |
| Next coincidence | 2028. |
| Last time they coincided before 2025 | 2017. |
| Other years they coincided in the 21st century | 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2014. |
| Reason for the difference in dates | Catholic Church uses the Gregorian calendar, while most Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar. |
| Reason for the difference in calendars | Orthodox Church's strong reaction to the Gregorian calendar. |
| Year the Gregorian calendar was established | 1582. |
| Year the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church switched to a new calendar | 2023. |
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What You'll Learn
- The Gregorian calendar replaced the Julian calendar in 1582
- The Orthodox Church still uses the Julian calendar for Easter
- The Catholic Church uses the Gregorian calendar
- The Orthodox Church calculates the date of the full moon differently
- The last time Easter celebrations will coincide is estimated to be in 2698
The Gregorian calendar replaced the Julian calendar in 1582
The Catholic Church replaced the Julian calendar with the Gregorian calendar in October 1582. This change was instituted by the papal bull Inter gravissimas, issued by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named. The principal change was to space leap years differently, making the average calendar year 365.2425 days long, more closely approximating the 365.2422-day "tropical" or "solar" year. The Julian calendar, established by Julius Caesar, was based on the assumption that there are exactly 365.25 days in a year, leading to a drift in the date of the equinox and an error in the calculation of the date of Easter. The Gregorian calendar was introduced to correct this error and bring the date of Easter back in line with the time of year it was celebrated by the early Church.
The Gregorian calendar was adopted by Catholic states in Europe within a few years of its introduction, but it faced resistance from Protestant countries, which initially objected to adopting a Catholic innovation. The Orthodox Church also had a strong reaction to the Gregorian calendar, and the Julian Calendar remained in force in all Orthodox States until the 20th century. The Greek Orthodox Church, for example, continued to use the Julian calendar until 1923, when 13 days were removed to align with the Gregorian calendar.
The Eastern Orthodox Church continues to use the Julian calendar for liturgical purposes, including the calculation of the date of Easter. This is because the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in AD 325 ordered Churches to follow the Roman calendar, which was the Julian calendar at the time. As a result, the Eastern Orthodox Church calculates the date of Easter based on the Julian calendar's determination of the first day of spring and the date of the full moon. In contrast, the Western Christian churches use the Gregorian calendar, which is more astronomically accurate.
Due to the differences in the calendars used by the Eastern and Western churches, the celebration of Easter by the two denominations is getting wider and wider. In the 21st century, Easter will be held on the same day 31 times, but during every subsequent century, this will happen more and more rarely. The last time Easter celebrations will coincide is estimated to be in 2698. However, there are efforts towards unity, with Pope Francis appealing for a common date for Easter and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople calling the mutual celebration of Easter in 2025 "an amazing convergence."
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The Orthodox Church still uses the Julian calendar for Easter
The Orthodox Church and Catholic Church use different liturgical calendars, which often results in Easter being celebrated on different dates. The Catholic Church replaced the Julian calendar with the Gregorian calendar in 1582, which is now accepted as standard across the Western world. The Orthodox Church, however, continues to use the Julian calendar for liturgical purposes, including the calculation of Easter.
The Julian calendar was established by Julius Caesar and was in use at the time of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, which established the calculation of Easter as the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. The First Ecumenical Synod instructed the Patriarch of Alexandria to inform other churches of the Easter date after calculating the full moon with the help of Egyptian astronomers. This calculation method was based on the spring equinox and the first full moon of spring.
The Julian calendar falls further behind the Gregorian calendar each year due to its inaccuracies. The Orthodox Church's continued use of the Julian calendar means that Easter may not be celebrated before April 3 (Gregorian), which was the date of the vernal equinox at the time of the First Ecumenical Synod. In contrast, the Gregorian calendar's more astronomically accurate date for the vernal equinox is March 21. This discrepancy has led to a 13-day difference between the two calendars, causing the Orthodox and Catholic Easters to diverge over time.
The Orthodox Church's commitment to the Julian calendar stems from its desire to preserve ancient liturgical traditions and dogmatic formulations. While some Orthodox Churches have adopted the Revised Julian calendar for ecclesiastical use, others, like the Russian Orthodox Church, have retained the original Julian calendar for Easter and other fixed festivals.
The divergence between the Julian and Gregorian calendars has led to a widening gap in the celebration of Easter between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. While there are rare occasions when Easter coincides, such as in 2025, the difference in calendars ensures that these occurrences become increasingly rare.
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The Catholic Church uses the Gregorian calendar
The adoption of the Gregorian calendar by Catholic states in the years following its establishment contributed to the divergence between the Eastern and Western churches. While the Gregorian calendar gained widespread acceptance, the Orthodox Church maintained a strong reaction against it, retaining the Julian Calendar in all Orthodox States until the 20th century. This persistence of the Julian calendar in the Orthodox tradition has led to an expanding gap between the Eastern and Western celebrations of Easter.
The First Ecumenical Council in 325 AD established that Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. This decision aimed to ensure that Easter would not coincide with Jewish Passover. The calculation of Easter's date involves determining the date of the first full moon and then identifying the subsequent Sunday. While the Catholic Church utilizes the Gregorian calendar for these calculations, the Orthodox Church relies on the Julian calendar, resulting in discrepancies in the observed dates of Easter.
The differences in calendars have led to a widening gap between the Eastern and Western celebrations of Easter. The Julian calendar falls further behind the Gregorian each year, resulting in a 10-day error since 1582 and an additional three days due to the delayed adoption of the Gregorian calendar by the Greeks. These discrepancies have significant implications for the calculation of Easter, with the last occurrence of coinciding Easter celebrations estimated to be in 2698.
While the Catholic Church has adopted the Gregorian calendar for fixed religious feasts, some Eastern Catholic Churches continue to follow the Julian calendar for Easter, aligning with their Orthodox counterparts. This consistency in calendar usage contributes to the rare occurrences of simultaneous Easter celebrations between the Eastern and Western churches. The mutual celebration of Easter by both traditions in 2025 is considered a remarkable coincidence and an opportunity to foster unity among Christians.
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The Orthodox Church calculates the date of the full moon differently
The date of Easter is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. However, the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church use different calendars, which results in different dates for Easter. The Catholic Church uses the Gregorian calendar, while the Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar was established by Julius Caesar and was in use in the Roman Empire at the time of the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. The Council of Nicaea unified the time of Easter, ordering churches to follow the Roman calendar.
The Julian calendar falls a little further behind the Gregorian each year, and the Orthodox Church still uses it for liturgical purposes. This means that the spring equinox falls on different dates for the two churches: March 20 or 21 for Catholics and April 3 for the Orthodox Church. As a result, the date of the full moon is also calculated differently, and the Orthodox Church's method results in a later date for Easter.
The Orthodox Church calculates the date of the full moon based on the Julian calendar, which falls behind the Gregorian calendar. This means that the full moon date according to the Julian calendar will often be later than the date according to the Gregorian calendar. This difference in the calculation of the full moon date is one of the main reasons why the Orthodox Church's Easter date is often later than the Catholic Church's.
In addition to using different calendars, the Orthodox Church may also use a different method to calculate the date of the full moon. While the details of this method are not clear, it is possible that the Orthodox Church uses astronomical observations or calculations that differ from the Gregorian calendar's method. This could further contribute to the difference in Easter dates between the two churches.
The use of different calendars and calculation methods by the Orthodox Church has led to a widening gap between Catholic and Orthodox Easter dates. While there are occasional coincidences, such as in 2025 when both churches celebrated Easter on the same date, these occurrences are becoming rarer. The difference in calendars and calculation methods means that the two churches will continue to have separate Easter dates in most years.
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The last time Easter celebrations will coincide is estimated to be in 2698
The Catholic Church and Orthodox Christians use different liturgical calendars, resulting in Easter being celebrated on different dates. The Catholic Church uses the Gregorian calendar, while most Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar or the Reformed Julian calendar.
The Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar in 1582, which was then accepted as standard across the Western world. However, the Orthodox Church continued to use the Julian calendar for liturgical purposes, including calculating the date of Easter. Over time, the Julian calendar fell out of sync with the seasons, resulting in a difference of 13 days between the two calendars by 1923.
The First Ecumenical Council in 325 AD decided that Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. If the full moon occurred on a Sunday, Easter would be celebrated on the following Sunday. This decision ensured that Easter would not coincide with Jewish Passover.
Due to the differences in the calendars used by the Western and Eastern churches, the convergence of Easter celebrations is becoming rarer. In the 21st century, Easter will be held on the same date 31 times. However, in future centuries, this will happen less and less frequently. The last time Catholic and Orthodox Easter celebrations are estimated to coincide is in the year 2698.
In recent years, there have been efforts to unify the Easter date. Various popes have suggested celebrating Easter on the second or third Sundays of April, and there have been calls for the Catholic Church to adopt the Julian calendar for Easter. In 2025, a rare coincidence will occur, and both Catholics and Orthodox Christians will celebrate Easter on the same date, April 20. This joint celebration has been welcomed as an opportunity for unity among Christians.
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Frequently asked questions
The Catholic Church uses the Gregorian calendar, while most Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar. This means that the spring equinox falls on different dates: March 20 or 21 for Catholics and only April 3 for Orthodox. As a result, the full moon is calculated differently, and the convergence of Easter celebrations becomes rarer over time. It is estimated that in 30% of cases, the dates coincide. In 45% of cases, Catholic Easter is a week earlier, and in 20% of cases, it is five weeks earlier.
The new, or Gregorian, calendar was adopted by the Catholic states of Europe in the 16th century. Due to an even stronger reaction by the Orthodox Church to the Gregorian Calendar, the Julian Calendar remained in force in all Orthodox States until the 20th century. The Julian calendar was last used in Russia in 1917 and Greece in 1923.
In 2025, both Orthodox and Catholics celebrated Easter on the same day, April 20. This was a rare occurrence and the first time in several years that Christians of the Eastern and Western rites celebrated together.
In the 21st century, the celebration of Easter will be held on the same day 31 times. The next time this will occur is in 2028. However, due to the differences in the calendars, the convergence will become increasingly rare in the future.
