Bishop Leahy joins call for common Easter date

Bishop Brendan Leahy has said it would be “great” for Christian unity if Churches could agree on a common date for Easter.

The Bishop of Limerick told The Irish Catholic it would be a “truly great thing to have a common date for Easter”.

Noting that Pope Francis had suggested recently that he would like to see this happen, Dr Leahy warned that “while there is hope it is a complicated issue”.

“Anything could happen but for the sake of Christian unity it would be a truly great thing to have a common date for Easter.

“It might require more time but it would be great to get to a point whereby churches could agree to work towards a common date,” he said.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Justin Welby, has said he thinks a common date for Easter could be arrived at within the next five to 10 years.

Speaking at a press conference last week announcing that Anglicans would join the discussion, Archbishop Welby said he “dearly hoped” the discussions could conclude before he is due to retire in five years’ time.

The Catholic Church has been in discussion with Eastern Orthodox Christians on the issue of a common date, on and off, for over a century.