Editing Reform of the date of Easter (section)

=== 2014–present proposals ===
{{anchor|2014-2016 proposals}}
In May&nbsp;2015, on the anniversary of the meeting between him and Pope Francis, Coptic [[Pope Tawadros II]] wrote a letter to Pope Francis asking for him to consider renewing effort at a unified date for Easter.<ref name="2015-06-19_CNA">{{cite news |title=Will Pope Francis change the date of Easter? |publisher=[[Catholic News Agency]] |date=19 June 2015 |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/32189/will-pope-francis-change-the-date-of-easter |access-date=21 June 2015}}</ref>

In response, on 12&nbsp;June 2015, Catholic [[Pope Francis]] remarked to the [[Catholic Charismatic Renewal|International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services]] 3rd World Retreat of Priests at the [[Basilica of Saint John Lateran]] in [[Rome]] that "we have to come to an agreement" for a common date on Easter. {{Interlanguage link|Lucetta Scaraffia|it}}, a historian, writing in the Vatican daily newspaper ''[[L'Osservatore Romano]]'', said the Pope offered this initiative to change the date of Easter "as a gift of unity with the other Christian churches" adding that a common date for Easter would encourage "reconciliation between the Christian churches and ... a sort of making sense out of the calendar". A week later [[Aphrem II]], the Syriac Orthodox [[Patriarch of Antioch#Current patriarchs|Patriarch of Antioch]], met with Pope Francis and noted that the celebration of Easter "on two different dates is a source of great discomfort and weakens the common witness of the church in the world."<ref>{{cite news | last = Ieraci | first = Laura | date = June 19, 2015 | title = Pope, Orthodox patriarch express commitment for unity | periodical = National Catholic Reporter | url = http://ncronline.org/blogs/francis-chronicles/pope-orthodox-patriarch-express-commitment-unity | access-date = 16 January 2016}}</ref>

In January&nbsp;2016, the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], [[Justin Welby]], announced that he on behalf of the [[Anglican Communion]] had joined discussions with Catholic, Coptic, and Orthodox representatives over a fixed date for Easter, and that he hoped it would happen within the next 5–10&nbsp;years.<ref>{{cite news |title = Archbishop Justin Welby hopes for fixed Easter date |work = BBC News |date = 15 January 2016 |url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35326237 |access-date = 2016-01-16}}</ref> Welby suggested that Easter be fixed on either the second or third Sunday of April, relative to the Gregorian calendar.<ref name="Telegraph ">{{Cite web | title = Easter date to be fixed 'within next 5 to 10&nbsp;years' | last1 = Bingham | first1 = John | last2 = Jamieson | first2 = Sophie | work = The Telegraph | date = 16 January 2016 | access-date = 2016-01-24 | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/12102278/Easter-date-to-be-fixed-within-next-five-to-10-years.html | quote = He said that Easter should most likely be fixed for the second or third Sunday of April }}</ref> This proposal remains to be approved, especially by Eastern churches, which currently determine Easter using the Julian calendar.

Statements in 2021 and 2025 by the Vatican<ref>{{Cite web |title=Solemnity of the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle - Celebration of Second Vespers (25 January 2025) {{!}} Francis |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2025/documents/20250125-vespri-unita-cristiani.html |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> and Orthodox churches<ref>[https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/246838/vatican-cardinal-supports-common-easter-date-for-catholics-orthodox Catholic News Agency (CNA), 2021-03-12: Vatican cardinal supports common Easter date for Catholics, Orthodox]</ref> state the goal to achieve consensus by 2025, just in time for the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, but without publishing any specific plans or who would adopt which changes. The Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches has arranged conferences to mark the event.

On November 10, 2022, [[Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople]] stated that both the Orthodox and Catholic sides have a good intention to finally establish a common date for the celebration of Easter before the celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the [[First Council of Nicaea]], which took place in 325; however, it was too early to talk about details.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-12 |title=Catholic, Orthodox Christians mull common date for celebrating Easter - Bartholomew |url=https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-society/3612882-catholic-orthodox-christians-mull-common-date-for-celebrating-easter-bartholomew.html |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=www.ukrinform.net |language=en}}</ref> In 2024 he again called on "Western and Eastern Christians to celebrate Easter on the same date, starting from 2025".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ecumenical Patriarch considers agreement on 2025 Easter date possible |url=https://english.katholisch.de/artikel/52307-ecumenical-patriarch-considers-agreement-on-2025-easter-date-possible |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=english.katholisch.de |language=de}}</ref>

According to [[ISO week date|international standards]], Easter Sunday ends the week containing Good Friday and the week of the second Sunday in April has the ordinal number 14 or 15&nbsp;([[dominical letter]]s D/DC, E/ED, F/FE and GF, i.e. 46.25% of years), hence the third Sunday is one respective week later. There currently is no public proposal under discussion that used a fixed [[week]] of the year for Easter and dependent feasts. The second Sunday in April is usually the 15th&nbsp;Sunday of the year (except for dominical letter G, 10.75%), which is almost always also the Sunday after the second Saturday in April (except for dominical letter AG, 3.75%).

{{Table of dates of Easter|format=dmy|min={{CURRENTYEAR}}|max=2040|notes=off|fixed=on}}