Pope sees ‘providential’ moment for Christian unity at Easter 2025

Francis noted that Easter will fall on the same date in both the Gregorian and Julian calendars this year. “Let us rediscover the common roots of the faith,” he urged.

Pope Francis posed Jesus’ question “Do you believe this?” to Christians worldwide during an ecumenical vespers service on Saturday evening.

Speaking at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls at the conclusion of the 58th Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the Pope reflected on Christ’s encounter with Martha following the death of Lazarus, emphasising that hope “rises from the ashes of death”.

“This tender encounter between Jesus and Martha teaches us that even in times of deep desolation, we are not alone and we can continue to hope,” he said during his homily, which centred on the week’s theme “Do You Believe This?” from John 11:26.

The celebration on 25 January marked the solemn conclusion of the 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which the Pope linked to the Jubilee.

“This message of hope is at the heart of the jubilee we have begun,” Francis said, citing St Paul’s words to the Romans that “hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5).

Earlier on Saturday, the Pope urged journalists at the Jubilee of the World of Communications to tell “stories of hope”, echoing the strong appeal to hope in the papal message for the 59th World Day of Social Communications.

At the vespers service, he noted that Jubilee, with its focus on hope, “providentially” coincides with the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. He emphasised that the council’s profession of faith “transcends all the divisions that have riven the body of Christ over the centuries”.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, addressed Pope Francis before the apostolic blessing. He recalled the Pope’s historic 2014 visit to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in Istanbul , where he affirmed that “the Catholic Church does not intend to impose any requirements except the profession of common faith” for achieving full unity.

Last November, Patriarch Bartholomew confirmed reports of discussions between Church representatives about establishing a common date for Easter, potentially beginning in 2025.

“In this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we can live the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea as a call to persevere on the path toward unity,” the Pope said on Saturday, renewing his appeal that Christians might take “a decisive step forward toward unity around a common date for Easter”.

Highlighting the “providential” timing, Francis noted that Easter will fall on the same date in both the Gregorian and Julian calendars this year. “Let us rediscover the common roots of the faith,” he urged. “Let us preserve unity!”

Representatives from various Christian churches and ecclesial communities present in Rome participated in the evening celebration, including Metropolitan Polycarp representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Anglican Communion’s Archbishop Ian Ernest, ahead of his retirement as director of the Anglican Centre in Rome.

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