26 April 2025

Usually Easter is celebrated on different dates in the Western and Eastern Church. This is because we each follow different calendars. Ours is Gregorian and theirs is Julian. Ours was established by a Pope and theirs was established by Julius Caesar. It is clearly much older in origin.

But this year, Easter was celebrated on the same day in the Western and the Eastern Churches. For some time now, there has been a move to fix the date of Easter so that the Universal Church may be united in at least this – the celebration of Christ’s victory over death.

Sadly, this unity eludes us not least in Ukraine where the Russian army fired two ballistic missiles at the border town of Sumy on Palm Sunday. As a result, Christian people who were worshipping in their churches were the victims. Thirty-five people were killed and a hundred injured.

Despite the talk about a ceasefire and the myth perpetuated by Vladimir Putin about Holy Rus, there was no respect shown for fellow Christians worshipping together on Palm Sunday. This Holy Week became a reality in the hearts and minds of those who suffered and died along their own Via Dolorosa.

These actions by the Russians will not be a surprise to Ukrainians for in the occupied territories there has been a determined effort to ‘destroy religious diversity and Ukrainian spiritual identity’ as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated.

Senior Ukrainian clergy have been replaced by Russians. Churches have been re-consecrated. Of the 1,967 congregations that existed in occupied territories only 902 remain. And the world looks on and we wonder. What chance have we to bring peace on earth when the prayer of Jesus that the Church may be one is violently disregarded by Christians!

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