The Press FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1966. Towards A Fixed Easter

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30976, 4 February 1966, Page 12

The Press FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1966. Towards A Fixed Easter

A fixed date for Easter, so long debated, would have the particular merit of stabilising observance while leaving the various Christian rituals and procedures Easter as now calculated—not by the real moonbut by a theoretical “ Paschal moon ” may fall on any of the 35 days from March 22 to April 25, with Whitsuntide necessarily varying with it' This factor has always influenced secular argument in Britain for a fixed date—and an earlier Whitsun holiday, with the hope of more amenable weather. It was in large measure because of the representations of hotelkeepers and others interested in holiday commerce that the Easter Act was passed in the House of Commons in 1928, providing that Easter Day should be the first Sunday after the second Saturday in April, which meant that Easter must fall between the inclusive dates of April 9 and 15. Parliament nevertheless insisted on a qualification —highly desirable in view of differences of dogma and ritual between the churches—that the Act should not become effective except by Order in Council, which must have regard “ to any opinion “ officially expressed by any church or any Christian “ body

At that time there was no indication of Roman Catholic assent, and the Act remained inoperative. However, in October, 1963, the Vatican Council voted overwhelmingly—the count was 2058 votes to nine—in favour of fixing the date. This represented a notable advance towards that universality of observance envisaged by the Emperor Constantine, who wrote of the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) at which the traditional method of determining Easter was decided: “ it was resolved by the united judgment of “ all present that this feast ought to be kept by all “ and in every place on one and the same day ”, It is probably safe to assume that uniformity of observance, when the issue comes to be faced finally, will be regarded by most Christian communions as of more importance than the actual positioning of the feast in the calendar year.

That is why lively interest may be expected in a new Anglican move towards a fixed date. The Church Assembly, when it meets in London on February 18, will consider a motion by the Archbishop of York, Dr. F. D. Coggan, that the Assembly welcomes the introduction of a fixed Easter, preferably on the Sunday after the second Saturday in April —in effect, approving and attempting to quicken the Act of 1928. This initiative by the Church of England emerges from the expressed desire of the World Council of Churches to discover what position member churches have adopted over fixing the Easter date. No doubt a fairly conclusive answer to that question will be available to the Westminster meeting during its deliberations. At the moment it does appear that opinion in the Western churches generally, if not wholly approving, is at least not actively opposed to stabilisation of the most solemn festival of the Christian year. The ecumenical spirit already abroad may prove strong enough on this occasion to make dramatic progress towards a desirable goal unattainable in the past because of religious conservatism and factional jealousies.