Interview
The young people viewed Easter 2025 as a reminder that the journey continues – and that young voices can be part of shaping what comes next.
In what ways does the joint celebration of Easter 2025 impact your personal and spiritual life — as a young Christian and as someone committed to ecumenism?
Cosmin Cîrstea, Romanian Orthodox Church: This year’s Easter celebration, observed on the same day by all Christian denominations, has been a truly profound and moving experience for me. It has strengthened my conviction that unity among Christians is not an impossible mission. Although dogmatic differences remain a real and significant challenge, the fact that we can proclaim together, on the same day, “Christ is risen!” is a living testimony that — despite our doctrinal divisions (which, of course, must not be resolved through compromise) — we all believe in the One who prayed “that they all may be one” (John 17:21).
As a young Orthodox Christian, I feel part of a universal joy. And as someone engaged in ecumenical dialogue, I cannot help but see in this “coincidence” — which I would rather describe as a manifestation of divine providence, since coincidences are often just the discreet ways in which God acts in history — a clear and meaningful sign. All the more so since it takes place in the very year we commemorate 1700 years since the First Ecumenical Council, the one that also set the foundations for calculating the date of Easter.
Mawuli Assimadi, Église évangélique presbytérienne du Togo: For me, the joint celebration of Easter this year is a great experience because it is honestly the first time I actively think about the common celebration of easter. I come from Togo and there, the problem of the common celebration is not so burning because every church denomination celebrates Easter on the same date. So, I became conscious of the separated celebration of Easter through my stay in Germany and my ecumenical engagement with other church traditions like the Orthodox traditions. For me, it is quite important that the churches get united in spite of the differences that they might have in their traditions. So, celebrating Easter together this year is a very good thing. I am aware that this joint celebration is not a result of a compromise within the churches but rather a coincidence. Nevertheless, there is maybe a way to perpetuate this beautiful feast of the resurrection of Christ since the churches can show through this their unity as the church as the Body of Christ is called to be and stay united.
As a young theologian shaped by your own tradition and context, which theological insights or aspects of a shared Easter date particularly resonate with you?
Danil Arakelian, Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate): This year I learned a lot about the topic of Easter calculations. As an Orthodox Christian I am amazed at the wisdom of the fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, who were able to preserve the connection between Passover and Easter and, at the same time, to highlight a special character of the Resurrection of Christ. I am glad to hear that more and more people discover the heritage of the early Christian church, including the Julian calendar, which continues to correspond to the salvific mission of the Christianity.
Sandrine Nourry, Roman Catholic Church: Having a common date certainly highlights the communion in which we all share. Yet, the reality of being planted on local levels means that we might simply celebrate on the same date but without making present the other traditions. I think it matters that we, as Paul encourages us to do in 1 Thessalonians 1:2, “always give thanks to God for all of [our brothers and sisters] and mention [them] in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father [their] work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
During several years, I have been in charge of organizing the liturgical celebrations alongside a team of both clergy and lay people. I found Maundy Thursday to be the most challenging moment ecumenically speaking, when living the celebration with members from different traditions. And I wonder, as we commemorate the Lord’s Supper, would we have the courage to hold space to experience the suffering caused by division alongside the awe and gratitude towards the gift of Christ?
Looking ahead, what practical steps can we take to celebrate Easter together across confessions — and why do you think it matters for the future of the church?
Emma Van Dorp, Protestant Church of Switzerland: One of the practical steps would be to learn the reasons for different easter dates and learn that they may not be relevant for today. With globalization, migrations, and our multi religious context, our aim today should be to be able celebrate with sisters and brothers in Christ rather than to focus on what could still divide us.
Andrej Lacko, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia: To me, the World Council of Churches is far more than a gathering of delegates and bishops exchanging views on shared beliefs and theological differences. It embodies the hope for a living, practical ecumenism—something that transcends words and becomes visible in the everyday life of the churches. My vision is of an ecumenical movement that can be seen and felt in local communities around the world, not only during General Assemblies, where we celebrate together and exchange warm smiles.
The joint celebration of Easter in 2025, in my eyes, is a chance to truly live the ecumene—not just to speak of it. My hope is that every person, regardless of tradition or confession, may experience themselves as truly welcome in any part of Christ’s body. That the words “reconciliation and unity” might no longer remain lofty aspirations, but become our daily practice, woven into the life of the church.
Young People in the Ecumenical Movement
