Transcarpathian Greek Catholics will switch to the Gregorian calendar: when will they celebrate Easter

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The Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese plans to switch to the Gregorian calendar from September 1, 2023. The eparchy, which is subject to the Pope and includes all the Greek-Catholic churches of Transcarpathia, will move the dates of the celebration not only of Christmas and related holidays, but also of Easter. This was reported by the bishop of the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese, Bishop Neel, in a comment to Suspilno. According to Bishop Nila, more than 90% of the parishioners of the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese want to switch to the Gregorian calendar. Photo: Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese “Now there was a statement from His Beatitude Sviatoslav, after the Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, all the bishops unanimously voted for the transition to the Gregorian calendar,” says Bishop Nil. It is planned to officially approve the decision on the transition on February 10 at a meeting of the diocese. The church plans to switch to the Gregorian calendar from September 1, 2023, because it is on this day that the church year begins according to the new style. “If there are any communities that want to stay on the Julian calendar, we will not object. Because the most important thing for us is when the people decide,” says the head of the diocese, Neil. Father Pavlo Sosnytskyi, a priest of the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese, told “Ukrainian Truth. Life” about the details of the transition and how the dates of important holidays for Christians will change. According to him, currently each parish has received clear instructions about the transition. “If more than 90% of the parish wants to transfer, then a protocol of the congregation meeting is drawn up, where each member puts his signature to certify his real presence and desire to transfer. To this protocol, a statement-request from the parish for transfer in the name of the bishop is attached, and the bishop issues decree on the community’s transition to a new calendar,” the priest says. Father Pavlo emphasized that Transcarpathian Greek Catholics are switching to the Gregorian calendar, and not to the “hybrid New Julian”. The priest explains that the Gregorian calendar was adopted by the Catholic Church in 1582 in order to move away from the Julian calendar, which gave a large error in the calculation of certain dates. “The difference between these calendars is the method of calculation. Accordingly, the Gregorian calendar is more accurate in calculations and does not give an error, on the other hand, the Julian calendar (due to the imperfection of the calculation system) gives a significant error. For example, at the moment the error is already 13 days and approximately every 128 years the error increases per year,” says Father Pavlo. According to the priest, the New Julian calendar, adopted by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, is an attempt to combine two calendars, keeping the dates of movable holidays (Easter and related holidays, which change every year) and changing the dates of fixed holidays (Christmas, Epiphany, etc.). After the transition to the Gregorian calendar, Transcarpathian Greek Catholics will celebrate not only Christmas, but also Easter on the same day as Roman Catholics. “If it’s very, very simple, then with the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, we will celebrate Easter together with the Catholic Church, and if we leave the Julian or choose the New Julian – together with Moscow and some other local Orthodox churches,” says the priest. He explained that sometimes the difference between the date of Easter according to the Gregorian and the New Julian and Julian calendars can be from one week to three. This year, according to the Gregorian calendar, Easter will be celebrated on April 9, and according to the Julian and New Julian – on the 16th, that is, a week later. Father Pavlo noted that last year, more than 5 parishes of the Mukachevo diocese served Christmas service in a new style, that is, on December 25. The priest also explained that the Mukachevo diocese received autonomy and is directly subordinate to the Roman Bishop (Pope), unlike the UGCC, which has its own separate hierarchical structure. “However, despite all objections, we are with them in the greatest unity that the Church has – the Eucharist. Believers from Transcarpathia can safely participate in religious services throughout Ukraine, confess and receive communion. Priests from Transcarpathia can serve in Ukrainian churches and vice versa. Therefore this question should not be considered in the context of some particularity. Every resident and believer of our diocese perceives himself as a Ukrainian and tries with all his heart to serve for the good of his country. And if it so happened that our hierarchical administration is subject to the direction of Rome, then it is worth noting that the UGCC also is subject to Rome, so to speak, and we are under the same “roof,” says the priest. Father Pavlo noted that the Mukachevo diocese includes the entire Transcarpathian region, and also serves the spiritual needs of the Hungarian- and Romanian-speaking Greek Catholics of the region. , by the decision of the Synod of Bishops, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church switches to the Gregorian calendar for non-movements from September 1 my holidays From now on, the church will celebrate Christmas on December 25, and Easter remains unchanged. Read also: Why most Christians around the world do not celebrate Christmas on January 7

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