Geneva. 27 February 2025. Participation of representative of the IAO to the International Gathering of the JC2033

A delegation from “Pasqua Together 2025” visited the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 27 February 2025, during the JC2033 International Gathering in Geneva.

On behalf of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO), Mr. Elias Myrianthous, member of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, participated in this delegation. The Pasqua Together 2025 delegation also included the President of the Center for Ecumenical, Missionary and Environmental Studies (CEMES), Mr. Nikolaos Dimitriadis, the member of the Together for Europe Organization, Fr. Raphaël Rieger, the representatives of the Focolare Movement, Martine Schneider and Christian Müggler, as well as the representatives of “Jesus Christ 2033”, Eric Lecomte and Martin Hoegger.

On the sidelines of this event, a visit was made to the World Council of Churches (WCC), and a meeting with its Secretary General, Mr. Jerry Pillay. The discussion focused on the issue of the common date of Easter, which was set at the Council of Nicaea in the year 325 AD. This year marks 1700 years since this First Ecumenical Council.

The head of the collective body of Churches stated that a common celebration of Easter would be a profound testimony to the power of Christ’s victory over death and a visible witness to the world of the unity of his body, the Church. He thanked the ‘Easter Together 2025’ initiative for seizing this opportunity: “The celebration of Nicaea this year is a good opportunity to give new impetus to the need for Christian unity, knowing that Jesus prayed and called on Christians to pray, to walk and work together, hand in hand, so that the world may believe”.

Mr. Myrianthous, representative of the IAO, stated «Through our Pasqua Together 2025 initiative, we are asking our Churches to re-establish the requirement of the first Ecumenical Council to celebrate together the resurrection of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. The resurrection is the pillar of our faith. It is inexcusable that this situation persists. Moreover, our initiative has another symbolic significance: it proclaims the unity of all Christians as an imperative in the face of the challenges of our time. For this reason, I hope that our efforts will continue».