The Salvation Army has joined 11 other Christian World Communions to issue a message to mark the shared date of Easter in 2025 by all Christians. The letter also recognises the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea.
The message bears witness to the Resurrection of Christ and has been signed by General Secretaries and ecumenical representatives of the 12 global groups.
It calls for Christians to work for the unity of the Church, praying for ‘the Holy Spirit to move our Communions to live and walk together in obedience to the call of Jesus that all his disciples may be one’.
It also offers words of hope ‘at this time of great political instability in the world, when so many live with fear, suffering, persecution, famine, and other forms of instability and vulnerability’. All Christians are called together to proclaim the good news of ‘repentance and forgiveness of sins… to all nations’ (Luke 24:47-48).
A unified witness
The statement embodies the Communions’ conviction that ‘the Lord calls us to agreement, and unified witness’ in a year when the coincidence of Christian calendars will see all Christian churches, West and East, celebrate the Day of Resurrection on Sunday 20 April.
Historically, the date of Easter has differed between Eastern and Western churches. The Gregorian calendar, used by most Western churches, differs from the Julian calendar, which is the basis for calculating Easter in some Eastern Orthodox churches.
Pope Francis and ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew have publicly advocated for a shared Easter date, seeing it as a step towards greater unity among Christians.
Anniversary of the Nicene Creed
The year 2025 is also significant as the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, formulated by the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD (and later revised at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD).
The Nicene Creed presents the most authoritative statement of trinitarian Christian faith.
Signing the letter are the Armenian Apostolic Church, Holy See of Cilicia; the Anglican Communion; the Baptist World Alliance; the Christian Church and Churches of Christ; the Ecumenical Patriarchate; the International Old Catholic Bishops’ Conference/Old Catholic Church; the Lutheran World Federation; the Moravian Church Worldwide Unity Board; the Mennonite World Conference; the Pentecostal World Fellowship; The Salvation Army; and the World Methodist Council.
Speaking in support of the Statement, General Lyndon Buckingham, international leader of The Salvation Army said, ‘I welcome this message of unity and hope which springs from Christ’s resurrection. This Easter, in an unsettled world, we dare to stand together as part of the universal Christian Church.’