Catholic Church Open to Orthodox Easter Date Alignment, Potentially Shifting Carnival

Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Valdivia of Seville has sparked considerable discussion among carnival enthusiasts in Tenerife with his recent remarks. As the head of the Episcopal Subcommittee for Interconfessional Relations and Interreligious Dialogue, he announced that the Catholic Church is pursuing a reconciliation with the Orthodox Church. This effort comes 1,700 years after the Council of Nicaea, a pivotal event that established the core tenets of Christianity. A key aspect of this reconciliation would be aligning the dates for Holy Week and Easter celebrations for both churches, which would, in turn, impact the timing of Carnival.

"The Catholic Church would have no issue accepting the Easter date proposed by the Orthodox, though it would present some challenging questions," Bishop Valdivia stated to journalists. He emphasized the importance of bringing the two traditions closer and confirmed that Catholicism is "open" to adjusting the date of Holy Week, and consequently, Carnival.

The Catholic and Orthodox Churches parted ways in the Great Schism of 1054, leading them down separate paths. Since then, they have observed Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter on different dates. Nevertheless, Bishop Valdivia noted that Catholics and Orthodox Christians are "in constant dialogue on this matter."

The Council of Nicaea, held in 325 AD, was convened by Emperor Constantine I and was the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church. Its primary goal was to address the Arian controversy by defining the doctrine of Jesus Christ's divinity, asserting that he was "consubstantial" with the Father, not a lesser creation. The council also aimed to standardize Christian beliefs and promote religious and political stability within the Roman Empire, which had recently legalized Christianity.

Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, determines the start of Lent. Ash Wednesday is calculated as 40 days before Palm Sunday. The date of Palm Sunday, and thus Holy Week, is determined by the lunar calendar. Specifically, Easter Sunday falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox, sometimes referred to as the Paschal full moon.

Because of this, Carnival celebrations typically occur between late January and early March, varying each year. In Tenerife, the festivities can begin shortly after Christmas and continue until the start of Lent. This year, Shrove Tuesday was on March 4th, but in 2026, it will be much earlier, on February 17th. These date shifts are a direct result of the lunar calendar used for calculating Holy Week.

Orthodox Christianity adheres to the Julian calendar, unlike the Gregorian calendar used by Catholics and most of the world. The Julian calendar is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar and is maintained as a tradition within Orthodox Christianity. While both traditions use the same formula to calculate Easter—the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox—Catholics set this date based on March 21st, whereas Orthodox Christians use April 3rd.

Furthermore, Orthodox Christians take into account the date of Jewish Passover according to the Julian calendar, ensuring that their Easter is never celebrated before Passover. This rule can cause Orthodox Easter to fall between one and five weeks later than Catholic Easter.

These differing dates significantly alter the date of Shrove Tuesday, which would need to be observed according to the Gregorian calendar, the standard in the West.

Consequently, the dates of other holidays tied to Holy Week would also change.

This is not the first time such a proposal has been made. In 2015, Pope Francis indicated that the Church was exploring the possibility of establishing a fixed date for Holy Week, which would also affect Carnival. The Pope's intention was for Easter to consistently fall on the second Sunday of April, with Palm Sunday on the first, and Shrove Tuesday occurring 41 days earlier, in early March.

For now, this remains a proposal. However, all carnival enthusiasts will undoubtedly be closely watching any decisions made regarding a permanent change to the Carnival date.