(Vatican Radio) This week is “Bright Week” – the week of the Easter Octave – for millions
of Eastern Christians who celebrate the Paschal Mysteries according to the Julian
Calendar.
At the Regina Coeli on Sunday, Pope Francis greeted those who
are celebrating Easter this week. “I wish to send to these brothers and sisters a
special greeting,” he said, “uniting myself to them with all my heart in proclaiming
the joyful news: Christ is risen!” He prayed especially for those celebrating Easter
amid “trials and sufferings,” praying that the Holy Spirit would give them “counsel
and consolations” and guide them “in the ways of peace and reconciliation.”
Among
those celebrating Easter this week are Ukrainian Catholics around the world. Bishop
Hlib Lonchyna is the first Eparch of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Holy Family
of London. He spoke with us about the celebration of Easter in the Eastern Churches.
“The Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ukraine celebrates Easter – and all of the liturgical
feasts – according to the Julian calendar,” he said. “And here in the west, in Great
Britain, France, in Italy, in Germany, and other countries, we continue with this
tradition to be in spiritual communion with our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.”
Bishop
Lonchyna explained the difference between the two dates for celebrating Easter: “It’s
a known fact that the Julian calendar is late by thirteen days in relation to the
Gregorian calendar. But with the date of Easter, there can be even greater differences.
Sometimes Easter falls on the same Sunday, sometimes it falls a week apart, sometimes
it can fall, like this year, even five weeks apart.”
There are many Eastern
Christians around the world, he said, including Ukrainians, Russians, Serbians, Greeks,
Mekites, Slovaks, Croats, and many others. “We ourselves are Eastern Christians. We
are of the Byzantine Rite. . . . Together with the Orthodox, we share the same rite,
the same traditions. But together with the Catholics we share the same Faith in the
sense that we recognise the Holy Father as the head of the Church.”
Bishop
Lonchyna emphasised the what is most important about the celebration of Easter: “I
hope that, whenever anybody celebrates Easter, what is the most important is that
we do not celebrate this as a historical event only, that happened two thousand years
ago, but rather as an event that includes us today. Because not only will we also
resurrect thanks to the Resurrection of Christ; but also, the power of the resurrection
works in our lives even today, as Christ always raises us up from our sins, from our
problems – and we need to be more aware of that. And so that is what I hope and what
I hope for all people of good will.”
Listen to the full interview of
Bishop Hlib Lonchyna of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Holy Family of London with
Christopher Wells: