By Baghdadhope*
Source: Ankawa.com
During the synod of the Ancient Church of the East held in late April of last year its patriarch, Mar Addai II, stated that one of the synodal discussion was going to be the possible adoption of the Gregorian calendar for the celebration of Christmas instead of the Julian one, and that the faithful could express their opinion about it.
The response of the faithful arrived, and the percentage of those who thought it appropriate to bring forward the date of the celebration of Christmas (that in the Julian calendar falls on Jan. 7) was of 92% as reported by the document by which the Patriarchate formalized the change on June 5.
The reasons cited by the Patriarchate are the needs of the faithful living in countries where the Gregorian calendar is followed by the majority and the desire to take a step towards the unity of the Church of Christ The adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1964 by Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII, Patriarch of the Church of the East (today the Assyrian Church of the East) instead of the Julian calendar was one of the reasons for the conflicts that caused a schism in 1968 that led to the creation of the Church of the East led by Mar Thoma Darmo to whom only a year after succeeded the young Patriarch Mar Addai II still leading the Church.
The decision of June 5 wiped out that contrast even if only partially as, as already announced in the synod, the Julian calendar remains valid for the other liturgical celebrations of the Ancient Church of the East.