Archbishop plans to ‘move’ Easter… but insists marriage can’t be changed for gays
CANTERBURY, ENGLAND – MARCH 21: The Most Reverend Justin Welby, strikes three times on the West Door of Canterbury Cathedral with his pastoral staff prior to his enthronement service to become Archbishop of Canterbury at Canterbury Cathedral on March 21, 2013 in Canterbury, England. The newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is enthroned today, installing him as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Church of England, in front of bishops and religious of the Anglican communion from around the world, the Prime Minister David Cameron, The Prince of Wales and other dignitaries. (Photo by Chris Ison – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The Archbishop of Canterbury, who insists that the rules of marriage can’t be changed, is set to fundamentally alter the Church’s most holy festival.
At present, the religious holiday marking the death and resurrection of Jesus is held “the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March”.
However, according to the Telegraph, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby intends to throw away 2000 years of tradition, to introduce a more ‘set’ Easter that doesn’t vary so widely year-to-year.
The Anglican leader will enter into talks with Catholics and other Christian groups with an aim of fixing a date for Easter.
The Archbishop said: “We had warned the Government that this was coming up. I would expect [it to happen] between five and 10 years’ time.
“I wouldn’t expect it earlier than that not least because most people have probably printed their calendars for the next five years.
“School holidays and so on are all fixed – it affects almost everything you do in the spring and summer. I would love to see it before I retire.”
The Archbishop’s willingness to just shift the celebration of the resurrection has been derided online by some – given his belief that the church’s teachings on marriage can’t ever be changed to accommodate gay people.
The Anglican faith has been dogged by controversy in recent weeks.
A split of the global Anglican Communion was averted – but only after the US Episcopal Church faced ‘punishment’ for accepting gay weddings.
