In an effort to set a single date for all Christian Churches to celebrate Easter, Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church has sent a letter of request to Pope Francis.

The apostolic nuncio to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Archbishop Paul Gobel, responded to the request yesterday by inviting the patriarch to send a representative of the Coptic Church to the next assembly of the Synod of Catholic bishops, to be held in October and dedicated to the theme of the family, reported Fides.

Unifying the dates of the Easter celebration is felt with particular urgency in North Africa and the Middle East because often churches and Christian communities live together in the same areas, but each has a different Easter date depending on whether it follows the Julian or Gregorian calendar. (D.C.L.)