Clarifying Two Points About Pascha

As an Orthodox Christian, let me express my pleasure at your coverage of Pascha (April 22-23). On the whole, I found the articles reasonably accurate, but two points need clarification.

First, anent the April 22 article: Pascha is never celebrated “with the Jews.” If the date on which it normally would fall occurs during Passover, the feast is moved to the first Sunday after Passover week. This interpretation of the Nicene regulation is what is responsible for Pascha falling usually one to five weeks after the Western Easter.

Second, anent the April 23 article: The language of the statement about the formation of Orthodoxy was most unfortunate. The Orthodox churches are not sects, since they all share the same doctrine, discipline and worship. They are, rather, members of an ecclesiastical confederation like the Anglican Communion.

In 1054, when Rome and the East separated, there were only four self-governing Orthodox patriarchates. Most of the national churches whose independence is recognized today achieved that status when Orthodox nations were liberated from Ottoman rule in the 19th and 20th centuries. There are now actually 16 such bodies; more may be recognized in the future as a result of the demise of communism and the growth of Orthodoxy in America.

OWEN G. CLAYTON

Mission Viejo