The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, has proposed a fixed date for Easter Sunday. Earlier this week, Archbishop Welby announced that Anglican leaders would join talks with other church leaders to fix the date for the first time in 2,000 years. At the moment, Easter Sunday falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox – which marks the beginning of spring – meaning that Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Archbishop Welby said that if an annual date was decided it was likely to be the second or third Sunday of April. The archbishop said: “We had warned the Government that this was coming up. I would expect [it to happen] in 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.” He added: “Equally, I think the first attempt to do this was in the 10th century.” Bishop Angaelos, the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Britain, said it would be a powerful demonstration of Christian unity if it could be achieved. He added: “This is very much a young conversation. We are still looking at the possibility but as for serious conversation with historical and theological perspectives that hasn’t happened yet. It is a starting point.”