Hundreds of worshipers listen to a service in Kyiv’s 1,000-year-old Lavra Cathedral packed for Orthodox Christmas Ukrainian Display of independence from language, Russian, for the first time in decades orthodox church,
Richly decorated with golden icons and panels, the cathedral – part of a complex known as the Monastery of the Caves and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – held a video screen outside for an overflow of worshipers despite freezing temperatures of -10°C. Puts (14f).
Fronting the right bank of the Dnieper River, the cathedral and monastery complex have been a pilgrimage site for centuries. And for the first time in 31 years of Ukraine’s independence, the service there was conducted in the Ukrainian language. Ukrainian army soldiers in uniform were among those singing famous Ukrainian carols.
Ukraine’s government took over administration of the revered Lavra complex on Thursday Moscow The patriarch and allowed the Ukrainian Church to use it for the Orthodox Christmas service. The move highlights long-running tensions between the two churches fueled by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“This is the first victory” for Ukraine, said Oksana Abu-Akel, who hailed it as a significant step in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s efforts to sever ties with Russia since the war began more than 10 months ago. Of. “It is the first time in 300 years that we actually have our own service here. Everyone feels this joy. It is a victory for all Ukrainians.”
Ukrainian Minister of Culture Alexander Tkachenko Said on Thursday that the Lavra complex was taken over by the state after the Moscow-controlled church’s lease expired on December 31. tkachenko Attended Saturday service.
“This is a wonderful moment. Earlier this place – in Ukrainian territory, within Kyiv – was attached to Moscow. Now we feel it is ours, it is Ukrainian. It is part of the Ukrainian nation,” said Alex Fesiak , who attended the ceremony.
Metropolitan Epiphanius, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine spoke not only about Christmas but also a political message about the war.
“As a nation, we sought to live in peace with all our neighbors in good understanding. But the enemy vilely and treacherously broke the peace and invaded our land, shed blood, sowed death and destroyed our The state wanted to destroy our very Ukrainian identity.” he said during the service.
“Those who kept us in captivity could not tolerate our achievements and our success,” he said. “Satan’s malice and jealousy lead them to fight, but they will certainly be defeated. After all, the truth is on our side.”
Natalia Levshana said her husband could not attend the Christmas service because he is fighting on the front line, but she will send him photos of the service because it is very important to her. Originally from Donbass, she said she stopped attending the Moscow Patriarchate’s church in 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and supported the conflict in the eastern part of Ukraine.
“Our feelings are running high,” she said, barely holding back tears, describing her firm belief that the Ukrainian Church on Ukrainian soil should be independent of the Russian Orthodox Church.
“Our church must be coordinated with the state’s policy. They must be one,” Levshina said.
Others in Ukraine have decided to distance themselves from the Russian Orthodox Church by celebrating Christmas on 25 December.
On Friday, the Church of the Moscow Patriarchate condemned the Ukrainian plan to hold a service at the Lavra Cathedral as “an attempt to forcefully seize … the cathedral through blackmail and misinformation of society.”
In 2019, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine received recognition from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, but the Patriarch of Moscow refused to accept it.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church declared independence from the Patriarchate of Moscow on 24 February following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ending the Ukrainian Church’s loyalty to the Moscow patriarch, which dates back to the 17th century. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church removed Moscow Patriarch Kirill as its leader in public worship and now uses its own consecrated oil for blessings instead of oil supplied by Moscow.
But Ukraine’s security agencies have claimed that some members of the Ukrainian church have maintained close ties to Moscow. They raided several church holy sites and later posted pictures of rubles, Russian passports and leaflets with messages from the Patriarch of Moscow, evidence that some church officials had remained loyal to Moscow.
Prominent Ukrainian Orthodox Church leaders have rejected accusations of ties to Moscow, insisting they have supported Ukraine since the start of the war and that the government’s actions would only be a propaganda coup for Russia.
Richly decorated with golden icons and panels, the cathedral – part of a complex known as the Monastery of the Caves and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – held a video screen outside for an overflow of worshipers despite freezing temperatures of -10°C. Puts (14f).
Fronting the right bank of the Dnieper River, the cathedral and monastery complex have been a pilgrimage site for centuries. And for the first time in 31 years of Ukraine’s independence, the service there was conducted in the Ukrainian language. Ukrainian army soldiers in uniform were among those singing famous Ukrainian carols.
Ukraine’s government took over administration of the revered Lavra complex on Thursday Moscow The patriarch and allowed the Ukrainian Church to use it for the Orthodox Christmas service. The move highlights long-running tensions between the two churches fueled by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“This is the first victory” for Ukraine, said Oksana Abu-Akel, who hailed it as a significant step in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s efforts to sever ties with Russia since the war began more than 10 months ago. Of. “It is the first time in 300 years that we actually have our own service here. Everyone feels this joy. It is a victory for all Ukrainians.”
Ukrainian Minister of Culture Alexander Tkachenko Said on Thursday that the Lavra complex was taken over by the state after the Moscow-controlled church’s lease expired on December 31. tkachenko Attended Saturday service.
“This is a wonderful moment. Earlier this place – in Ukrainian territory, within Kyiv – was attached to Moscow. Now we feel it is ours, it is Ukrainian. It is part of the Ukrainian nation,” said Alex Fesiak , who attended the ceremony.
Metropolitan Epiphanius, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine spoke not only about Christmas but also a political message about the war.
“As a nation, we sought to live in peace with all our neighbors in good understanding. But the enemy vilely and treacherously broke the peace and invaded our land, shed blood, sowed death and destroyed our The state wanted to destroy our very Ukrainian identity.” he said during the service.
“Those who kept us in captivity could not tolerate our achievements and our success,” he said. “Satan’s malice and jealousy lead them to fight, but they will certainly be defeated. After all, the truth is on our side.”
Natalia Levshana said her husband could not attend the Christmas service because he is fighting on the front line, but she will send him photos of the service because it is very important to her. Originally from Donbass, she said she stopped attending the Moscow Patriarchate’s church in 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and supported the conflict in the eastern part of Ukraine.
“Our feelings are running high,” she said, barely holding back tears, describing her firm belief that the Ukrainian Church on Ukrainian soil should be independent of the Russian Orthodox Church.
“Our church must be coordinated with the state’s policy. They must be one,” Levshina said.
Others in Ukraine have decided to distance themselves from the Russian Orthodox Church by celebrating Christmas on 25 December.
On Friday, the Church of the Moscow Patriarchate condemned the Ukrainian plan to hold a service at the Lavra Cathedral as “an attempt to forcefully seize … the cathedral through blackmail and misinformation of society.”
In 2019, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine received recognition from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, but the Patriarch of Moscow refused to accept it.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church declared independence from the Patriarchate of Moscow on 24 February following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ending the Ukrainian Church’s loyalty to the Moscow patriarch, which dates back to the 17th century. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church removed Moscow Patriarch Kirill as its leader in public worship and now uses its own consecrated oil for blessings instead of oil supplied by Moscow.
But Ukraine’s security agencies have claimed that some members of the Ukrainian church have maintained close ties to Moscow. They raided several church holy sites and later posted pictures of rubles, Russian passports and leaflets with messages from the Patriarch of Moscow, evidence that some church officials had remained loyal to Moscow.
Prominent Ukrainian Orthodox Church leaders have rejected accusations of ties to Moscow, insisting they have supported Ukraine since the start of the war and that the government’s actions would only be a propaganda coup for Russia.