Hundreds of Ukrainians heard the Orthodox Christmas service in the Ukrainian language for the first time in decades at Kyiv’s 1,000-year-old cathedral.
The cathedral. built about 1,000 years ago then rebuilt in the 1990s after being ruined in World War II, had been under control of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which formerly had ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.
“It’s an amazing moment. Previously this place — on Ukrainian territory, within Kyiv — has been linked to Moscow. Now we feel this is ours, this is Ukrainian. This is part of the Ukrainian nation,” said Alex Fesiak, who attended the service. Metropolitan Epiphanius, the primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, spoke not just about Christmas but delivered a political message about the war.
Natalia Levshyna said her husband couldn’t come to the Christmas service as he is fighting on the front line, but she will send him photos of the service as it's very important to him. Originally from Donbas, she said she stopped attending the church of the Moscow Patriarchate in 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula and supported the conflict in the eastern part of Ukraine.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
A first for reclaimed Kyiv cathedral: Christmas in UkrainianKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Packing Kyiv's 1,000-year-old cathedral for Orthodox Christmas, hundreds of worshippers heard the service in that church in the Ukrainian language for the first time in decades, a demonstration of independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Read more »
Ukrainians celebrate Orthodox Christmas in reclaimed churchHundreds of Ukrainians heard the Orthodox Christmas service in the Ukrainian language for the first time in decades at Kyiv’s 1,000-year-old Lavra Cathedral.
Read more »
Saskatoon celebrates Ukrainian Orthodox ChristmasThe Julian calendar followed in Ukrainian Orthodoxy marks Christmas on Jan. 7. For weeks leading up to the holy occasion, Ukrainian families in the city and around the world have been preparing festivities.
Read more »
Ukrainian refugees in Philadelphia grateful to celebrate traditional Orthodox ChristmasA temporary ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas sees Ukrainian refugees in Philadelphia celebrate and maintain hope for loved ones in their home country.
Read more »
Marin’s first baby of the year born to Ukrainian parentsThe infant, a boy named Orest, was born to Kyiv, Ukrainian-born parents Oleski Moskalenko, 33, and Anna Kazak, 30. The child was 6 pounds and 10 ounces and born at 12:34 a.m. on Jan. 1 at the hospi…
Read more »