OCU “bishop”: UOC celebrates Christmas on January 7 to divide Ukrainians
"Bishop" of the OCU A. Firley. Photo: Cheline
The Chernihiv OCU “bishop,” Antoniy Firley, accused the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of using the Julian calendar as a tool to divide Ukrainian society.
In an interview with the local Cheline TV channel, Firley said the UOC allegedly deliberately continues to celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar (January 7), as well as other feasts, in order to exert political influence on believers.
He asserted that the UOC “is an instrument in the hands of the chauvinist Russian empire.”
According to him, the calendar is used by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as an “instrument for manipulation, in order to divide society – to divide society within Ukraine.”
Firley also claimed that the UOC allegedly uses “liturgical elements for its manipulation, for its propaganda, for its political influence.”
At the same time, the “bishop” acknowledged that until the 1990s Ukrainian believers were part of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Earlier, UOJ reported that, according to an OCU cleric, Ukrainians were forced to celebrate Christmas on January 7 by the Bolsheviks.
Read also
Ostapenko: Everyone in UCCRO feels fine except the “FSB UOC”
The director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve called the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches “a wonderful organization.”
Khmelnytskyi Eparchy donates funds for treatment of 12-year-old girl
UOC believers raised UAH 20,000 for Anastasiia Mamchur as part of an eparchial charity campaign.
Shevchuk: We had to convince world UOC ban does not violate religious freedom
The UGCC head claims that by banning the UOC, the state is not violating religious freedom but merely protecting the Church’s faithful from Moscow propaganda.
Lavra reserve head estimates damage to Dormition Cathedral at €15 million
Maksym Ostapenko said restoring the Dormition Cathedral would take at least a couple of years and require major funding.
DESS official says state should not govern the Church
A DESS official called for cooperation between the state and the Church for the benefit of citizens.
Poltava court upholds mobilization of Protestant pastor
A court in the Poltava region ruled that a prior criminal conviction and religious beliefs do not exempt a person from military service.