Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church: the righteous do not die - they live forever
We pray before the relics of saints because they have the power of life. This was said by his Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and all Ukraine on the feast day of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, according to the Information and Education Department of the UOC.
Metropolitan Vladimir noted that the Lord gave Panteleimon the gift to heal the diseases of people, and after death he helps everyone who asks him calls for help.
The Primate said that St. Panteleimon’s head is kept on Mount Athos, pieces of his relics are all over the world, and people with special faith worship them. He noted that sometimes people ask Orthodox believers a question: "Why do you pray before the bones? What good can they bring? If a person has lived righteously in God’s eyes, even departing from this world, he remains a life holder," – said the Primate.
According to him, we worship the Holy relics and receive healing from shrines because they have the power of life. "The righteous do not die - they live forever," – he said.
Read also
Priests and laity of Rivne Eparchy donate blood for children with cancer
In Rivne, the UOC clergy and laity have donated blood for children undergoing treatment for cancer.
Kyiv seminary students meet with People’s Artist Larisa Kadochnikova
Students of Kyiv’s theological schools spoke with the legend of Ukrainian cinema, who shared her memories of filming "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors".
Bancheny Monastery reports provocation
The UOC monastery in Bancheny has reported a provocation by unidentified individuals.
Romanian Church to hold joint prayer for peace in Ukraine
On the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, special prayers for an end to the hostility will be offered in all churches of the Romanian Patriarchate, both in the country and abroad.
Armenian bishops call on authorities to stop Church persecution
At a meeting in Austria, hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church reaffirmed their faithfulness to Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians and called on the authorities to stop the persecution of the clergy.
Italian media: Ukrainian authorities persecute the country’s largest confession
The Italian outlet L’Identità reported on mass searches, the arrests of clergy, and the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it describes as the largest Church in Ukraine.