Ukrainian customs seize Patriarch Kirill’s Nativity epistle
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russian
"Sources in Ukraine have said that the local customs authorities seized copies of Patriarch Kirill's Christmas greeting earlier sent from Russia to be read out as per tradition during the holiday service on January 7," Vladimir Legoyda, the head of the Synodal Department for Church, Society and Media Relations, said on Telegram.
According to established tradition, the message is to be read at the festive Divine services on January 7 for the feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, but the employees of the state border service confiscated the copies of the message, citing non-compliance with certain formalities.
As Legoyda notes, the message can still be read in churches: “The times are not the same: It can be read with a smartphone. Let the attentive staff of the Ukrainian customs prepare for a new star on their epaulettes, since that’s more important to them than the star of Bethlehem.”
On December 24, 2018, Vladimir Legoyda said that the Russian Orthodox Church was ready for dialogue with the Phanar but would not give up the Truth.
Read also
Court upholds UOC parish appeal in Voloshky over OCU switch dispute
The Northern Commercial Court of Appeal has upheld the appeal of the St. Nicholas parish of the UOC in the village of Voloshky, Volyn region, in a dispute over a transfer to the OCU.
Zelensky says 9.5M Ukrainians expected to return home from abroad
Zelensky stated that 9.5 million Ukrainians who left abroad are expected to return home to rebuild the country.
German theologian criticizes Ukrainian authorities' pressure on UOC
German theologian Regina Elsner has said that pressure from the authorities on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church places an additional heavy burden on believers during the war.
Poland bans entry to Lviv official over SS Galicia and UPA glorification
Polish Foreign Minister initiates entry ban on Lviv Regional Council deputy who proposed declaring 2027 the Year of the UPA.
OCU award winners stage provocations at UOC court hearings, media report
Rallies outside courts hearing UOC cases are organized by activists who received awards from Dumenko.
Khust Eparchy priest who shot people in Vyshkovo banned from ministry
The Khust Eparchy of the UOC has notified police that it has banned from ministry a priest suspected of killing three people in Vyshkovo, Transcarpathia.