Holy Fire heading for Ukraine

Bishop Victor (Kotsaba) aboard the plane with Holy Fire. Photo: a video screenshot from the “Pravoslavny Visnyk” FB page

The UOC delegation bis delivering to Ukraine the Holy Fire, which today, on the Great Saturday of Holy Week, descended in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem, reports the head of the UOC Mission at European international organizations, Bishop Victor (Kotsaba) of Baryshevka. 

“By God’s grace, we have just received the Holy Fire, which this year descended in the Temple of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem at 13:50. With the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine and with the support of the Vadim Novinsky Charitable Foundation of the Protection of the Mother of God, the delegation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will soon deliver the Holy Fire from the Holy Land to Ukraine. May the All-Bountiful and All-Merciful God bless our native state of Ukraine and every Ukrainian through a miraculous descent of the uncreated fire. Happy holiday of the Resurrection of Christ! Christ is risen!" the UOC hierarch congratulated the Ukrainians in a video message published on the “Pravoslavny Visnik” (“Orthodox Herald”) page on Facebook.

The delegation of the UOC plans to bring the Holy Fire to Kyiv approximately at 19:00-20:00 on April 18. The UOC Chancellor, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich), said that everyone will be able to receive the Holy Fire, "we will not alienate anyone, we will not offend anyone".

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