UOC priest: Cross procession to Pochaiv is a confession of Christ

Archpriest Dimitriy Sydor. Photo: a screenshot from YouTube channel Uzhhorod Orthodox Cathedral

Archpriest Dimitriy Sydor, the rector of the UOC Cathedral in Uzhhorod, is sure that those who participate in the procession to the Pochaiv Lavra confess Christ.

During his sermon after the service, the priest spoke about the persecutions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

He paid special attention to the incident in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, where the police did not give believers the opportunity to pray in their flats.

The priest highlighted that the laws of Ukraine do not prohibit praying in any place, much less in a private dwelling.

"You are the temples of the living God," Father Dimitriy recalled the words of the Apostle Paul and asked God's blessing for those who went on the procession to "confess their faith at a time when they are being shouted at by angry people and even the police that it is forbidden to go on pilgrimage."

The priest stressed that the ban on the procession, for some reason, did not apply to the Greek Catholics who held their procession in Zarvanitsa.

According to Fr Dimitriy, the procession to Pochaiv is not just a procession, but a confession of Christ: "People go with children, carry icons, and confess Christ in difficult conditions, such as the prudent robber faced. Through their prayers, the Lord is holding our state today," Fr Dimitriy said.

As reported, a pilgrim thanked the enemies of the Church for persecution and wished them to feel the presence of the Mother of God.

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