UOC hierarch: Countries and regimes change while Church Slavonic remains
Archbishop Viktor of Khmelnytskyi. Photo: the Khmelnytskyi Eparchy’s YouTube channel
On the day of commemoration of the Monk Nestor the Chronicler, Archbishop Viktor of Khmelnytskyi noted that the saint is called the father of our history. On the YouTube channel of the Khmelnytskyi Eparchy, the hierarch spoke about the importance of the Church Slavonic language.
"The Church Slavonic language has been expressing the God-revealed truth to us for a thousand years, and therefore is sacred to us," the archbishop said.
He stressed that during all this time the state borders, ideologies, and public sentiments have changed many times. And the Church Slavonic language continues to live in church worship.
"It carries a certain mystery joined with solemnity. It is as if the whole history of our people is intertwined in it. In it, there is also the memory of our Cossacks who defended the Church from Catholicization and Polonization, from the influence of the Union and Latin. This is the language of our heart," said the archbishop.
He pointed out that the Church Slavonic language is often confused with Old Slavonic, but these are different languages. Old Slavonic was the language of everyday communication in Rus, and Church Slavonic was used only in divine services.
According to the hierarch, this language is "neither Russian nor Ukrainian, it is the common language of all Slavs", which is used by Churches in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic and Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia and the USA.
Archbishop Viktor recalled that back in the 90s, the UOC authorised the use of the Ukrainian language in church services in divine services where 2/3 of the religious community would make such a decision.
At the same time, according to the bishop, the language of worship should not be a reason to divide the community into "friends" and "foes" or to manipulate public opinion about the status of the parish.
Read also
Most Britons oppose abortions, poll finds
The survey found that 62% of UK residents support legal protection for unborn children from the moment their heartbeat is first detected.
Annual academic conference opens at Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary
The fifteenth annual conference was dedicated to the anniversaries of Prince Vasyl-Kostiantyn Ostrožský and Metropolitan Rafail (Zaborovský).
Feminists attack Roman Catholic churches in Latin America
During protest actions, members of radical groups attacked cathedrals in several Latin American countries, assaulted police officers, and threw paint at believers.
UOC hierarch takes part in German bishops’ conference
Bishop Veniamin of Boyarka took part in the OBKD assembly in Düsseldorf.
Ivano-Frankivsk scraps school project planned on demolished UOC church site
The authorities in Ivano-Frankivsk have dropped plans to build the school for whose construction a UOC church was demolished.
Shostatsky to UOC: If you are so righteous – do not cling to your churches
The OCU metropolitan called on UOC faithful and clergy to pray rather than defend their churches from seizures.