Rada declares February 24 the National Day of Prayer
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Photo: static.dw
On Wednesday, February 12, the Verkhovna Rada approved a bill establishing the National Day of Prayer in Ukraine, to be observed annually on February 24, MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak reported.
He published a photo of the voting board: 255 deputies voted in favor of the resolution.
According to him, on February 24 the Parliament will begin its session “with the performance of Ukraine’s spiritual anthem, ‘O Great and Only God’.”
“The common prayer will protect Ukraine and those who continue to fight on the battlefield, will bear witness to the spiritual unity of the Ukrainian people, and will symbolize our steadfast faith in victory,” reads the explanatory note.
As the UOJ previously reported, on December 19, 2024, a draft law was registered in the Verkhovna Rada – “On Amendments to Article 73 of the Labor Code of Ukraine Concerning the Establishment of the National Day of Prayer” (Reg. No. 12336). The bill proposed to establish an annual National Day of Prayer to be observed on February 24 – the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Political analyst Kostiantyn Bondarenko commented on the deputies’ initiative: “A call to prayer from authorities that have destroyed the Church is the height of cynicism.”
Read also
UOC delegation meets with Patriarch Shio in Georgia
Catholicos-Patriarch Shio III received a delegation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at the Georgian Patriarchate.
UOC marks Synaxis of Poltava Saints
Metropolitan Philip celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Horbanivka Monastery in Poltava on the feast of the Synaxis of the Saints of Poltava.
Rector of UOC church in Kramatorsk sent for second military medical exam
Lawyers have secured a second military medical examination for Archpriest Oleg Kruchinin, who was unlawfully detained by TRC officers.
Jews, Muslims, Catholics, and OCU pray together at St. Sophia Cathedral
Representatives of Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, and OCU communities held an ecumenical prayer service for Ukraine in Kyiv.
Horbanivka Theootokos Icon honored at Poltava Eparchy monastery
Metropolitan Philip of Poltava and Myrhorod led a festal service at the Horbanivka Convent.
Greek hierarch: Clergy should use social media to bring people to Church
The Church of Greece hierarch stressed that while the internet and YouTube can be useful, they cannot replace in-person participation in church life.