OCU “metropolitan” refuses to pray with Dumenko on “Statehood Day”
Metropolitan Mykhailo Zinkevych of Lutsk and Volyn (center) with representatives of the UGCC and RCC at a prayer service. Photo: Rascolam.net
On July 15, Metropolitan Mykhailo Zinkevych of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), serving in Lutsk and Volyn, held a joint prayer service with representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) in Lutsk. At the same time, official OCU celebrations for Ukraine’s “Statehood Day” were taking place at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, led by Epiphanius Dumenko, according to Rascolam.net.
Zinkevych’s service was held among the ruins of an ancient church dedicated to the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian in the center of Lutsk. The prayer event included participants from various Christian denominations, including Greek Catholics and Roman Catholics.
The day before, on July 14, Zinkevych had attended a general church assembly of OCU clergy in Kyiv. Therefore, his absence from the central ceremony does not violate any formal ecclesiastical rules. However, his decision to hold an alternative service precisely on the day of the official celebration is notable given the current complex intra-church dynamics.
As previously reported by the UOJ, Greek media have criticized the OCU for holding joint liturgical events with the UGCC.
Read also
Priests and laity of Rivne Eparchy donate blood for children with cancer
In Rivne, the UOC clergy and laity have donated blood for children undergoing treatment for cancer.
Kyiv seminary students meet with People’s Artist Larisa Kadochnikova
Students of Kyiv’s theological schools spoke with the legend of Ukrainian cinema, who shared her memories of filming "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors".
Bancheny Monastery reports provocation
The UOC monastery in Bancheny has reported a provocation by unidentified individuals.
Romanian Church to hold joint prayer for peace in Ukraine
On the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, special prayers for an end to the hostility will be offered in all churches of the Romanian Patriarchate, both in the country and abroad.
Armenian bishops call on authorities to stop Church persecution
At a meeting in Austria, hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church reaffirmed their faithfulness to Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians and called on the authorities to stop the persecution of the clergy.
Italian media: Ukrainian authorities persecute the country’s largest confession
The Italian outlet L’Identità reported on mass searches, the arrests of clergy, and the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it describes as the largest Church in Ukraine.