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
U.S. House of Representatives passes ban on sex-change surgeries for minors
The lower house of Congress supported an initiative limiting medical interventions that could have irreversible consequences for the health of minors.
Armenian Church to appeal to international bodies over government pressure
The decision was made by the Supreme Spiritual Council in Etchmiadzin against the backdrop of criminal cases, pressure on the clergy, and the state's attempts to interfere in church life.
Pashinyan's supporters attempt to storm Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Armenia
The confrontation around the Armenian Apostolic Church intensified after rebellious hierarchs called for the Catholicos's resignation and attempted to exert forceful pressure in Etchmiadzin.
Persecuted community of Maliatyntsi celebrates first patronal feast after seizure
In Bukovyna, the faithful of the St. Nicholas community in the village of Maliatyntsi celebrated the Feast Day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra in Lycia for the first time after the church seizure.
European authorities downplay scale of Christian persecution, report says
Human rights defenders reported an increase in attacks on believers in the EU and pointed out that official statistics do not reflect the real level of anti-Christian hostility.
Mukachevo Eparchy bishops congratulate orphaned children on St Nicholas Day
Metropolitan Theodore and Bishop Hilarion visited the “New Family” children’s shelter in Uzhhorod.