In Dnipro, Uniates find out how Prince Volodymyr influenced UGCC's future

A conference in Dnipro. Photo: UGCC

On October 15, 2025, a conference titled "Volodymyr's Baptism and Ukrainian Churches: On the Path to Reinterpreting Common Heritage" was held in Dnipro. It was organized by the Uniates as part of the congress of the heads of the ecumenical commissions of the UGCC.

The conference was timed to coincide with the all-Ukrainian pilgrimage of the relics of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr the Great, gifted to the head of the UGCC Shevchuk by Oleksandr Drabinko. In addition to the Uniates, representatives of various denominations took part in the event.

Participants discussed the significance of the Baptism of Rus by Prince Volodymyr "in the modern ecclesiastical and social dimension", its influence on the formation of "Ukrainian spiritual identity" and "interchurch dialogue".

"The Baptism of our Homeland by Volodymyr the Great is not only a historical act but the beginning of a continuous theological path that leads us to the discovery of a common Christian source," stated Ihor Shaban, head of the UGCC Commission on Interfaith and Interreligious Relations. "On this basis, we all unite – Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants – as in the waters of the Dnieper, from which our common Baptism emerged."

According to Maksym Riabukha, the Donetsk Exarch of the UGCC, "the single root of Saint Volodymyr serves as our guide". "In the person of Saint Volodymyr, we discover brotherhood, mutual understanding, and a common vision for the future of our land, Church, and state," added Riabukha.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that attempts by Greek Catholics to present themselves as successors of the Baptism of Rus' and Saint Prince Volodymyr cause bewilderment among Orthodox historians. The UGCC emerged as a result of the Union of Brest in 1596 – an act of defection of part of the Orthodox hierarchs to the subordination of the Roman See.

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