His Beatitude congratulates Ukrainians on Unity Day

Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: UOC

On January 22, 2026, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine addressed Ukrainians with congratulations on the occasion of Ukraine's Unity Day.

In his address, the archpastor noted that unity is based on love and respect and requires constant efforts, especially in the conditions of severe trials that the Ukrainian people are experiencing today. He emphasized that internal strife weakens the country and plays into the hands of the external enemy.

In conclusion, the Primate of the UOC wished everyone to continue strengthening the unity of the people through concrete good deeds and prayerfully invoked God's blessing upon Ukraine and its people.

Below we publish the full text of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphriy's address to Ukrainians.

Dear brothers and sisters! Dear Ukrainians!

I extend my heartfelt greetings to all of you on the occasion of the Day of Unity of Ukraine!

Unity, i.e. public life built on love and support, is an embodiment of God’s commandment to love God as our Creator and Maker and love our neighbour as a bearer of the image of God.

Unity and wholeness ought to be fostered in the people, i.e. maintained through reasonable efforts and developed. So today, when our people are going through the hard trials of a terrible war and scourges that the war entails, we ought to come together and not to destroy ourselves by internal discord. Internal enmity is desirable for the enemy because it weakens us and gives him an additional chance for victory.

I believe that we will understand it and, going through all the trials, preserve the spiritual beauty of our people, manifested in their diversity. Whoever each of us is, whatever position we occupy, we should, speaking in the words of the Gospel, see our ‘neighbour’, whom we ought to be ready to help, in another person as well (Lk. 10, 25).

I am convinced that we will have true unity in Ukraine when every resident of our Ukrainian home feels each other’s pain; when we are not at enmity with each other and do not declare another person, different from us, an enemy; when we help and serve our neighbour, as the Holy Apostle Peter writes about it: "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Pet. 4, 10). And thus, feeling and living through each other’s pain, we will rejoice in common joys and common achievements and victories even more.

So, on this holiday, I wish each of us to keep building true unity through real good deeds, support, and help to one’s neighbour and, as a result, thus make our small contribution to the great cause of the fostering of unity and wholeness of our people.

May God’s blessing be with all of us and with our state!

Onuphry,

Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine

Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that His Beatitude explained the significance of Theophany for man's salvation.

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