OCU theologian: We removed spitting at Satan from baptism rite
OCU cleric Andriy Dudchenko said the ritual of blowing and spitting at Satan has been removed from the baptismal rite in the OCU's Book of Needs because it "only makes people smile."
Andriy Dudchenko, OCU cleric and secretary of its "Synodal Theological and Liturgical Commission," said the organization has removed the part of the baptismal rite in which the person being baptized blows and spits at Satan. He made the remarks on the Faith Talks podcast on the Pravoslavni Skhidniaky [Orthodox Easterners] YouTube channel, where he was discussing religious issues with self-described "black witch" Tetiana Haid.
The discussion turned to whether Church traditions can change. Haid remarked that the "OCU is moving far ahead," to which Dudchenko replied that "the canons do not change – certain forms of expression do."
"Eternal truths must be expressed in modern forms that people today can understand. Take, for example, the blowing and spitting during baptism – people today no longer perceive this appropriately. In the modern rite, in the Book of Needs of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, this ritual has now been removed. It is no longer there because today it only makes people smile," the OCU cleric said.
Earlier in the same program, however, Dudchenko himself had explained the meaning of the ritual. According to him, after renouncing Satan three times, the person is instructed to "blow and spit at him." The person then turns away from the west, symbolizing darkness, and toward Christ.
"This is the attitude a Christian should have toward the forces of darkness: spit at them and turn toward God," he said.
The cleric also emphasized that the practice is not superstition but a "challenge" to the proud spirit of evil.
In the Orthodox baptismal rite, after the renunciation of Satan and all his works, the priest asks three times, "Have you renounced Satan?" He then instructs the person, "Blow and spit upon him." This practice has been preserved in the Book of Needs since the early Church.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the OCU had removed a prayer from the Eucharistic Canon and abolished the Litany of the Catechumens.
