Stefanchuk: Epifaniy’s first mass at the Rada is a significant event
The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada believes that Epifaniy held a "mass" in the church, not an Orthodox service.
The Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, said in an interview with the "Interfax" news agency that on 19 December, Epifaniy Dumenko held a "mass" at St. Volodymyr’s Church located in the parliament building.
"Last year that small chapel in the parliament, which has always been considered subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate, was given over to pro-Ukrainian churches. On 19 December, Metropolitan Epifaniy held the first mass there. It may not have been a big event in general, but it was very significant for the Parliament. And as early as January 7, Epifaniy held a service in the Upper Lavra – and this too was done in a legal way," the Rada Speaker said.
As reported, in 2017, St. Volodymyr's Church, located in the building of the Verkhovna Rada, was closed on the grounds that "the symbol of the propaganda machine" had no place in the Rada. And in December 2022, it was handed over to the OCU, and Dumenko performed his "prayer service" in it.
