Hierarchs of Local Churches congratulate UOC on the Day of Rus Baptism
As long as there is the UOC, the Lord will never leave this country, pointed one of the five hierarchs of the Local Churches, who congratulated the Ukrainian Church.
On July 28, 2020, the hierarchs of the Antiochian, Jerusalem, Polish and Bulgarian Local Churches, as well as the ROCOR, congratulated the Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, the clergy and flock of the UOC on the Day of the Baptism of Rus. Congratulations of foreign bishops were broadcast during the festive marathon on the "112 Ukraine" channel.
“Dear brothers and sisters, children of the UOC! Christ is with us and in our midst! Addressing you from the borders of the Holy Apostolic Church of Antioch, where the disciples of Christ first began to be called Christians, we congratulate you with joy and love on the Feast of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, the Apostle of Kiev and all Rus, the Baptist of your pious nation,” Bishop Kais (Sadek) of Erzurum, hierarch of the Antiochian Orthodox Church, addressed the believers.
According to him, on this festive day he would like to be among the parishioners of the UOC in order "to share the joy of joint prayer” with them and with representatives of the Antiochian community in Ukraine.
Metropolitan Gabriel (Dinev) of Lovech, Bishop of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, noted that the UOC “follows the path of holy Prince Vladimir, the path of love, the path of faith, the path of spiritual creation.” He wished the clergy and laity to withstand difficulties and be a role model for his fellow believers of Bulgaria.
“If there is a blessed Church in Ukraine, the Lord will never leave this beautiful Orthodox country,” Metropolitan Gabriel emphasized.
Archbishop Jacob (Kostiuchuk) of Bialystok and Gdansk, hierarch of the Polish Church, wished that the Lord would give peace, love and unity to the entire Ukrainian nation.
Metropolitan Timothy (Margaritis) of Vostra, Bishop of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, stressed that the UOC remains a true Orthodox Church thanks to the martyr’s blood of Her children, which they shed for Christ, for the truth and continuity of the apostolic succession.
“Through the prayers of holy ascetics and believers, may the Lord, our Savior, the Creator of the Church, strengthen all the faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, may He protect them in the true Church, and may He enlighten everyone to come to the knowledge of the truth. The Lord is alive, so may He affirm the Church to the end of the century. Amen,” said Metropolitan Timothy.
Metropolitan Mark (Arndt) of Berlin and Germany, the ROCOR hierarch, drew the attention of believers to the fact that the unity of the East European and Slavic peoples, whom the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir commanded to baptize in the Dnieper waters, reflected unity in Christ.
“On this great holiday, I want to congratulate all of you and wish you to always remember about our common Baptist, who in our time also attracts other people, not even of East Slavic origin but here, in Europe, in America. And it is a great joy that we can all celebrate this holiday together with you. Happy Holiday!” Metropolitan Mark addressed the clergy and laity of the UOC.
Metropolitan Amfilohije (Radović) of Montenegro and the Littoral, Bishop of the Serbian Church, Metropolitan Isaiah (Kykkotis) of Tamassos, Bishop of the Church of Cyprus, as well as Archbishop Georgy (Stransky) of Michalovce and Kosice, hierarch of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, also congratulated the Primate and believers on the Baptism of Rus.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, also congratulated Ukrainians on the Day of Christianization of Rus'.
