UOC Сhancellor: Postponed religious procession will definitely take place
Religious processions of the UOC at the Triumph of Orthodoxy are not held in Kyiv and in many eparchial centres only because of the pandemic, said Metropolitan Anthony.
The UOC Chancellor, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) of Boryspil and Brovary, said that the cross procession of the UOC, which was supposed to take place in Kyiv on the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, will surely take place as soon as the situation allows. The Metropolitan said this at a briefing at the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra on March 21, 2021, reports "1Kozak".
“This year, with the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, cross processions were to be held in almost all eparchial centres,” noted the UOC Chancellor. "They are dedicated to testifying to the purity of our Orthodox faith <...> and the fact that we, believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, are worthy citizens of the Ukrainian Homeland, our state."
According to the metropolitan, believers of the UOC do not understand why the discriminatory laws adopted by the previous government are still in force. In particular, he explained, we are talking about the forced renaming of the Church and the simplification of the procedure for raider seizures of UOC temples.
“We hope that the voice of the Church will be heard by the current authorities <...> that the voice of every Orthodox believer, and this is the multimillion flock of the UOC, will say prayerfully about their love for the Motherland, and we ask the authorities to hear us,” he stressed.
Unfortunately, the UOC Chancellor added, these days in Kyiv and in many eparchial centres, the situation with the pandemic has become more complicated, and therefore religious processions will not be held there on the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.
“Although, you probably know, with what enthusiasm the believers took the decision, the blessing of His Beatitude, to gather today here, in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, to walk in the procession to the Vladimir Hill and there congregationally pray for our people, for our state and for our Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
We do not want to provoke an increase in the morbidity of people and today we will pray in our churches, but in the near future, when the situation allows, we will definitely hold such a procession to see one another again so that by joint prayer we will testify to the faithfulness of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which today is suffering,” said Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary.
As reported, the Primate of the UOC believes that the postponement of the cross procession in Kyiv from the day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy to a “more favourable time” is a spiritual trial.
