The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius congratulated the Ukrainians on Christmas, noting that real peace can only be achieved by overcoming evil.
Epiphanius said this in his Merry Christmas video.
Epiphanius noted that evil and good cannot coexist peacefully, and real peace can only be achieved by overcoming evil.
The event of the Nativity of Christ teaches us that truth will triumph, but we must fight. There can be no unity between darkness and light. Today, the warmest prayers and wishes are given to the newest heroes – our defenders and defenders who protect us at the cost of their own lives. he stressed.
At the same time, the primate of the OCU wished that the Ukrainians would win as soon as possible and that the long-awaited peace would come for our country, and with it all fellow citizens would return to their homes.
Greeting Epiphany Merry Christmas: watch the video
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky also greeted Ukrainians on Christmas. On Christmas Eve, the Ukrainian leader noted that, despite the divided families, we are all united as never before. Zelensky also wished that harmony would come to every family, and prosperity to every home, victory to the Ukrainian land, and with it, millennial peace and prosperity.
Why Ukraine decided to change the church calendar and the date of Christmas
As Epiphanius himself explained, the change of the church calendar in Ukraine began to accelerate after Russia launched a full-scale invasion. According to him, Ukraine has long been on the path of calendar reform, but this process has been slow. In addition, statistics show that in the last year the number of those who want to change is greater than those who want to stay on the old style.
Note that when to celebrate Christmas is the personal choice of each person, because the essence of Christmas does not change from the date on the calendar. The Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches of Ukraine have not yet switched to the Gregorian calendar, but the first steps have already been taken.
