Millions of Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate Christmas on January 7, including in Russia, Serbia and Ukraine. These Orthodox communities did not switch to the Gregorian calendar introduced in 1582, but kept the Julian calendar. However, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has decided that starting this year, it will allow the faithful to celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25 together with the Western Christian churches.
The move represents a further distancing from the "wing" that remained loyal to Moscow, while tensions between the two Orthodox churches in Ukraine have been increasing since the start of the war.
In 2018, the Patriarchate of Constantinople declared the Ukrainian Orthodox Church a unified national Orthodox Church independent of Moscow. At the same time, they separated from the religious community that still belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is not a religious institution, but a political organization that fulfills the orders of the government - Metropolitan Kliment, the spokesman of the Ukrainian Church under Moscow, told the Brussels news portal Politico about the decision about Christmas. He believes that the Orthodox who are oriented towards the West are also following Kiev with their current step, since the Ukrainian state declared December 25 as a public holiday four years ago.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church said in a statement: when they decided to change the holiday, they took into account the social demands that have been stirring up debate for years, and over the past year the proportion of those who support December 25- I celebrate Christmas.
Tímea Koren-Karczub's entire article can be read in Magyar Nemzet
Photo: MTI/AP/Efrem Lukacki
