“November 21 is both a solemn and painful date for the Ukrainian nation,” Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, said on the occasion of the Day of Dignity and Freedom, which is traditionally celebrated on November 21.
“It is solemn as it marks the day the Revolution of Dignity started, the revolution that affirmed the European identity of our country, the irresistible desire of the Ukrainian nation for dignity and justice, its indomitable spirit and ability to resist those who consider themselves entitled to encroach on our freedom. It is painful though because, unfortunately, we saw back then and continue to see today, reading daily news reports from the front line, that to protect what we love, what we believe in, to defend our values, ideals, and our own state is a costly endeavor,” the head of the OCU wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Metropolitan Epifaniy noted that, despite the complex range of emotions, the Day of Dignity and Freedom is a holiday anyway. While formal documents say the revival of Ukrainian independence took place 30 years ago, its mental revival, restoration of our identity as Ukrainians, and buildup of the Ukrainian nation took place precisely during the Revolution of Dignity.
“Even now, when memories of those events have faded from memory, replaced by the anxieties of today – war and pandemic – it is difficult to restrain emotions, watching photos and videos from the Euromaidan, reading again those social media posts from that period or talking to priests and remembering the support of our heroes at the barricades – heroes who did not even realize (and, quite possibly, still don’t realize) that it’s thanks to them that a mental and spiritual revival of the whole state occurred. And that St. Michael’s Cathedral, which in those troubled days warned of the (security forces’ – ed.) attack, would soon become the cathedral of the Local Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the very existence of which many could hardly even imagine,” said the spiritual leader.
“In those days, we affirmed ourselves as a state. And although, according to the Constitution, the state is separated from Church, I am glad that our Church has always been and remains with the Ukrainian nation. We believe that with God’s blessing, His support and help, the occupied territories will be reintegrated and we will achieve a fair peace for Ukraine. It is important that we, the Ukrainian people, have chosen our path – a path that is not easy, that is thorny, but it’s a path of justice, honor, and dignity. It’s a path of truth and freedom,” said Metropolitan Epifaniy.
It should be recalled that the Day of Dignity and Freedom is a date marked annually on November 21 in honor of the beginning of two revolutions: the Orange Revolution (early November 22, 2004) and the Revolution of Dignity (the rally of students and public activists kicked off on November 21, 2013). It is the successor to the Freedom Day holiday, which was celebrated on November 22 in honor of the Orange Revolution in 2005-2011, until it was abolished by a decree of usurper Viktor Yanukovych.
