On the eve of the Day of Unity of Ukraine, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine appealed to the Ukrainian people with a call for brotherhood.
His Beatitude published the relevant post on his Facebook page.
“Tomorrow we will celebrate a holiday, the meaning of which for every Ukrainian should be one of the key in the ‘coordinate system’ of values. Conciliarity, unity, brotherhood, indivisibility, cohesion, unanimity, and togetherness – this is what we all have, and at the same time what we always strive for. And although the Day of Unity historically reminds us of the century-old events, the idea of strength in unity today is more important for us than ever,” wrote the head of the OCU.
Metropolitan Epifaniy emphasized that the Day of Unity of Ukraine is a reminder of our history, the difficult fate of our people, the cost of freedom and independence, a reminder of who we are and who we seek to become.
“The current developments related to Russian aggression only reinforce the significance of the Act of Unification of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic, which took place 103 years ago in the square outside the ancient Sophia of Kyiv. Because again someone wants to tear apart and divide Ukraine, forcibly taking away its lands, establishing artificial borders and gray areas, pitting our people against each other confusing them with propaganda. That is why the Feast of Unity is very important for us, because it reminds us of the most important lesson of our common history: in unity, there’s strength, while division leads to defeat,” he said.
His Beatitude recalled that whenever the people of Ukraine were united, they achieved success, but when arguments and ambitions, envy and power-hunger corroded rulers and society, then came ruin.
That is why, according to the head of the OCU, the Ukrainian Church seeks to rally all Orthodox Ukrainians around the Kyiv throne, our spiritual capital, so that the only local, recognized autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine flourishes, preserving internal peace and rejecting discord, strife and temptation.
“If our nation had a strong spiritual foundation from the beginning of the restoration of Independence, the ‘body’ of the state would not be breaking apart, and we would probably be able to avoid the occupation of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine. Because unity is not only about territorial integrity, first of all, it’s about spiritual unity. The unity of our state rests on the unity of our souls. Therefore, in the words of the famous Ukrainian writer Oles Honchar, I call on all of you: “Take care of the Cathedrals of your souls, my friends… Cathedrals of your Souls!” Metropolitan Epifaniy wrote to the Ukrainian people, calling for unity and brotherhood.
