On November 28, 2022, a round table was held, entitled “State. Spirituality. Christmas”, at which the participants discussed new challenges for the country and the Church, as well as the possibility of changing the date of the Christmas celebration. Khrystyna Zamula, the head of the Lviv District State Administration, told about this on her Facebook page.
Representatives of the UGCC and OCU took part in the round table, among them Volodymyr, assistant bishop of the Lviv Archdiocese of the UGCC. Together with the head of the LDSA, they talked about the chaplaincy, volunteering, and constant support of believers and soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as the preservation of Ukrainian Christian traditions and the date of Christmas.
The last topic concerned, in particular, the recent decision of the OCU Synod to allow the community to celebrate Christmas on December 25. The participants of the round table discussed the relevance of the issue in view of the needs and wishes of the faithful. However, ultimately such a decision requires many joint steps of the Churches.
“In the fight against an insidious enemy that is trying to attack Ukraine not only on the front line, but also in the media space, it is important to be united. The Church plays an important role in uniting the people, because the clergy are leaders of trust in communities. And at a time when the Russian invaders use their “church” as a propaganda tool, the Ukrainian clergy is the basis of morality and truth,” said Ms. Khrystyna Zamula
