Service following Ukraine Orthodox break with Russian church
1,071 views · Published 23 December 2018 · 4:02 · Indexed 12 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(16 Dec 2018) In his first liturgy as head of the newly christened Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Epiphanius called on Sunday for Ukrainians to unite under the new church and pray for peace in Ukraine. Ukrainian bishops met on Saturday and voted to approve a charter for the new church and elect a leader. Moscow has vigorously protested Ukraine's bid for spiritual independence, because since the late 1600s, the Orthodox Church in Ukraine had been a wing of the Russian Orthodox Church. At a church service on Sunday, Metropolitan Epiphanius said "enemies tried to ensure that Orthodox Ukrainians can not unite into a unified church, that it can't happen at all. But all together, we confirmed our unity." Some faithful attending the service called it an historical event. The creation of a new church is an attempt to unite Ukrainian Orthodox believers under one roof. But questions remain over the future of the branch in Ukraine loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/cf390ac6feadf380abaa53fb8bbbb948
