OCU hierarch: We are moving towards a new calendar style

Epiphany Dumenko and Dmitry Rudiuk. Photo: pametna.info

The "hierarch" of the OCU, "Metropolitan" Dmitry Rudiuk of Sokal, said that his church structure is moving towards the adoption of a new calendar, according to the publication "Religion Pravda".

In an interview with the publication, the "metropolitan" of the OCU noted that the issue of "new calendar" is commonly brought up when "the Nativity of our Lord and Savior is approaching. As soon as this holiday comes, this question arises again."

According to him, “we do not deny that one day our Church will make this transition. But we need to be well-prepared for this. Because in those churches that are more connected to the West, such as the Greek Catholic or Protestant ones, the issue of the celebration of December 25 is not as thorny as it was with us during the Christmas celebration of 2019-2020.

However, he noted that “if there are conciliar decrees of the church, then they are binding on everyone. One shouldn’t engage in amateur activities, for it causes confusion and means to many believers that something incomprehensible is happening."

Rudiuk assured that the OCU "would work on the calendar reform and continue this work."

"We will study it at the theological, dogmatic, liturgical levels, and then we will make a certain decision," he said.

Rudiuk also claims that "every year the number of people who would like to celebrate (Christmas – Ed.) on the 25th grows, this day is declared a day off, thus we are moving in this direction."

However, he had to admit that this issue continues to be "challenging" and "open" for the OCU. "If we solve it with a conciliar mind, we will get a great result," Rudiuk said.

“It will hardly benefit the church when one diocese, contrary to another, celebrates it on a different day. My diocese was worried last Christmas. Lviv turned out to be conservative in terms of the date," the "hierarch" of the OCU admitted.

Rudiuk noted that the OCU is “rather motley religiously" with "one part of society seeking change and the other watching with caution what the bishop would offer us."

“What is this jelly for? It will turn out that some people are celebrating Christmas Eve, while you are sailing on a boat consecrating waters,” the "hierarch” of the newly created religious structure summed up.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the OCU had condemned Zinkevich's decision to celebrate Christmas in a new style.

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