Head of the UGCC on the calendar reform: “I hope that Orthodox brothers will follow us”
While promulgating the Synod’s decision on the calendar reform of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav said what response he expects from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
“I hope there will be bishops [Orthodox — Ed.] who will have the courage to switch to the New Julian calendar, as they call it. But, I will be honest, I am very grateful to His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy for his openness, sincerity, and the opportunity to meet and have a fraternal discussion on this topic,” said the Head of the UGCC.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav added that during a meeting with the Primate of the OCU in December 2022, “we were not yet ready to announce the dates when our Church will be prepared for such a step, but I expressed my views on this topic to the Synod of Bishops of our Church, which took place in November [2022 — Ed.]” According to the Patriarch, these reflections included tactical and pedagogical steps to implement the reform. At the meeting, the head of the UGCC proposed to Metropolitan Epifaniy to create a joint working group to share experiences, respecting each church’s traditions, customs, dynamics, and canon law.
“I would very much like our experience of calendar reform to serve our Orthodox brothers. We must understand that we are moving towards the same goal. Although, perhaps, we are going to it in slightly different ways,” added the head of the UGCC.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav concluded by saying: “So far, we have not created a working group, but I would very much like to see it work. Moreover, we will now have more tangible proposals for working on it. Working together will help us understand each other better. But we are moving towards the same goal. This year we will celebrate Christmas with our Orthodox brothers on December 25 and bless the water in the Dnipro River on January 6.”
As we have reported, the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine decided that starting September 1, 2023, the UGCC in Ukraine will switch to a new style for fixed holidays while maintaining the current Paschalia. However, parishes that do not feel ready for this step will be able to continue to live according to the Julian calendar until September 2025 with the blessing of their bishop.
The UGCC Department for Information
