Hundreds of Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas Mass for the first time on Saturday at Kyiv’s famous Lavra Pechersk Cave Monastery, led by the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine. In addition to dozens of journalists, the Ukrainian Minister of Culture Olexander Tkachenko was also present.
Metropolitan Epiphanius, the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, led the service in the cathedral belonging to the monastery. The fair was also broadcast live on Ukrainian television. Reporters on the spot reported strict security measures.
License Agreements Not Renewed
The monastery in the Ukrainian capital, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was until recently the seat of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This was long associated with the Moscow Patriarchate until it officially broke away in May due to the Russian war of aggression. However, the Ukrainian authorities continue to accuse her of pro-Russian attitudes.
At the end of 2022, Kyiv stopped renewing the usage contracts for two of the monastery’s main churches. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church criticized the process as illegal. The cathedral is now under the control of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which was only founded in 2018 with state help.
The war widened the distance between Christians in Ukraine and Russia. In contrast to Russia, more Ukrainian believers recently celebrated Christmas according to the Western model on December 25 than in the past. Traditionally, however, the Orthodox Christians in Ukraine celebrate Christmas like their fellow believers in Russia on January 7th.
Fights continue
Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a 36-hour unilateral ceasefire for the Christmas holiday, starting Friday. However, Ukraine turned down the offer, and both sides reported further fighting along the front lines and airstrikes in other areas on Friday, albeit on a smaller scale than in previous days. According to British intelligence on Saturday, hostilities continued unabated on the holidays. One of the hardest-fought areas remains around the city of Kreminna in the Luhansk region, according to the British Defense Ministry’s daily briefing.
The Russian Defense Ministry admitted on Saturday that it would respond to Ukrainian attacks despite the unilaterally declared ceasefire. “All positions of the Ukrainian army from which shelling was fired were crushed by Russian forces returning fire,” spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. There were combat operations in the Donetsk, Cherson and Zaporizhia regions. Despite this, Konashenkov claimed that Russia was sticking to the ceasefire.
Putin alone in Cathedral
Contrary to his usual routine, Putin attended the midnight Christmas service alone in the Kremlin’s Cathedral of the Annunciation, according to footage distributed by the Kremlin. In recent years, it has been common for the Russian head of state to attend Orthodox Christmas services in Russian provinces or on the outskirts of Moscow.
In his Christmas message published on Saturday, Putin highlighted the role of the Russian Orthodox Church as a major supporter of his policies. The Russian President named the church’s help for Russian soldiers in the war in Ukraine, which he again described as a “military special operation”. Putin said the Russian Orthodox Church makes an “enormous constructive contribution” to uniting society and preserving historical memory, as well as educating youth and strengthening families. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Cyril, like Putin, refers to the unity of Russia and Ukraine. He supports the invasion of Ukraine ordered by Putin.
