Published on: 01.07.2023 – 05:10 Modified on: 01.07.2023 – 13:42
For the first time in its history, the young Independent Church of Ukraine celebrated Orthodox Christmas this Saturday, January 7, in the Cathedral of the Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv. Ukrainians came in large numbers to this liturgy in historic premises that had previously been under the control of the Moscow Patriarchate. The authorities also wanted this break, against the background of war and power outages caused by artillery from Moscow. Report.
With our special correspondents in Kyiv, Aabla Jounaidi and Boris Vichith
In front of the oldest monastery in Ukraine, on Saturday, January 7th, the crowd thronged to the Orthodox Christmas mass in the bitter cold: “This is a historic day for Ukraine. It is the first time that Metropolitan Epiphanius has given office, Volodymyr explains and does with it Allusion to the main religious title of the young religious institution. That’s why I wanted to be there, I came to Kyiv on purpose. »
A few days ago, the premises were searched by authorities who suspected subversive activities of the previous tenant: the Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Church. But it is no longer the head of the latter who now serves, but his rival, the primate of the Independent Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius. A “small revolution” for this young church, which has been advocating a total break with Russia for years.
Ania is happy to finally be able to return: “I usually go to another monastery. I hadn’t set foot here since it was taken over by the Moscow Patriarchate. Their members scold us when they see us leaving one of our churches, calling us antichrists. »
Inside, believers like Oleksandre raise their eyes because the decoration is sublime: “It’s a historic place. This church is Ukrainian, it was built by our Kiev princes at the beginning of the 11th century. Back then, Moscow didn’t even exist. »
Believers say they were immersed in a memory tinged with national pride when they first heard Mass in Ukrainian in this large church.
Believers attend the Orthodox Christmas liturgy at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Cathedral in Kyiv on January 7, 2023. © RFI / Aabla Jounaïdi
During Christmas dinner, everyone is talking about war
The day before, a Ukrainian family had put together a big Christmas dinner. But despite the traditional songs, For the four generations present at the table, the heart was not entirely in it: the war went through that.
“Not everyone is here. Some are in France, others in Switzerland. They are far away,” lamented Vira Ivanivna Tkachenko, 84.
Celebrating Christmas according to the Julian calendar as in Russia or setting European time on December 25 remained an open question for this family. But the break with Moscow is essential for Dalyna: “We are fighting on a different front. That of tradition, of religion. We used to not care if something came from Ukraine or Moscow, we followed tradition. But for me it matters now. I don’t want to support a church that has started a war in my country. That’s why I support our local orthodox church. »
Despite wanting a break with Moscow, this Ukrainian family continues to traditionally celebrate Orthodox Christmas on January 7 like Russians do. © RFI/Aabla Jounaïdi
Dalyna was also one of the believers who attended the very first liturgy held this Saturday in the Assumption Cathedral of the Pechersk-Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Churches take their freedom
Traditionally, the Patriarchate of Kyiv, which has become the Unified Church of Ukraine, celebrates Christmas in the Saint Michael’s Monastery in Kyiv, while the Orthodox Church, which has emerged from the Patriarchate of Moscow, organizes its services in the largest cathedral, a thousand-year-old site of its Moscow Patriarchate had its historical seat.
But for several months, a cautious struggle has been waged by the Ukrainian authorities against the powerful but losing ground in Moscow’s Orthodox current, whose priests and parishes are accused by some of being agents of influence for Kirill, the Russian patriarch, and the Kremlin. That fall, the Laures Monastery in Pechersk was raided, and in late December the Ministry of Culture refused to renew the lease that allowed the Patriarchate of Moscow to be housed in this Unesco-classified monument.
In the Kremlin, the affair is being followed very closely, because one of the main reasons for this great historical war is the Kremlin’s desire to establish its authority in Kyiv, says our correspondent in Kyiv, Stephane Siohan. Many Russians believe that Russia was born in Kyiv 1,000 years ago, that Kyiv is a Russian city and that the ancient churches are its symbol.
In Ukraine we have our own Orthodox Church. The so-called “autocephalous” Orthodox Church of Ukraine. It is no longer under the jurisdiction of another country, it has broken with Moscow. And that’s very important. The whole history of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should be compared with the history of our struggle for independence. We fight for the independence of our country and at the same time for that of our church. And this war goes on. As for the power in Moscow, it has always used the Church for its propaganda. Under the Soviet Union, power persecuted the Church in Russia but used its representatives for its propaganda in other countries. The new Ukrainian Orthodox Church, led by Metropolitan Epiphanius, is officially recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and several other churches abroad.
Vyatcheslav Gorshkov, the Ukrainian government’s expert on religion, explains the importance of the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church