#Orthodox Church of Ukraine
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Ukraine has moved its celebration of Christmas to December 25th like most of the world. As a relic of Russian domination, it had previously observed Christmas in January as Moscow still does.
Many Ukrainian Orthodox Christians are preparing to celebrate Christmas on 25 December for the first time this year.
Ukraine has traditionally used the Julian calendar, also used by Russia, where Christmas falls on 7 January.
In a further shift from Russia, it is now marking Christmas according to the Western - or Gregorian - calendar, which it uses in everyday life.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky changed the law in July, saying it allowed Ukrainians to "abandon the Russian heritage" of celebrating Christmas in January.
In a Christmas message issued on Sunday evening, Mr Zelensky said all Ukrainians were now together.
"We all celebrate Christmas together. On the same date, as one big family, as one nation, as one united country."
[ ... ]
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), a newly created independent church that held its first service in 2019, has also changed its Christmas date to 25 December.
It formally broke away from the Russian Orthodox church over Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
So to our friends in Ukraine, we wish you...
#christmas#ukraine#calendars#orthodox church of ukraine#russian cultural imperialism#volodymyr zelenskyy#bye-bye русский мiръ!#путин - военный преступник#вторгнення оркостану в україну#щасливого різдва#різдво#православна церква україни#володимир зеленський#україна переможе#дерусифікація#деокупація#слава україні!#героям слава!
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Orthodox Church of Ukraine Chaplain Ivan conducts a sacred liturgy for Ukrainian servicemen, on the frontline near Vuhledar, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Valentyn Kuzan)
#religion#christianity#orthodoxy#orthodox church of ukraine#christians#people#military#war#ukraine#divinum-pacis
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Києво-Печерська Лавра перейшла на використання новоюліанського календаря
На численні прохання парафіян Києво-Печерської Лаври, з благословення Священноархімандрита Свято-Успенської Києво-Печерської Лаври Блаженнійшого Митрополита Епіфанія, з 15 листопада 2023 року (початок Різдвяного посту) Києво-Печерська Лавра перейшла на використання новоюліанського календаря, який є основним для Православної Церкви України.
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Kyiv Pechersk Lavra are using the Revised…
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#Києво-Печерська лавра#Київ#Новоюліанський календар#ПЦУ#Православна церква України#Російське вторгнення в Україну#Російсько-українська війна#Християнcтво#Церква#Orthodox Church of Ukraine#Revised Julian calendar
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Whilte the circumstances are horrible, this is incredibly interesting to me as someone who does research on cultural change, specifically it’s visibility in material culture (and admittedly mostly in prehistory, but hey), and is particularly interested in the religious/ritual aspect of these changes.
#ukraine#christianity#christmas#russia#religion#orthodox church of ukraine#orthodox christianity#culture#change
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Concerned with the survival of unique Ukrainian architecture under constant russian bombing, ukrainian company Skeiron has launched a #SaveUkrainianHeritage project. They 3D scan culture monuments in order to preserve them, at least digitally, if the worst comes true. Asides from this utilitary use, the technology will also be helpful with monitoring the condition of the monuments over time.
While the beautiful church shown on the pictures - Saint Sophia Cathedral - has not yet been uploaded on their site, you can still have a virtual tour of the monuments they have already scanned here
And if you find this initiative worth supporting, please consider donating! (scroll to the bottom of the page for the relevant links in english)
#ukraine#ukrainian architecture#architecture preservation#3d model#3d scanning#architecture#churches#orthodox church#orthodox architecture
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The medieval Saint Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine, shortly before it was demolished by the Soviets in 1935. X
#black and white#ukrainian history#vintage ukraine#communism#communist#anti communism#soviet union#kyiv#russia#20th century#christian#orthodox church#1935#1930s#ussr
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I wanted to make this post last year but I got caught up in events (plus I couldn't find back my sources). But given the recent international events have completely turned away most media's attention from the Russian war on Ukraine, I thought it was finally time to make this post.
Because I want to talk about something truly crazy. Something that shows how deep Russia's distortion, warping and twisting of the Christian religion went - and how back there, we're back to the times of holy inquisitions.
Many people have covered the fact that the propaganda of Putin over Russia isn't just mediatic and politic but also religious. There were many viral reports and TV reports and investigations about how the higher-ups of the Russian Orthodox Church were in Putin's pocket, openly shared Putinist propaganda during their religious offices, declared that the war against Ukraine was a "holy war" that God wanted, that Putin was merely the agent and arm of God - there was this whole thing about the Patriarch blessing the weapons of the Russian soldiers sent to the front, and about him explicitely saying that the Devil and/or the Antichrist was in Ukraine.
But there is something that is even bigger and more shocking than that, and that shows how in Russia war = religion. It is a building: the Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces.
The building of this cathedral started in 2018, but it was only completed in 2020. The cathedral is technically a religious building, but the main reason of its existence is to celebrated the "various military feats of Russia", chief among which - the Russian victory over the Nazis during World War II. The completion of the cathedral was done on the Victory Day celebrating the Soviet Union crushing the Nazis ; and it was opened on the "Day of Remembrance and Sorrow" (a commemoration of when the Nazis turned against the Soviet Union and tried to march over it). There's something about "the resurrection of Christ" in there, but let's be honest, this was built exclusively for and around war.
This building is absolutely grandiose, without a doubt - and its beauty and enormity is a proof of Russia's dedication to its unique mix of religion and military matters. In fact it was considered one of the great monuments of Russia... until the Ukrainian attacks made people reconsider what this symbol ACTUALLY meant.
And the thing with this building is that it was FILLED with carefully-thought war symbolism. For example, take the main dome's diameter: 19,45 meters... To symbolize the year when World War II stopped (1945). [Another source rather claims that the dome's diameter is 22,43 meters but it doesn't change the symbol: the Nazi capitulation was signed at 22h43]. There is a small dome that is 14,18 meters in height - because the conflict between the Nazis and the Soviet Union lasted 1 418 days and nights. And the belfry is 75 meters tall... because 75 years had passed between 2020 and the end of World War II. By the way, did you know that when Russians talk of the end of World War II and how they helped defeat the Nazis, they do not speak of the "World War"? No, they rather speak of "the end of the Great Patriotic War". Because the conflict between the USSR and the Nazis wasn't part of any world conflict, oh no! It was just one specific war against the patry - aka Russia. The total height of the Church is a reference to Saint Vladimir's (the one who Christianized the Rus lands) birth date, etc etc...
Things get better - the steps and floors of the cathedral are made of metal. Metal made from the melted war trophies taken from the Nazis - their weapons an their tanks for example. As such, the Russians will forever walk on the remains of their old ennemies. The church's saints are carefully chosen as the patron-saints of the Russian military: saint Elijah the Prophet, saint Barbara, saint Fyodor Ushakov... All organized in the four sections of the church, each dedicated to a different branch of the army; ground forces, navy, aerospace military and strategic missile forces. There's a lot of depictions of Jesus wielding a sword too.
And then we go to the mosaics... Ah, the mosaics! These mosaics are not about the history of Christianity, but about the military history of Russia, each one depicting a great battle or a great Russian victory. You have several depictions of the orders of the Red Army overthrowing the Imperial forces in Russia, you also have depictions of the Soviet (or Communist) successes during World War II of course - there's the Battle of Stalingrad, there's the Reichstag fire... You also have more recent depictions of soldiers, with a kalashnikov in their hands... And of course, the latest mosaic depicting the latest "Russian military success" at the date of the Cathedral's fundation: the annexation of Crimea.
This mosaic was in fact part of a dual scandal, before while the Cathedral was built, two images were leaked of two intended mosaics - one for the Crimea annexation and one for the (exclusively Soviet of course) victory over the Nazis in World War II (sorry, "The Great Patriotic War"). And the scandal was because on the latter Stalin was depicted, and on the former it was Putin who was on the mosaic. There was a big outcry, and ultimately the artists of the cathedral decided to remove the faces of Putin and Stalin... But not before asking for Putin's opinion first, and then - this is very symbolic - their faces were replaced by icons.
Yeah all of this is kind of overwhelming - but one has to remember that in Russia, the Orthodox Church is on the same level as the various ministeries of Putin. The Patriarch Kirill, who consecrated the cathedral, has as such openly supported Putin's war and politics - invited and present at all of Putin's government meetings alongside his various ministers, the Patiarch has also placed in his sermons the exact same slogans and words used by the televisual Russian propaganda. In spring 2022, he held a whole sermon about how the Russian people had to stand together as brothers again the treacherous and wicked West - and added that the reason the Donbas distrusted the Russian Orthodox Church was because of the "vile phenomenon" of the Gay Pride - and added that it was against the corruption of the West, and the anti-religious "gay propaganda", that Russia was fighting - that it was to eliminate THIS that they threw bombs over Ukraine.
Speaking of that I almost forgot! Very recently the cathedral added a new stained glass to its windows... One made with broken glass shards from Mariupol, collected during the Russian attack.
And let's not forget how the Patriarch promised to absolve all the Russians sent to the front who would die on the battlefield against the Ukrainians (the SAME kind of words that were used in the Middle-Ages for the crusades!) - because, and I quote, "such a sacrifice will cleanse you of all human sin". And at the beginning of 2023 (if I recall well), the Patriarch went as far as to say that if Russia didn't win this war, "someone" (he didn't specify who) but SOMEONE would appear "with the intentions of dominating, and then destroying the world" (aka, the Antichrist). This was later backed up by Dmitry Medvedev, who added that the real goal of the war against Ukrainian was to "stop the supreme leader of Hell" (and this time he dropped names, but several at once - Satan, Lucifer, Iblis).
We are literaly back to medieval crusades and to the crazy witch-hunts. Russian propagandists will stop at nothing to convince people that everything is evil outside of Russia.
"But..." you're going to say, "Not all Orthodox Russian priests can be falling for this crap!". And indeed you are right, there are priests in the Russian Orthodox Church that called out the fact Christianity was about peace, not war. The problem is that the higher-ups of the Church have started a hunt for all priests that advocate for peace rather than war - and they simply kick them out of the Church and revoke their status as priests. The Orthodox priests who refuse to see their faith turned into political propaganda are forced to flee into other Orthodox countries to maintain their status as priests.
#russia#putin's russia#ukraine#war on ukraine#russian propaganda#russian orthodox church#cathedral of russian armed forces#war horrors#religious horror#patriarch kirill#ukrainian war#the dark side of christianity#religious propaganda#i don't even know how to tag this
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Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine. February 2015.
#winter#kyiv#ukraine#christianity#snow#winter wonderland#orthodox church#europea#world capitals#eastern europe#february#church
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Ukrainian soldiers sheltering from the rain near frescoes in St Michael's Cathedral in Kyiv. Photo by Sergei Supinsky.
#my post#eastern orthodoxy#ukraine#russian war on ukraine#russian invasion#ukrainian#russian ukrainian war#ukrainian military#orthodox christian#eastern orthodox#orthodox christianity#kyiv#church#cathedral#religious architecture#religion
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The current schism in the Eastern Orthodox Church - a split over recognizing or rejecting the Orthodox Church of Ukraine which was created in 2018.
by u/Joseon1
The specifics behind the schism are fairly complicated (and have shades of the Judean People's Front) but they can be boiled down as follows:
Before 2018 there were several Orthodox churches in Ukraine, but only one was recognised by the other Orthodox churches: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which was under the juristiction of the Russian Orthodox Church
In 2018, two independent churches, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate, merged to form the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (the name is confusingly similar to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the one under the Russian Church)
This new Orthodox Church of Ukraine was recognised as the legitimate local church by the Ecumenical Patriarch - who is the "first among equals" of the Orthodox patriarchs (the top bishops). He also granted this church autocephaly, which means it's self-governing and not under the juristiction of another church. His argument was that the Ecumenical Patriarch had transferred the Ukrainian church to the Russian church in the 1600s, so he claimed the power to take back this transferral.
Unsurprisingly, the Russian church was incensed about this, and some other church leaders were concerned about the legitimacy of the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine because it was formed from two break-away churches.
In response, the Russian Orthodox Church refused to recognise the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine and severed communion with the Ecumenical Patriarch (i.e. they don't recognise their church services as legitimate or part of the true church).
Several other Orthodox patriarches, archbishops and metropolitans made official announcements about which position they supported. Several others avoided explicitly picking a side and tried to mediate an agreement.
To complicate the picture further, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (the one that had stayed part of the Russian Church) itself split from the Russian Church and declared itself autocephalous. The Russian Church didn't recognise this autocephaly either, and announced that Ukrainian churches under Russian control would be directly governed by the Russian Orthodox Church.
TL;DR - A new Ukrainian church was created by a merger in 2018 and a top bishop (in Istanbul) recognised it as the official church of Ukraine, independent from the Russian church. The Russian church didn't like this and severed relations with that top bishop. Other bishops entered the fray, and they still haven't repaired relations. This schism is unlikely to be mended soon, especially after the invasion of Ukraine.
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#religion#christianity#orthodoxy#ukrainian orthodox#orthodox church of ukraine#russian orthodox#russia-ukraine war#article#ukraine#europe#divinum-pacis
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Предстоятель ПЦУ і Головнокомандувач ЗСУ обговорили розвиток військового капеланства
До резиденції Блаженнійшого Митрополита Київського і всієї України Епіфанія 03 лютого 2024 року завітав Головнокомандувач Збройними Силами України генерал Валерій Залужний, який висловив Його Блаженству привітання з нагоди п’ятої річниці інтронізації та Дня народження.
Блаженнійший владика також обговорив з Головнокомандувачем ЗСУ нагальні питання щодо функціонування й розвитку інституту…
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#Armed Forces of Ukraine#Commander-in-Chief#ЗСУ#Збройні Сили України#Митрополит Київський#ПЦУ#Православна церква України#Російське вторгнення в Україну#Російсько-українська війна#Християнcтво#Церква#Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine#OCU#Orthodox Church of Ukraine#Russo-Ukrainian War
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This picture I took of a Ukranian Orthodox Church in Saskatchewan last winter.
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The Pechersk Lavra monastery complex in Kyiv, Ukraine in 1918.
The area was blown up by the Soviets in 1941.
#ukrainian history#vintage ukraine#black and white#1910s#communism#anti communism#communist#early 20th century#eastern europe#orthodox christianity#orthodox church#1918#old photo#soviet union#lavra#ussr
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I was just discussing Putin's fictious 'family values' that he was boasting about to Tucker Carlson in this post.
Yulia Navalnya, widow of Alexei Navalny, released a video exposing Putin's fictitious 'Christian faith'. That was another boast the dictator made earlier this month to Tucker Carlson, who sat stupefied, as though he were in the presence of the Dalai Lama, rather than the presence of a genocidal dictator. Putin claimed that Westerners were more 'practical' and Russians more 'spiritual'.
Now that we all see Putin continuing to torture Navalny's family even after he murdered Alexei Navalny, everyone can judge this Russian 'spirituality' for themselves. A dictator tortures a grieving mother, a grieving wife, and grieving children, by bribing prison officials to tell lies and refuse to grant the most basic dignity in death to a man who was poisoned, falsely imprisoned, tortured, and eventually murdered.
Navalnaya points out the most obvious moral fraudulence of a man who is careful to be filmed kissing Orthodox icons while maintaining a terror state that murders dissidents.
She also points out later how Putin hid behind religious faith to justify his murderous war in Ukraine, which has now exceeded two years. The Russian Orthodox Church, led by ex-KGB agent Vladimir Gundyaev (now known as Patriarch Kirill), blessed Putin's murderous intentions under the guise of his 'one people' doctrine.
Patriarch Kirill described his 'one people' doctrine of Russians and Ukrainians as including the same Russian Orthodox Church and the same language, Russian. It was Patriarch Kirill who blessed Russian soldiers going to fight someone else's country without justification.
And it has been Patriarch Kirill who has been totally silent when Russian bombs have not only massacred innocents (the same people he claims are part of one entity), but also damaged Ukrainian churches.
It's not just Putin's faith that is fake; the entire Russian Orthodox establishment is fake. It exists on paper as a church, but in reality functions as an embezzlement and money laundering outfit for the Russian government, something Alexei Navalny exposed in his anti-corruption documentaries.
More importantly, the Russian Orthodox Church serves to sanitise and whitewash the ruling dictatorship by presenting the dictators (Putin and Lukashenko) as deeply spiritual men who are single-handedly preserving the religious and cultural foundations of the Russian state and Russian-speaking peoples. (As we know, they define the Russian state and Russian-speaking peoples in imperialist terms, namely, in terms of the non-existent Russian Empire.)
The church falsely advances the idea that without these dictators, Russia's stability would collapse and 'immorality', defined as Western liberal values, would creep in and cause moral ruin.
You had best believe that these 'spiritual' men are paid handsomely in bribes and luxuries like private jets to promulgate this false narrative. You had also best believe that despite their pontification about 'family values' and 'Russian culture', the Russian Orthodox Church has a long history of behaving in exactly the opposite way. Read about the state of the church and the morality of its priests and monks during the days of self-styled monk, Grigori Rasputin (c.1869-1916), as just one example. I put it to you that very little has changed since then.
We do not ask, but we demand: return the body of Alexei Navalny to his family immediately!
#return navalny's body#stop putin#stop russian aggression#stop the war in ukraine#stop russian terrorism#free ukraine#russia without putin#free russia#rest in peace#yulia navalnaya#patriarch kirill#russian orthodox church#violence#news#prison#abuse#human rights abuse#Youtube
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