Head of the Uniates on the transition to the new calendar: Patriots kicked, but quickly swallowed
Initially, the initiative to switch to the New Julian calendar met with harsh criticism and fears of loss of identity in Ukraine.
The head of the UGCC, Svyatoslav Shevchuk, stated this in an interview with the FreeDom channel, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
The host asked how easily the church had transitioned to Catholic Christmas.
"During the interwar period, our Ukrainian patriotic forces took a completely different position, speaking about the dangers of Polonization and, I would say, the influence of Latin on our church, the loss of identity. But now all these sentiments have faded into the background, and our society has matured and come to this decision. Our people were eagerly awaiting us."
In our church, we gave the opportunity to choose, and then announced a transition period. For our entire church in Ukraine, only one parish asked for a deferment – in the Kharkiv region,” Shevchuk responded.
He commented on the appeal of the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew to the Catholic Church with a proposal to celebrate Easter together.
"I think the road will still be difficult. Unfortunately, Orthodoxy is very fragmented today. Even if the Ecumenical Patriarchate were to take such a step today, it's unclear whether all Orthodox churches would support it. Therefore, Roman Catholics are more likely to switch to Orthodox Easter than Orthodox Christians will be able to find unity among themselves to carry out a profound and complete reform of the Paschalia they adhere to today," the Uniate said.
Let us recall that in September 2023, Ukraine switched to the New Julian church calendar, which is why most Christian holidays are celebrated in the Western manner.
English version :: Read in English The head of the Uniates on the transition to the new calendar: The patriots kicked up a fuss, but quickly swallowed it.