The unrecognised Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine, has this summer banned three Protestant churches. One of the churches appears still able to meet for worship as it tries to gain registration. The rebel entity's latest Religion Law change restricts registered religious associations' activities to "participants and/or members". In June the Culture Minister ordered musical and other artistic institutions to display lists of banned books & organisations. (Source: Forum 18)...

The head of the commission of the Ministry of Culture for the acceptance and transfer of state property sites of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Mariana Tomin, stated on a national telethon that three objects of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra are still barricaded by unknown individuals.This was reported by Censor.NET. "We returned the property to the state and transferred all these sites to the reserve, but as of today, there are three facilities (buildings 54, 57, and 58) where unknown individuals barric...

Bartholomew, by God’s mercy Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch: “You have come to Mount Zion . . . and to the Church of the first-born” (Heb. 12.22–23), as the blessed Paul, apostle to the nations, declares to all the faithful, appropriately likening the Church to a mountain to affirm conviction and recognition as well as steadfastness and stability. For although the Church of God both is and is called one flock and one body of Christ—everywhere sharing the confess...

In 2019 the new manuals of the history of Ukraine will be published, they will cover the information of receiving Tomos on the autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The press service of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine reported this, according to UNN. “Students study the history of independent Ukraine in the 11th grade, and this year we will publish new manuals. When we received Tomos on the autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. I instruct...

The Transcarpathian Greek Catholic Union, named after Ivan Margytych, appealed to the pope to facilitate the reunification of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and remove from the leadership of the diocese those who oppose such unity. This is stated in a letter that the faithful of Transcarpathia sent to the Ecumenical Bishop, reports ZakarpattiaOnline. We submit the full text of the document: To His Holiness the Ecumenical Bishop Francis, the ...

Im Dom von Uschgorod in der Karpato-Ukraine ist am 20. Juli der eine Woche zuvor überraschend verstorbene Bischof der griechisch-katholischen Eparchie von Mukatschevo, Milan Šašik, beigesetzt worden. Die Teilnahme an dem Requiem für das Oberhaupt der Ruthenischen Griechisch-Katholischen Kirche war aufgrund der Corona-Epidemie nur eingeschränkt möglich. Am Abend wollte der Vorsitzende der Slowakischen Bischofskonferenz, Erzbischof Stanislav Zvolenský, in der Lazaristenkirche von Bratislava ein...

Laut Angaben von Verwaltungsbehörden in der Ukraine sind im laufenden Jahr 367 Gemeinden von der Ukrainischen Orthodoxen Kirche (UOK) zur Orthodoxen Kirche der Ukraine (OKU) übergetreten. Diese Zahl berücksichtigt Wechsel vom 1. Januar bis 1. Oktober 2023. Die Information wurde auf Anfrage eines Geschichtsprofessors der Nationalen Universität Ostroger Akademie vom Staatsdienst für Ethnopolitik und Gewissensfreiheit veröffentlicht. Dabei handelt es sich um Gemeinden, die nicht nur in einer Ver...

Appeal of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations on the provision of air defense for Ukraine and humanitarian corridors for the rescue of civilians: In more than a month of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, at least 153 children were killed, and more than 245 children were wounded. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have already suffered from constant Russian bombing and missiles aimed at residential areas. Russian troops shelled about 859 educational institutions,...

APPEAL of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations to the international community on the urgent delivery of additional air defense equipment for Ukraine: For a year and a half now, the people of Ukraine have been bravely and sacrificially resisting Russian aggression. Russia has already killed thousands of Ukrainian civilians in this groundless, unprovoked war that was begun by the Kremlin. Almost every family in every region of Ukraine is struggling to survive because Ru...

Appeal of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations regarding safety during religious holidays: This year, according to the Western church calendar, Christians celebrate Easter on April 17, and according to the Eastern church calendar, on April 24. From the evening of April 15 to the evening of April 23, Jews celebrate Passover. Until the end of April, Muslims celebrate the fasting month of Ramadan. As representatives of the religious community of Ukraine, we appeal to st...

The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations fully condemns the terrorist attacks on Ukrainian cities carried out by Russian troops with the aim of intimidating our people. STATEMENT of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations on Russian terrorist attacks on the cities of Ukraine: The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations fully condemns the terrorist attacks on Ukrainian cities carried out by Russian troops with the aim of intimidatin...

The Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church His Beatitude Sviatoslav and the Synod of Kyiv-Galician Supreme Archbishopric of the UGCC, taking into consideration numerous challenges in the social -political life of the Ukrainian society, addressed the laymen and clergy in order to represent some actual issues regarding the participation of the faithful in the social-political life of the country. This is the main topic of the Pastoral Advisory "The Call to the Laity to Participa...

A memo to a Christian voter and a Christian politician was issued by the bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, led by Patriarch Sviatoslav. The document was published by the UGCC Department of Information on February 14, as the election race is gaining momentum in Ukraine. The Bishops of the UGCC emphasize that every citizen must realize their duty to participate in the social and political life of the Motherland and to perceive it as an integral part of their own Christian vocation...

The official statement of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) on the pogroms of the Roma camps was released on June 25 by the UGCC Information Department. “On behalf of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church we strongly condemn such acts. This kind of actions, no matter by whom they were committed and no matter under which slogans these criminals hide, are not worthy of the European people, they discredit the independent Ukrainian state, and thus it is a matter that benefits the enemies o...

The 1'030th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine was celebrated in the main cathedral of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church - the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv, by the Hierarchical Liturgy, renewal of ceremonial vows and water blessing on the Dnieper River, as is reported by the Department of Information of the UGCC. According to the ancient tradition of the Kyivan Church, the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine in the Kyivan Metropolis is celebrated on August 14. There...

Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk), the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, has said that the UGCC already starts talking about the need for Ukrainian-Russian reconciliation despite the war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation and almost daily victims in the east. He pointed out that this process will be difficult, because Russia still “does not recognize Ukraine as a party” to a possible dialogue. This was reported by the Voice of America. “Ukrainian society is not yet ready to ...

On December 12, 2018, the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church appealed to clergy, monastics and lay people with the message “God's Word and Catechism.” The message says that the whole Church is responsible for Christian upbringing of their faithful, but the faithful can also fulfill this mission by sharing faith in the resurrected Christ. Therefore, as the message says, the family is a home church, and the parents are the first educators of the faith. “Dear parents! You a...

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav Shevchuk does not deny the possibility of postponing the celebration of Christmas from January 7, but believes that such a calendar reform "is not ready yet." The first hierarch said this in an interview with Radio Liberty: "The issue of calendar reform is still divided. We had the opportunity to think thoroughly at the Synod of our bishops in Ukraine, and so far we have seen that the percentage of people who understand and are read...

In an interview with the Polish Catholic News Agency, the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Cchurch, Patriarch Sviatoslav, told Russia is still looking for a way to conquer Ukraine, touched on the issue of the election campaign and indicated which model of national existence could ensure Ukraine's success. According to the Department of Information of the UGCC, the Primate noted that currently the Ukrainian society reminds him of a large volcano, in which different worldviews, hot politica...

The UGCC (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) is urging people to sign petition number 41/005649–23еп on the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine's page. This petition advocates for transferring St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv to the Roman Catholic parish of St. Nicholas. As of December 4th, over 13,000 citizens have signed the petition, aiming for the required 25,000 signatures. There are 54 days left to collect signatures, as reported by the UGCC Information Department. The St. Nicholas Church had bee...