Christian Unity Services in the Ukrainian Catholic Church
Jan 27, 2020 13:02:06 GMT -5
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Post by wenceslav on Jan 27, 2020 13:02:06 GMT -5
The continued slide of the Ukrainian Catholic Church leadership.......
The recent ecumenical services conducted by Met. Sviatoslav (head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church) included various Protestants, Ukrainian, Russian and Armenian Orthodox as well as a representative of the Jewish religion. As the title from the UGCC news service article indicates, Met. Sviatoslav thinks they are all united by faith in one God, one faith and one baptism.
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The recent ecumenical services conducted by Met. Sviatoslav (head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church) included various Protestants, Ukrainian, Russian and Armenian Orthodox as well as a representative of the Jewish religion. As the title from the UGCC news service article indicates, Met. Sviatoslav thinks they are all united by faith in one God, one faith and one baptism.
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Ukrainian Catholic News Service
During the prayer for the unity of Christians, the head of the UGCC: "There is much that unites us - one God, one faith, one baptism."
January 26, 2020
Pope Francis wants to tell us today that the Word of God is an inexhaustible treasure of Christian unity. The Word of God through the mouth of the Apostle Paul tells us there is already much that unites us - one God, one faith, one baptism.
The father and the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said this at the Church of St. Basil the Great UGCC in Kiev during the Interfaith Prayer, held during the Week of Prayers for the Unity of Christians.
The main topic of reflection and slogan of this year's Ecumenical Week were the words from the Acts of the Apostles: "Let us be merciful" (Acts 28, 2), - discussed by by [Ukrainian Orthodox] Bishop Alexander (Drabinko), Metropolitan of Pereyaslavsky and Vyshnevsky, the governor of Pereyaslavskaya.
“Let us be merciful as our Father is merciful. These words are repeated many times in the Scriptures, and for us Christians are especially important and even programmatic. They sound from the mouth of the Savior himself as a call to worship” said Bishop Alexander.
He noted that the church in Ukraine is divided today. "We cherish our own identities. Identities, which, unfortunately, are often confessional rather than evangelical. And this is sad - sad, because we give preference to the minor, sometimes we lose ourselves as Christians, ”the preacher said.
According to him, the human personality can only occur in a state of communication, through sacrificial openness to God and other people.
“To exist in openness and movement to another person. That is the main message of Pope Francis. He calls us to rediscover gospel love and mercy. It calls us to see in another person, often a person of a different culture and outlook, our neighbor, that is, a person who needs our sympathy and help, ”he said.
"Mercy unites," Bishop Alexander emphasizes. "It unites us with God and our neighbor."
At the end of the prayer, Met. Sviatoslav thanked the Lord God, who infuses into our hearts the necessity and inevitability of Christian unity, for sending us his Holy Spirit, the teacher of prayer, the Holy Spirit, who is the spirit of unity in love and mercy.
"This Sunday, which is celebrated in the Universal Church by the Week of Prayers for the Unity of Christians, was first proclaimed by the Holy Father Pope Francis as the Sunday of God's Word. The Pope wants to tell us today that the Word of God is an inexhaustible treasure of Christian unity. Regardless of the denomination, all Christians read and listen to the same Word of God. For all of us here, are the collected works of Holy Scripture, the Bible, it is the source of our faith. It is our space for communion with God, ”said the Primate.
The head of the UGCC thanked Bishop Alexander (Drabinka) who spoke the Word of God this evening. He also asked the bishop to convey his gratitude to the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Epiphani, for the establishment of a department for external church relations by the Synod of the UOC. And that this new Church is born in openness to fellow Christians.
He also thanked his brothers of the Roman Catholic Church. “Together we are called to witness this active Christian love,” added His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
Met. Sviatoslav also thanked the widespread presence of the Protestant brothers and the representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
“And for the first time we have a representative of an interesting community of messianic Jews. Tomorrow the whole world will honor the victims of the Holocaust. The 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz - a concentration camp where so many Jewish people were killed, as well as priests, monks, nuns of different peoples and nationalities, ”said the Primate.
During the prayer for the unity of Christians, the head of the UGCC: "There is much that unites us - one God, one faith, one baptism."
January 26, 2020
Pope Francis wants to tell us today that the Word of God is an inexhaustible treasure of Christian unity. The Word of God through the mouth of the Apostle Paul tells us there is already much that unites us - one God, one faith, one baptism.
The father and the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said this at the Church of St. Basil the Great UGCC in Kiev during the Interfaith Prayer, held during the Week of Prayers for the Unity of Christians.
The main topic of reflection and slogan of this year's Ecumenical Week were the words from the Acts of the Apostles: "Let us be merciful" (Acts 28, 2), - discussed by by [Ukrainian Orthodox] Bishop Alexander (Drabinko), Metropolitan of Pereyaslavsky and Vyshnevsky, the governor of Pereyaslavskaya.
“Let us be merciful as our Father is merciful. These words are repeated many times in the Scriptures, and for us Christians are especially important and even programmatic. They sound from the mouth of the Savior himself as a call to worship” said Bishop Alexander.
He noted that the church in Ukraine is divided today. "We cherish our own identities. Identities, which, unfortunately, are often confessional rather than evangelical. And this is sad - sad, because we give preference to the minor, sometimes we lose ourselves as Christians, ”the preacher said.
According to him, the human personality can only occur in a state of communication, through sacrificial openness to God and other people.
“To exist in openness and movement to another person. That is the main message of Pope Francis. He calls us to rediscover gospel love and mercy. It calls us to see in another person, often a person of a different culture and outlook, our neighbor, that is, a person who needs our sympathy and help, ”he said.
"Mercy unites," Bishop Alexander emphasizes. "It unites us with God and our neighbor."
At the end of the prayer, Met. Sviatoslav thanked the Lord God, who infuses into our hearts the necessity and inevitability of Christian unity, for sending us his Holy Spirit, the teacher of prayer, the Holy Spirit, who is the spirit of unity in love and mercy.
"This Sunday, which is celebrated in the Universal Church by the Week of Prayers for the Unity of Christians, was first proclaimed by the Holy Father Pope Francis as the Sunday of God's Word. The Pope wants to tell us today that the Word of God is an inexhaustible treasure of Christian unity. Regardless of the denomination, all Christians read and listen to the same Word of God. For all of us here, are the collected works of Holy Scripture, the Bible, it is the source of our faith. It is our space for communion with God, ”said the Primate.
The head of the UGCC thanked Bishop Alexander (Drabinka) who spoke the Word of God this evening. He also asked the bishop to convey his gratitude to the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Epiphani, for the establishment of a department for external church relations by the Synod of the UOC. And that this new Church is born in openness to fellow Christians.
He also thanked his brothers of the Roman Catholic Church. “Together we are called to witness this active Christian love,” added His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
Met. Sviatoslav also thanked the widespread presence of the Protestant brothers and the representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
“And for the first time we have a representative of an interesting community of messianic Jews. Tomorrow the whole world will honor the victims of the Holocaust. The 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz - a concentration camp where so many Jewish people were killed, as well as priests, monks, nuns of different peoples and nationalities, ”said the Primate.