The two rites officially separated in 2019. Ukraine has a lot of Russian-speakers who are faithful to the Church of Moscow, but due to the inflammatory statements of Patriarch Kirill, they are very uncomfortable.
We are at the Russian Rite Church of St. Iyov Pochaevsky, in Konstantinovska, in the Ukrainian-controlled Donbass. Orthodox Easter is normally celebrated all night, but not this year: to avoid gatherings during the curfew, the Ukrainian government has asked churches to start only on Sunday mornings.
Religion is important to Ukrainians; men and women (headscarves) bring their baskets of Passover eggs and pastries to be blessed and light thin candles in various places in front of the icons.
St. Iyov Pochaevsky, the Russian Rite Church of Konstantinovska, in Ukrainian-controlled Donbass
Photo: TurnedNews.com / Jean-Michel Leprince
A choir of about ten singers, among whom we hear remarkable basses, accompanies the ceremony without interruption.
Because of the 2014 war, the schism materialized in 2019. The two rites are now separated and autocephalous
. The Primate of Ukraine is Metropolitan Epiphanius. The one from Moscow is Patriarch Kirill.
However, at the beginning of the war, the patriarch Kirill said this: God forbid that the current political situation in fraternal Ukraine should be aimed at making the forces of evil prevail, which have always fought for the unity of Russia and the Russian Church.
Pope Vadim blesses Easter baskets.
Photo: TurnedNews.com / Jean-Michel Leprince
Patriarch Kirill, KGB agent?
Outside the church, Pope Vadim blesses other worshipers and their Passover baskets. He does not want to comment on the words of his patriarch. He prefers to speak of the wrath of God which results in war and he asks to pray for men to find reason and for peace to return.
Religion is at the heart of the war in Ukraine.
Photo: TurnedNews.com / Jean-Michel Leprince
In kyiv, Igor Ponamarchuk is a historian and has the largest collection of Ukrainian icons in his museum. He tells us this:Kirill is a general in the KGB, the former Russian secret service. It’s been documented since 1991, when Russia for a time became democratic. The Russian Church has been controlled by the Russian government since Stalin.”,”text”:”Kirill is a general in the KGB, the former Russian secret service. It’s been documented since 1991, when Russia for a time became democratic. The Russian Church has been controlled by the Russian government since Stalin.”}}’> Kirill is a general in the KGB, the former Russian secret service. It’s been documented since 1991, when Russia for a time became democratic. The Russian Church has been controlled by the Russian government since Stalin.
More and more, he says, Ukrainians of the Russian rite are leaving the Church of Moscow obedience and taking sides with the Church of Ukraine.
The report by Jean-Michel Leprince.
