“Unity among Christians is the work of the Holy Spirit,” says Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church at St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv
On January 22, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, took part in an interfaith prayer service for Christian unity. The joint prayer service was held at St. Nicholas Church of the Roman Catholic Church in Kyiv.
The prayer service was led by Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine. This year, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is held under the slogan: “One body, one spirit, and one hope of your calling” (Eph. 4:4).
The common prayer was also attended by: Auxiliary Bishop Oleksandr Yazlovetsky of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, together with priests; Archbishop Agapit of Vyshgorod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine; Bishop Marcus Oganasyan, Bishop of the Ukrainian Eparchy of the Armenian Apostolic Church; Pastor Valery Werner, representative of the Ukrainian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith, Pastor Ihor Shamihon, representative of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine, and Pastor Oleh Hladkov, representative of the Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church.
Archbishop Agapit of Vyshgorod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine delivered a homily during the prayer service. He began by congratulating the Roman Catholic faithful on the historic event—the transfer of St. Nicholas Church to the Roman Catholic Church. He then focused his sermon on a passage from the Old Testament—Moses’ address to Israel from the Book of Deuteronomy (6:4–9).
“Faith cannot be only a matter of words or traditions. The Word of God must dwell in the heart and become the source of thoughts and decisions. What we hold in our hearts is naturally reflected in our words and deeds,” emphasized Archbishop Agapit.
He also called on Christians in Ukraine to unity, noting that only together can we resist evil: “Only by being united can we overcome the evil that has come upon our land today. I want to wish that the Lord, through our prayers and seeing our intentions, will help us Ukrainians to unite first and foremost—to unite around Christ, around God.”
Addressing those present, Auxiliary Bishop Oleksandr Yazlovetsky of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church said that the diocese’s ordinary, Vitaliy Kryvytsky, had wanted this interfaith prayer to take place in St. Nicholas Church even before it was transferred to the Roman Catholic community. The bishop also drew attention to the conditions in which the prayer took place: due to the smashed stained-glass windows as a result of the recent Russian attack, the main room of the church remains cold, so the prayer service took place in the basement, which was heated. He thanked the Christians of Ukraine for their support in the Roman Catholics’ desire to return the church to their use.
After the interfaith prayer, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, addressed those present. Speaking about the significance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, he noted that common prayer is an integral part of the culture of modern Christianity, regardless of denominational affiliation.
“Prayer for unity among Christians is part of the culture of modern Christians, regardless of denomination. This is a special moment in the life of Christians in Ukraine, when we not only pray together for unity, but also visit each other in churches, different communities, and denominations,” emphasized the Primate.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized that this prayer has a special nature and meaning. According to him, on the one hand, it is a prayer of repentance, because the very fact of division among Christians is a sin.
“We recognize that the very fact that we are divided among ourselves is a sin, an anomaly, something distorted, for which we must ask God’s help,” he said.
At the same time, according to the Head of the UGCC, the desire for unity is the work of the Holy Spirit, as the Apostle Paul reminds us. He also noted that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of diversity, in which the uniqueness of each church tradition is preserved.
“Each is unique and unrepeatable. Each Church in its tradition is absolutely unique and is a treasure of the Universal Church. But at the same time, it is the Holy Spirit who creates unity in this diversity,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
The Head of the UGCC then emphasized that the unity for which Christians pray “cannot be merely abstract or symbolic, but must be complete and visible.”
“The Holy Spirit is the One who grants unity, who heals, strengthens, and fills us with it. It is a privilege for us today to invoke the Holy Spirit here, in this church, which is a symbol of the suffering Church of Christ today,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
In conclusion, His Beatitude Sviatoslav invited all those present to pray together the ancient Byzantine invocation of the Holy Spirit, “Heavenly King,” emphasizing: “May He come down, heal what is wounded, unite what is divided, and strengthen us all with Christian hope.”
Summing up the joint prayer, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, noted that, listening to one another, Christians today spoke openly about their desire for unity: “If we have heard this, then the Lord surely hears it even more.”
The interfaith prayer service ended with a joint performance of the song “God, I pray for Ukraine.”
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will last from January 18 to 25.
The texts for joint prayer and biblical reflection this year were prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church. This Saturday, January 24, at 6:00 PM, a joint prayer for Christian unity will take place at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Kyiv.
Photo credit: Roman Catholic Parish of St. Nicholas in Kyiv
