Themes by tag: religion

On January 24, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will host a press conference entitled: “Nothing sacred: war crimes by the russian occupiers against religious communities and the clergy.”

During the event, the participants will speak of numerous facts of religious persecution in the occupied territories and violations of international humanitarian law by the aggressor against religious buildings during hostilities.

Participants:

• Viktor Yelenskyi, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience;
• Yevgeniy Zakharov, Director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group;
• Vyacheslav Likhachev, Expert Council Member at the Center for Civil Liberties;
• Ruslan Khalikov, religious studies expert, Head of “Religion on Fire” project, Workshop for the Academic Study of Religion.

The event requires registration.

• religion
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Ivan Teremko has been a priest for 30 years, and for 22 years he has been conducting church services on prostheses. In 1999, he became the abbot of the Archangel Michael Church in the village of Hlushkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk region. (Recently, he was awarded a high church award – the “Cross of Freedom” medal).

A few days ago, a photo went viral, in which the priest is sitting with a Ukrainian defender who lost both his legs in the war with both their prostheses nearby. The priest shared his experience of holding church services for more than 20 years despite living with the amputations of his two legs, and also supported the military man.

Ivan Teremko lost his legs as a result of extreme weather that raged in 2002. He was trapped in the snow, and he even had to crawl on his hands through the snow to survive.

Journalists are welcome to learn more about this tragic case and how the priest takes care of his parish during the war by talking to him offline or online. 

• religion
• Ivano-Frankivsk

On December 25, the largest didukh in Ukraine, measuring 7.5 meters high will be installed in Kyiv. The trident-shaped didukh will be made of wheat. It was created by paratrooper Yaroslav Kuchma, who was temporarily unable to walk due to an injury, and 95-year-old Pelageya Zhyvko from the Lviv region.

News media to cover participants giving comments on the event:

– the National Register of Records of Ukraine experts;

– Tetiana Volochai, Director at MHP-Hromadi Charitable Foundation (that provided financial support to the initiative);

– Pavlo Moroz, Director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Department of MHP;

– Oksana Poviakel, Director General of the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine;

– Yaroslav Kuchma, paratrooper, commander of the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the Airborne Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Event accreditation is required.

For reference: Didukh is a Ukrainian Christmas decoration made of ears of grain (originally a pagan idol, a symbol of a patron ancestor, and a symbol of harvest, prosperity, and wealth).

• culture
• religion
• Kyiv

On December 14, a ceremonial handover of chaplain backpacks to military chaplains of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will take place in Kyiv. For the first time, volunteers will give each military chaplain a special backpack for the needs of chaplains serving at the frontlines.

The organizers of the event are convinced that volunteer support for chaplaincy service is extremely important, because chaplains take care of the spirit of Ukrainian soldiers.

The participants of the event will include:

• Nadiia Vovk – a Ukrainian volunteer, the initiator of the campaign to support and provide for chaplains in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
• Colonel Oleksii Tereshchuk – Head of the Military Chaplaincy Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
• Military chaplains of the Armed Forces of Ukraine of various denominations.

The event requires accreditation.

• religion
• Kyiv

On February 26, 2022, Vasyl Vyrozub, the abbot of the Odesa Holy Trinity Church of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, was captured by the enemy. He was among those who went to Snake Island to collect the bodies of the border guards, who were still considered dead at that time.

The Ukrainian ship that Vasyl was traveling on was captured by the russian cruiser “Moskva.” The man, along with two other military chaplains and a doctor, was captured by the russians. Vasyl’s captivity lasted 70 days, during which he was tortured. The russians interrogated the Ukrainians constantly: they could not understand why the crew had set out to collect the bodies of the border guards. The captives were forced to sing the national anthem of the aggressor country, stand on their knees, and were kept in solitary confinement.

After being captured, Vasyl received the Memory of Nations award from the Czech non-profit organization Post Bellum, the main purpose of which is to honor living witnesses of historical events: war veterans, political prisoners.

For reference: The fighting for Snake Island began on February 24, 2022, when russian invaders captured the island. At first all 13 Ukrainian border guards who had been protecting the island were considered to have been killed. Subsequently, the Border Service of Ukraine reported that the Snake island defenders may be in captivity.

On July 4, 2022, Snake Island returned under Ukraine’s control. 

• casualties
• prisoners
• religion

On December 10, in Kyiv, Plast will hold the first official event in Ukraine to transfer the Light of Bethlehem to the military, civil and volunteer organizations. In particular, representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, “Come back Alive” Foundation, the Serhiy Prytula Foundation, BUR, ULA and many others will receive a lamp with the Light from the Holy Land.

Plast scouts will receive a lamp with the Light of Bethlehem at a traditional scouting ceremony in Vienna on the morning of December 10 and will immediately take it to Kyiv. The event in the capital will begin with a marathon of good deeds for the military. Plast scouts and guests will make trench candles, helmets, bracelets and letters. Then this winter’s first official transfer of the Peace Light of Bethlehem in Ukraine will begin: Plast will share the Light with everyone present.

Later, through Ukrzaliznytsia, it will be distributed to all corners of the country. Lamps will also be delivered for defenders at the front lines.

Background: Plast has been participating in the “scout relay” of the Bethlehem Light for more than 30 years.

• culture
• military
• religion
• volunteers

On November 24, at 11:00 AM, Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform will host a briefing entitled: “The new calendar of the holidays of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine: how the dates of religious holidays have changed.”

Participants:

– Heorhii Kovalenko, priest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, (online).

For reference: On September 1, 2023, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church switched to a new type of calendar. They will use the Revised Julian calendar. For example, if Christmas used to be celebrated on January 7 in Ukraine, now it is on December 25.

• religion
• Kyiv

On September 21, a press conference entitled: “Interfaith cooperation between religious communities in Ukraine and the United States for the sake of peace in Ukraine” will be held in Kyiv. The participants include (in person):

• Dr. Mohammed Zaher Sahloul, MedGlobal President, professor at the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Washington,
• Kareem M. Irfan, Vice President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA),
• Rev. Gregory Seal Livingston, Ordained Baptist Minister, Pastor, Preacher,
• Sheikh Rustam Gafuri, Deputy Mufti of Ukraine of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine, representative of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations,
• Evelina Kurilets, Director at Razom for Ukraine Charitable Foundation.

The topics of focus at the press conference include: countering the propaganda of the russian Orthodox Church and Patriarch Kirill in the U.S. and Muslim countries, as well as conveying the truth about the war in Ukraine to the highest political circles in the U.S.

• religion
• Kyiv

Hasidic pilgrims have been arriving in Uman, Cherkasy region to celebrate Rosh Hashanah for a week. This year, the celebration of the Jewish New Year falls on September 15-17. It is widely known that Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, founder of Breslover Hasidim, is buried in the city.

Security measures are being tightened in Uman. From September 11 to 21, a special regime of entry and exit, as well as the citizens’ travel through the city will be in place. Journalists who want to cover the celebration must obtain special permits.

Earlier, the regional authorities recommended that pilgrims refrain from visiting the country, given the war and regular mass shelling.

• religion
• Cherkasy

Kateryna Semenyuk from Lutsk became a volunteer and military chaplain after russia’s full-scale invasion. At first, Kateryna helped to collect aid for Ukrainians from abroad, then she began making trips to the de-occupied territories. And now she regularly visits the frontline. With her husband Serhii, Kateryna is raising five children, the youngest son, Luka, was born on February 24, 2022, the day when russia began its full-scale invasion.

For reference: Military chaplains are priests who combine their ecclesiastical rank with other activities. A chaplain can be a citizen of Ukraine with a higher theological education who is a part of clergy of a church or religious organization registered in Ukraine. They must also obtain a mandate from their own church for the right to perform chaplaincy.

• religion
• volunteers