His Beatitude Onuphry meets with young pilgrims from near-front zone
Children from the eastern region of Ukraine were specially invited to Kiev to be saveв at least for a few days from the war and given a peaceful holiday.
On January 8, 2020, on the day of commemoration of Synaxis of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, met with children from the Donbas at Holy Intercession Goloseyevo Monastery in Kiev. This was reported by the Information and Education Department of the UOC.
“When the Savior came to earth, the first persons who bowed to Him were the young men who herded the flock, shepherds. They came first and gave divine worship to the Divine Infant Christ, who lay in a manger. And today, these days, we have the joy to see here, in Kiev, in this monastery, our dear children, brothers from the Donbas, who came here so that we could be together these days, rejoice, look at each other; so that we remember that we are God's creations, that God wants us to live together in joy, in peace, in harmony,” said the Primate, wishing that the peace of God would always be in our hearts, in our families, in our state and across the world, after which the Primate gave his blessing to the children.
The Archpastor was accompanied by the UOC Chancellor, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, Abbot of the monastery Bishop Isaac of Vorzel, Bishop Sylvester of Belogorod, and Bishop Dionisy of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky.
“We tried in our monasteries and here, in the Goloseyevo abode, to create this cosiness so that they would be able to get rid of this fear of war at least a little; to make them feel comfortable in a festive, joyful ambience and remember it for their whole life,” His Eminence Anthony noted in a commentary to Inter TV channel.
Recall that 45 pupils from the front-line of Krasnogorovka, Maryinsky District, Donetsk region, were received at the Holy Assumption Pochaev Lavra.
As reported by the UOJ, on January 6, 2020, the charity event “Christmas. People instead of war. Children of Donbas” started, as part of which the Ukrainian Orthodox Church during the Christmas holidays receives more than 100 children from the “red zone” of the contact line in the Donbas. As the Advisor to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council on reintegration and restoration of the Donbas and the coordinator of the charity project Sergei Sivokho noted, “Donbas children now need a fairy tale which adults have taken away from them. And we, the adults, are also responsible for returning it. Thanks to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and caring people, these holidays will give children a little magic and faith in miracles and good.”
