UOC Primate Blessed and Opened Second International Holy Intercession Readings
On October 22, on the premises of the Institute of International Relations of Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University, at the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr the Second International Holy Intercession Educational Readings started their work, having the name this year “Church in the World: Ministry of Love”.
At the entrance to the Institute the Primate of the UOC was met by the Institute administration led by Rector Leonid Hubernskyi and Chair of the Missionary Department to the Holy Synod of the UOC Archbishop Philipp of Poltyava and Myrhorod, who is one of the organizers of the event.
Saying his greeting word, His Eminence Philip announced the II International Holy Intercession Readings to be open and pointed out their major tasks.
” We view the Holy Intercession Readings as cooperation between the Church and various social, academic, governmental and state structures. In other words the Church has to occupy appropriate place in the society that it had occupied formerly, and holding such readings we hope that they will not just simply enrich one another – the Church and the state, but that they will help to restore as soon as may be that spiritual heritage, that high spiritual foundation upon which the Ukrainian nation and state had been formed’, noted the chairman of the Synodal Missionary Department.
Then, by the procedure the floor was given to Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine, who blessed the honourable assembly and addressed those present with the word of greeting, in which he noted:
“The Church has never opposed to knowledge. The knowledge, if under the auspices of the orthodox faith, work beneficially and heartily for the common cause of “humanization of man”. The ministry of love, which became the central theme of the ІІ Holy Intercession Readings, is of great significance, since it embraces everyone and everything. Let this love unite all of us, brothers and sisters, with the people of various specialties and different in character, knowledge and faith”, said the Primate.
The next one addressing the assembly was Rector of the Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University Leonid Hubernsky, who underscored the importance of the cooperation between the Church and the institution he heads, and greeted the conference participants.
” I think our university is lucky that we have the honor to hold on our premises for the second time such reputable readings. It enables us to involve our teachers and what’s more important, the younger generation, our students. It is symbolic that it is in our walls that these readings are held and it is good that finally we return to God and the spiritual sources of our people and history. This is what is highly important for us and the people of different generations”, he said in particular.
In the fist part of the conference the greeting addresses of the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Poland, His Beatitude Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and Patriarchal Exarch o All Belarus, Metropolitan Philaret o Misnk and Slutsk were read out, as well as the greetings by the petro Tolochko, academician of NAS of Ukraine, by Rector of the Kyiv Theological Schools, Archbsihop Anthony of Boryspil, by Ivan Bekh, director of the Institute for Pedagogical Problems, Chair of the Synodal Department “Church and Culture” hegumeness Seraphima Shevchyk.
By the end of the first part of the event the Archpastor gifted Archbishop Philip of Poltava and Myrhorod with an exemplar of the facsimile edition of the Peresopnytsia Gospels for his considerable contribution to the construction of Holy Resurrection Cathedral of the UOC and conferred the jubilee orders of “450 Years of Bringing of Pochayiv Theotokos Icon to Volyn” on the workers of science and culture. In particular, the awards were bestowed on Leonid Hubernskyi and Ivan Bekh.
The Second International Holy Intercession Readings “Church in the World: Ministry of Love” will continue from October 22 to 24.
Detailed program of the event is available by the link >>>
Maxim Sydorenko
pictures by deacon Maxim Brusnyka
Snaps: fotolitopys.in.ua
