Ukrainian Catholics have been among the few sects under the papacy that observe holidays based on the Julian calendar, resulting in different celebration dates compared to the Gregorian calendar followed by most Western nations.
A change has happened, and the Ukrainian Catholics will now celebrate Christmas on December 25 and Epiphany on January 6, similar to the practices followed by the US and other Western countries. This change is a departure from the long-standing tradition of celebrating these feasts according to the Julian calendar, which the Russian Orthodox Church and other Eastern churches under the Patriarchate of Moscow also follow.
UGCC Makes Shift to Celebrate Christmas with Western Church: A Step towards Christian Unity
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), the largest church in the country, is making a significant shift in its celebration of Christmas. According to Reuters, in 2023, the faithful of the UGCC will celebrate the holiday on December 25, aligning with the Western church, rather than the traditional date of January 7, according to the Julian Calendar.
The decision was made during a synodal meeting of the church's bishops and reflected the broader trend in Ukraine of distancing itself from Russian cultural influence. The move was supported by the majority of those surveyed in an online poll, with up to 90% of Ukrainian Roman Catholics supporting the change, according to The Pillar. Despite the change in the date of Christmas, the celebration of movable feasts and Easter will remain unchanged, according to Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk.
Efforts are underway for the Roman and Greek Catholic churches to come to a consensus on an expected date for the celebration of Easter. In the article of Catholic News Agency, the goal of this collaboration is to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 2025 with a shared understanding of the crucial holiday.
A statement has revealed that the two churches are in ongoing dialogue as they work towards a new arrangement for the celebration of Easter, with the aim of a unified celebration on the same day. This renewed Paschalia is a significant step towards unifying Christians and marking this important anniversary.
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Gradual Shift to Gregorian Calendar
According to Aleteia, the transition to the Gregorian calendar by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is gradual, with the changes to take effect on September 1, 2023. Archbishop Shevchuk has allowed for some flexibility, acknowledging that individual parishes may need time to adjust to the new calendar.
The goal is for the entire UGCC to be aligned with the Gregorian calendar by 2025. The change is expected to impact approximately 10% of the Ukrainian population who are members of the UGCC. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the largest church in the country, will continue to follow the Julian calendar for now, but that too may change in the future, according to the Archbishop. The shift towards the Gregorian calendar will bring the UGCC closer to unity with the Roman Catholic Church, which adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1582.
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