On Christmas Eve according to the Gregorian Calendar, on December 24, in Sevastopol, in front of the building of Druzhba Cinema, a former Polish Catholic Church, a celebratory mass was held with the participation of Catholics not only the from the Crimea but from all over the world.
The city community of the Roman Catholic Church has to celebrate Christmas in the open air. The return of the building to the religious community has been delayed for two decades due to the indifference and often hostile attitude of the local officials and deputies. However, the community continues its activity and celebratory services are conducted in the open air, in front of the church.
This year, the mass was attended by the senior priest of the Greek Catholic community of the city, Mykola Kvych. According to him, the sister-churches maintain friendly relations: “Different traditions do not make us alien. And it is very pleasant to share the celebration with our brethren. This is the small thing we can do to support them.”
The mass was attended also by 50 Catholic cadets of the Nakhimov Navy Academy from Africa. The cadets from the Equatorial Guinea will come back to their country in a few years. They were special guests at the celebration.