In Zaporizhzhia, Christians of different Churches and Muslims prayed for an end to the pandemic
Pope Francis declared May 14, 2020, to be the day of the spiritual unity of religions in prayer and fasting for the end of the coronavirus pandemic.
In this regard, the leaders of religious organizations of the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Ukrainian Church of Evangelical Christians, and the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine "Umma" held an interfaith prayer in the sanctuary of God the Merciful Father in Zaporizhia. Metropolitan Luka of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol of UOC-MP did not attend.
This is reported by Suspilne TV.
After the speech, the leaders of religious organizations read a prayer.
"In the Holy Scripture, the prophet David said these words: How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! These words were written and proclaimed for the coming of our Lord Christ into the world. If two or three people gather on earth and ask for something from the Heavenly Father, then the heavenly Father will hear and respond to their requests. Today we have gathered for a joint prayer to ask God for mercy and protection," said Bishop Photios of Zaporizhia and Melitopol.
"Both the Muslim community and the entire Muslims of Ukraine support this initiative and join this joint prayer. Today, the entire Muslim world is celebrating the fasting month of Ramadan. And at the end of the fast, Muslims will celebrate and say a festive prayer. And now the Muslims of the world are praying in their homes and asking God to rid us of this disease, this virus. We ask the Most High Allah to rid us of this virus, the coronavirus, and help us overcome these tests, pass all these tests," said Imam of the mosque of the Islamic cultural center "Faith" Muhammad Mamutov.
"With the blessing of the Supreme Patriarch, Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin II, from the first days of this virus, coronavirus, the Armenian Apostolic Church prays every day that the Lord God will forgive our sins and deliver us from every virus and every disease. And thank God that all Christians around the world, and not only Christians, but all religious organizations and denominations, and all believers, we all understand that the Lord God does not send such diseases in vain to make us survive this period. As this period is like an exam: how we will live, how we will overcome such difficulties " said father Yusik Nurijanyan.
"It is in spiritual unity that the strength of the Ukrainian nation lies, only together can we overcome the consequences of coronavirus, as well as any aggressor. This is proved by the example of the Maidan when the nation united and defeated the Yanukovych regime first, and then did not allow Russia to destroy the Ukrainian state," said the Director of the Department of Culture, Tourism, Nationalities and Religions of the regional state administration Vladyslav Moroko.
