Walid Zaqout, Palestinian ambassador to Ukraine, on 24 December 2002 asked Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) “to pray for peace in the Holy Land during the festive Divine Liturgy.” According to the ambassador, this prayer “will give all believers an opportunity to perform their religious rituals in the holy city of Bethlehem without obstacles.” This news was reported by the press service of the UOC-MP on 27 December 2002. Source: www.orthodox.org.ua