The UOC-MP believes that Ukraine should not celebrate Christmas with the whole of Europe on December 25

This was stated by the representative of the UOC-MP, rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary, Bishop Sylvester of Bilogorodka, reports RBC-Ukraine.

According to him, disputes about the celebration of Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar or the Julian calendar "once again divided Ukrainian society and once again showed that, unfortunately, we often think in the categories of cliches and cliches."

He stresses that "if we move the date of the celebration of Christmas, we will have to move the dates of all other Orthodox holidays (except Easter)."

"Do those who are eager to celebrate Christmas "with the whole of Europe" understand that they will eventually have to abandon the usual date of a number of not just religious holidays, but those that have become part of the cultural identity of Ukrainians? For example, the feast of the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos," the representative of the UOC-MP writes.

The Bishop believes that "discussions about the date of Christmas have once again shown that Ukrainian society as a whole is not ready to respect other views, opinions, and desires of another person."

"Aligning with the European format of Christmas celebration, where the traditional Nativity – Christmas – has long been designed for entertainment, which ultimately turns Christmas "into a seasonal interior decoration" (Umberto Eco's expression) - is not the best idea for a large part of religious Ukraine," he says.

Sylvester appealed to Ukrainians with an urgent request "not to rush to abandon their traditions in favor of fashion trends."

According to the latest opinion poll, 26% of Ukrainian residents support the idea of moving Christmas from January 7 to December 25.