Pilgrims from Ukraine headed by the bishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church pray for peace in Ukraine at the tomb of St. Nicholas of Japan

Metropolitan Luka of Zaporozhye and Melitopol, together with representatives of the Zaporozhye diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, went on a pilgrimage visit to Japan, reports the Information and Education Department of the UOC

The pilgrims primarily visited the graves of holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Nicholas (Kasatkin), Archbishop of Japan, and the Japanese bishops of the Japanese Church Metropolitan Sergius (Tikhomirov), Feodosiya (Nagashima) and Bishop Nicholas (Ono).

At the cemetery in front of the burial place of St. Nicholas of Japan, Equal a moleben was held, during which the pilgrims offered prayers for peace in Ukraine.

At the Holy Resurrection Cathedral of the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Luka, together with other pilgrims, met with His Eminence Metropolitan Daniel of Tokyo and All Japan, Primate of the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church.

In his speech, Metropolitan Daniel noted that despite the geographical distance separating Ukraine from Japan, he is closely watching the events that occur in it, and pray to God that through the prayers of the Queen of Heaven and St. Nicholas Equal the armed conflict on the Ukrainian land will cease.

In turn, Bishop Luca told Reverend Daniel about the history, saints, social and humanitarian activities of the Zaporozhye diocese, as well as about the missionary days in Sunday schools devoted to Nicholas of Japan.