State has no right to invade into confession matters, – UOC hierarch on moving the date of Christmas celebration (VIDEO)

A real date of Jesus Christ’s birth does not coincide with either Catholic or Orthodox Christmas calendar, while the problem of changing the date of Christmas celebration is concocted by the Verkhovna Rada MPs. It was announced by the UOC Metropolitan of Zaporozhye and Melitopol Luke on December 28 during the online-conference of Komsomolskaya Pravda in Ukraine “What is the right way to celebrate Christmas?”

His Eminence told the real date of Jesus Christ’s birth is unknown to nobody, that’s why it coincides neither with the Catholic nor the Orthodox Christmas calendar. “If we speak in historic terms, neither of the dates corresponds to the actual date of birth of Jesus Christ,” says Metropolitan Luke.

The hierarch believes the problem of changing the date of Christmas holiday is devised by the “MPs amateur-group”. “Who actually raises the problem of celebrating Christmas?” Parliamentarians. I do not hear truly faithful people, our parishioners, speaking of changing this date.”

“Under the Constitution each of us has the right to practice his/her own confession. And the state is not entitled to change this confession, impose its way on the people, change dogmata. A calendar issue is not dogmatic, nevertheless it relates to the internal life of the Church. Only the Church and nobody else. This is how the Church celebrates it,” remarks the Metropolitan.

Vladyka told the MPs substantiate the necessity to celebrate Christmas on December 25 “together with all civilized world.” “Well, am I not a civilized man?, he says with indignation. – Why do I get humiliated by the people who I voted for, who I trusted to rule the country I live in?”

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