Petro Poroshenko: We pray in the Ukrainian church for our Army and our victory.

Petro and Maryna Poroshenko participated in the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Protection of the Holy Mother of God at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral. The service, led by the Primate of the OCU, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphanius, was also assisted by the Primate of the Autonomous Finnish Orthodox Church (within the Ecumenical Patriarchate), Archbishop Eliya.

After the liturgy, Petro Poroshenko congratulated all believers on the Feast of the Intercession, the Day of the Ukrainian Cossacks, and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine .

“For Ukrainians, this holiday has special significance and is especially needed now, when everyone is praying for peace and for Ukraine to be saved. It’s no coincidence that 11 years ago, I signed a decree abolishing February 23rd, so that Defender of Ukraine’s Day would coincide with the Feast of the Protection of the Holy Virgin, Ukrainian Cossacks Day, and the Founding Day of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. And this has become a true national holiday,” the fifth President recalled.

“Today, I congratulate all the defenders on their holiday. These aren’t just Ukrainian soldiers, these are also Ukrainian volunteers who support the army, these are rescuers, these are doctors saving the wounded. These are Ukrainian women who weave anti-drone nets, these are children who draw pictures for our soldiers. This is all of Ukraine, which has now become a defender,” Poroshenko said.

“After the creation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, after receiving it from the hands of the Ecumenical Patriarch, His All-Holiness Bartholomew Thomas, we finally have our own Orthodox, conciliar, Ukrainian church, independent of Russia,” Poroshenko noted. He also noted the negative role of the Moscow church in attempts to interfere in parliamentary elections in neighboring Moldova.

“On September 28, elections were held there, and the European forces won. But I would like to draw your attention to the role played by the Moldovan branch of the Russian Orthodox Church. It was a ‘fifth column’ that was destroying Moldovan statehood and failed,” Poroshenko stated.

“We finally have the opportunity to pray in the churches of God in the Ukrainian language. And we have firm hope that Ukraine will win, the Mother of God will place us under her omophorion, and the war will end. And the peace will come, for which we prayed today at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral, together with the delegation of the Finnish Orthodox Church, headed by its primate. I think this is very symbolic; it signifies the continuation of the process of recognition of our church in the world,” said Petro Poroshenko.