On the seventh Sunday after Pascha and the commemoration of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, May 24, 2026, Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Saint Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in the capital.
Concelebrating with the Primate of the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine were Archbishop Ahapit of Vyshhorod, abbot of the Golden-Domed Monastery, Bishop Raphael of Makariv, the honorable brotherhood of the monastery, and invited clergy.
Following the reading of the Gospel, His Beatitude delivered the primatial sermon and offered a special prayer to the Lord for the homeland, which is enduring a time of severe trials and danger.
During the service, prayers were also offered for the soldiers defending Ukraine, for the authorities and the people, as well as for the repose of the souls of all defenders of the homeland and civilians who lost their lives during the war.
In his homily, Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine said that the First Ecumenical Council demonstrated the unity of Christ’s disciples in the faith even three centuries after the Lord’s Ascension, stressing that the Church remains unchanged despite the passing of time and changing historical circumstances.
The Primate stressed that no single individual can be regarded as an infallible expression of the Church’s faith. “Such an expression can only be the council,” he said, provided it remains faithful to the truth of the faith and is not influenced by human ambition or worldly power.
Concluding his sermon, Metropolitan Epifaniy called on the faithful to renew their awareness of the Church as the assembly of believers led by Christ Himself and guided by the Holy Spirit since Pentecost. He urged Christians to embody the truth of the Gospel in their lives and proclaim it “through words and deeds” for the salvation of both themselves and others.
Source: pomisna
