On Friday, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (OCU) His Beatitude Epiphanius, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, visited Odesa.
In the House of Receptions of the Odesa Regional Council, the Primate of the Church met with the leadership of the city and region, representatives of the Armed Forces of Odesa and the clergy of the region.
The Primate of the Church presented awards to the heads of the OVA, regional council and law enforcement agencies of the region.
In his speech, Epiphany noted that until we have a strong Ukrainian church, we will never build a strong state.
"Everyone should understand that one component of this war is the spiritual part, and the aggressor country is using it quite successfully now in Ukraine. But the Ukrainian people are wise, and I think that today's trials will open the eyes of many. And after our victory, everyone will unite into a single church. This process is irreversible, it has already begun, and it will end successfully," the clergyman emphasized.
Also at the meeting was presented the project of the "Odesa Cathedral of the Odesa Diocese of the OCU", which is planned to be built in Cosmonaut Park.
Oleg Radkovskyi, the first deputy chairman of the Odesa Regional Council, said that during the discussion of the construction project of the cathedral with the Blessed Epiphanius, he assured the Primate of the OCU of the full support of the regional council.
"The war united the Ukrainian people like never before, but spiritual unification is no less important. The presented project of the Odesa Cathedral of the Odesa Diocese of the OCU was developed professionally, and its construction will become an important stage in the spiritual development of Odesa," Radkovskii said.
