His Beatitude Onuphry urged the flock to strengthen fasting and bear worthy fruits of repentance “so that the Lord will heal our bodily and mental infirmities”.

The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, believes that the postponement of the cross procession in Kyiv from the Day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy to a “more favourable time” is a spiritual trial, reports the UOC Information and Education Department.

His Beatitude thanked the vicar bishops, clergy, monastics and laity of the Kyiv Eparchy for their willingness to hold the religious procession with “spiritual enthusiasm and responsibility” on the Day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy in Kyiv.

But, His Beatitude noted, “today it became known that additional quarantine restrictions excluding the planned cross procession will be introduced in Kyiv from March 20 of this year”.

The archpastor wrote that “by supporting the capital authorities in striving to improve the epidemic situation as soon as possible and offering prayer to the Merciful God about this, we are postponing the cross procession to another more favourable time”.

“We perceive this situation as our spiritual trial,” His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry emphasized.

He called on the flock to strengthen fasting, to repent of sins and bear worthy fruits of repentance “so that the Lord will heal our bodily and mental infirmities”.

As reported earlier, the cross procession in Kyiv on the Day of the Triumph of Orthodoxy was postponed.