DUBAI: The head of Ukraine’s Orthodox church asked clergy and the faithful on Wednesday to forgo night Easter services in areas of the country affected by fighting, fearing Russian bombardments will continue during the Orthodox Easter period.
Metropolitan Epifaniy said in a televised address that he had little faith that a pause in shelling by Russian troops, proposed by the Ukrainian association of churches and religious communities for the duration of the Orthodox Christian Easter festivities, would hold.
“It is hard to believe this will really happen, because the enemy is trying to completely destroy us,” he said.
Ukrainian church leaders have been at odds with Russia since Ukraine formed a new Orthodox church in 2018, ending centuries of religious ties with Moscow. Both Ukrainians and Russians are predominantly Orthodox Christians.
The Orthodox Easter service starts late on Saturday into Sunday morning when a traditional feast begins.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry also said on Wednesday it was “grateful” for a separate initiative by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about a four-day Easter “humanitarian truce” that could begin on Thursday.
The truce was necessary for the safe evacuation of thousands of civilians from the areas of ongoing and possible hostilities, “especially from the long-suffering” city of Mariupol, it said.
Dozens of churches and other religious and cultural sites in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed since Russia invaded the country on Feb 24. The Kremlin describes Russia’s actions as a “special military operation” to disarm Ukraine.
Epifaniy said the Easter service could be held in the morning or afternoon and that priests should try to avoid crowds in churches. The faithful can also watch broadcasts of Easter service on television or the Internet, he said.
Head of Ukraine’s Orthodox church asks faithful to forgo night Easter services
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Head of Ukraine’s Orthodox church asks faithful to forgo night Easter services
- Metropolitan Epifaniy said in a televised address that he had little faith that a pause in shelling by Russian troops would hold
- The Orthodox Easter service starts late on Saturday into Sunday morning when a traditional feast begins
EU should consider forming combined military force: defense chief
- Kubilius floated creating a “powerful, standing ‘European military force’ of 100,000 troops” that could eventually replace US forces
- Trump has heightened fears among NATO allies over Washington’s reliability by insisting he wants to take over Greenland
BRUSSELS: EU countries should weigh whether to set up a combined military force that could eventually replace US troops in Europe, the bloc’s defense chief said Sunday.
EU defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius floated creating a “powerful, standing ‘European military force’ of 100,000 troops” as a possible option to better protect the continent.
“How will we replace the 100,000-strong American standing military force, which is the back-bone military force in Europe?” he asked in a speech in Sweden.
The suggestion comes as US President Donald Trump has heightened fears among NATO allies over Washington’s reliability by insisting he wants to take over Greenland.
Worries over Trump’s commitment to Europe have already spurred countries to step up efforts to bolster their militaries in the face of the threat posed by Russia.
Ideas about establishing a central European army have floated around for years but have largely failed to gain traction as nations are wary of relinquishing control over their militaries.
The US has pushed its European allies to increasingly take over responsibility for their own security, and raised the prospect it could shift forces from Europe to focus on China.
“In such times, we should not run away from the most pressing questions on our institutional defense readiness,” said Kubilius, a former Lithuanian prime minister.
In his speech Kubilius also advocated for the creation of a “European Security Council” of key powers — including potentially Britain — that could help the continent take decisions over its own defense quicker.
“The European Security Council could be composed of key permanent members, along with several rotational members,” he said.
“In total around 10-12 members, with the task to discuss the most important issues in defense.”
He said the first focus of such a body should be trying to change the dynamics in the war in Ukraine to ensure that Kyiv does not end up losing.
“We need to have a clear answer — how is the EU going to change that scenario?,” he said.
“This is the reason why we need to have a European Security Council now!“
