@Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times
Worshipers gathered at Ukraine’s most historically significant monastery on Saturday to celebrate Orthodox Christmas in much the same way that they have for centuries.
Clergymen dressed in silver robes chanted as they made their way through the ornate hall while families prayed alongside one another. Periodically, the congregation broke out in carols that echoed off the golden walls.
But there was a critical difference: For the first time, the sermon was delivered in the monastery’s main church by the head of the Kyiv-led Orthodox Church of Ukraine, a symbolic moment that highlighted the deep fracture within the Eastern Orthodox church in Ukraine.
The Moscow-led church that has long dominated religious life in much of Ukraine has traditionally held the Christmas sermon at the monastery, Pechersky Lavra. But that faction has been accused of supporting the Russian forces that have invaded Ukraine, acting as a fifth column for Moscow.
The sermon was delivered by the Kyiv-based leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius.Credit...Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times
Mistrust of the Russian-led church has grown, and in recent months the Ukrainian security services have begun raiding monasteries, including Pechersky Lavra, searching for Russian saboteurs and arresting priests for treason. There is a growing debate about whether to ban the Moscow-led church entirely from Ukraine, and many churches have switched their allegiance to the Ukrainian-led branch.
The sermon, delivered by the leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius, was celebrated as a unilateral 36-hour cease-fire declared by Russia — and never agreed to by Ukraine — failed to materialize over the Orthodox Christmas period. At least three civilians were killed in attacks on Friday, according to the Ukrainian government, and several more were wounded.
On Saturday, women wearing floral head scarves, soldiers in uniform and young families began arriving early for the ceremony, just after 8 a.m. Those attending the Christmas service encountered intense security checks, with people showing their passports and going through metal detectors and bag scanners before they could enter the church.
Orthodox churches still use the Julian calendar, rather than the newer Gregorian calendar, and celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7.Credit...Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times
Pechersky Lavra sprawls atop a bluff overlooking the Dnipro River. Considered a cradle of Orthodoxy for both Russians and Ukrainians, its 1,000-year-old catacombs hold the remains of revered saints. It is owned by the Ukrainian government, which gave the Kyiv-led church permission to conduct the service at the cathedral rather than the Moscow-led church. In Russia, Orthodox Christmas celebrations were also underway. President Vladimir V. Putin attended an overnight service at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Kremlin, and on Saturday morning issued a Christmas message to Russians, noting the role of the church in “supporting the participants of the special military operation” — his euphemism for the war in Ukraine.
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the church in Moscow and a strong supporter of Mr. Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine, had earlier suggested a cease-fire for the Christmas holiday. On Saturday, he led a Christmas sermon in Moscow and issued a televised message to the members of the faith, offering prayers for those killed in the fighting.
Mr. Putin’s announcement of a pause in fighting from noon on Friday until midnight on Saturday, which by all accounts never happened, was framed by his supporters as an effort to respect the Orthodox faith on the holiday, and, analysts say, an attempt by the Russian leader to bolster his image as a protector of the faith.