The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church recently announced a shift away from a Church calendar affiliated with Russia, causing Ukrainian Greek Catholics to celebrate Christmas on December 25th instead of January 7th. This change aligns the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church with the Gregorian calendar, used by most of the world's Catholics and Protestant Christians.
Despite the change in Christmas celebrations, the Ukrainian Catholic Church will still observe Easter on a later date than most other Christians, as it has in the past. This disparity in the dates of Easter celebrations stems from the Orthodox Churches in Ukraine, which follow the Julian calendar.
The change in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church's calendar has significant implications and reflects the politics that play a big role in the Orthodox Churches in Ukraine. The shift is a move towards aligning with the wider Catholic community and away from the Russian Orthodox Church, which has historical ties to the Julian calendar.
EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief, Andreas Thonhauser, sheds light on this topic, explaining the significance of the change in the celebration of Christmas and the role politics play in the Orthodox Churches in Ukraine. Thonhauser's insights provide a deeper understanding of this momentous shift for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and its faithful.
Andreas Thonhauser is EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the WU Executive Academy in Vienna and a Master’s degree in German Philology/Anglistics and Americanistics from the University of Vienna. Prior to joining EWTN, Thonhauser worked as the Director of External Affairs for a global human rights organization, and for several media outlets in Vienna, Austria.
