The OCU has removed the rite of renouncing Satan by blowing and spitting from the baptismal service

The OCU has amended the rite of baptism, officially removing from it the traditional ritual in which the person being baptized must blow and spit on Satan. This was announced by Andriy Dudchenko, a cleric of the OCU and secretary of the Synodal Theological and Liturgical Commission.

During his appearance on the Faith Talks podcast, the clergyman explained that the decision to remove this passage from the “Trebnik” was motivated by a desire to make church rituals more understandable to modern people. According to Dudchenko, the ancient rite “is not properly understood by people today” and merely elicits a smile from parishioners, even though the canonical essence of the ritual—renouncing darkness and turning to Christ—remains unchanged.

It is noteworthy that in the same conversation, the OCU representative acknowledged the profound meaning of the ancient tradition, describing it as a “challenge” to the proud spirit of evil. Nevertheless, the church leadership deemed it necessary to adapt the liturgical practice.

As a reminder, the Synod of the OCU, which met in Kyiv on July 14, 2024, adopted a series of calendar-related decisions, as a result of which the organization abolished the veneration of several icons of the Mother of God and saints who, in their view, are associated exclusively with the Russian Orthodox Church.