OCU delegation holds religious events at St. Nicholas Basilica in Bari

On December 16, 2024, the delegation of the OCU, led by Epiphany Dumenko, held religious events at the Basilica of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Bari (Italy), where the imperishable relics of the saint are located. At the entrance to the temple, Dumenko was met by the mayor of Bari, Vito Leccese, and the rector of the basilica, Giovanni Distante. This is reported by the official website of the OCU.

“The service was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Vatican Andriy Yurash with his family and numerous pilgrims from Ukraine. At the end of the solemn service, a prayer service was held in the lower church, near the honest relics of St. Nicholas, for Ukraine, the victory of truth and the establishment of a just peace in our country. Subsequently, Metropolitan Epifaniy held a press conference during which he answered questions from Italian journalists. In particular, he talked about the example of St. Nicholas, who teaches to defend the truth, the importance of prayer as a powerful spiritual weapon, the establishment of a just peace in Ukraine, on which the future of the whole of Europe depends, humanitarian support for our country, the return of prisoners and children illegally deported by the aggressor country, support for Ukrainian refugees, etc.”, – the press release says.

As reported, on December 13, 2024, the head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko, visited the Vatican, where he met with Pope Francis. In addition, Dumenko plans to hold religious events in the Basilica Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Bari.