Ukrainians recently celebrated its Christian heritage, noting the anniversary of baptism of Kievan Rus. The state was pagan, but Vladimir the Great had converted him to Orthodoxy, baptizing in 988. Christians of different denominations gathered in Kiev to pray for their people and to reaffirm the Christian identity of Ukraine.
“We have an historic Christian tradition, and I believe that now is the perfect opportunity to return to the true meaning of Christianity, to what it means to be Christians here, in Ukraine. I think it’s important,” says Yury Polyakov, a participant of the prayer meeting.
“In our time, in our situation — in a situation of conflict, in turbulent atmosphere, we have to go back and understand that it is necessary to trust in God. And people turn to the Lord,” tells exactly David Chebotarev, pastor of the Kiev Good News Church.
This holiday reminds us that it is possible to change the course of history, and this can be done with the help of God, with Christian values and a life based on them.