Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) – Far from home, thousands of Ukrainians also celebrated Christmas in Hesse over the weekend. More than 100 people came to a service in Frankfurt, lit candles and prayed together. “We are going through terrible times now. We have to stick together,” was his message to the faithful, said the priest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Petro Bokanov, on Saturday after the service.
Previously, Bokanov celebrated a service in Darmstadt on Saturday, and another one is planned for this Sunday in Birkenau (Bergstraße district). According to the church calendar followed in Ukraine, among other places, Christmas Day is celebrated on January 7th.
Christmas is the festival of love, hope and redemption. “This is exactly what we need now in these difficult times of war,” Bokanov said. The people who fled Ukraine need help. Part of her heart and soul stayed at home. “It’s a deep wound.” Many of them no longer have a home, either occupied or destroyed. “The men stayed there, it hurts,” said Bokanov.
“We’ll get through, but only with love” is his message to believers. “We are on the side of truth.” Togetherness and cohesion are important, also with the Ukrainian military. It will be difficult and he expects a lot of misery, pain and tears, but the Ukrainians will make it. “We will win, I’m sure of that,” said Bokanov.
The service took place in a Catholic church in Frankfurt. The programmer, who lives in Mannheim, works as a priest on a voluntary basis. According to the State Chancellery, Hesse took in around 80,000 war refugees from Ukraine in 2022.
