From September 1, 2023, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine will switch to a new style for immovable holidays while preserving the current Easter. This was stated by the Father and Head of the UGCC His Beatitude Sviatoslav on the live broadcast of “Live TV”, announcing the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine.
For those parishes or individual communities that feel they are not yet ready for such a step (with the special blessing of the diocesan bishop), there remains the possibility of liturgical life according to the Julian calendar for the period until 2025.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is the largest Eastern Catholic Church in the world. As of 2019, it had approximately 4.1 million members. In Ukraine, the UGCC is the second largest religious organization in terms of number of communities within the Catholic Church. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has third most members in allegiance among the population of Ukraine after the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church predominates in three western oblasts of Ukraine, including the majority of the population of Lviv, but constitutes a small minority elsewhere in the country.
