The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (WTO) is moving away from the “slave” tradition of kissing the priest’s hand.
.in_text_content_22 { width: 300px; height: 600px; } @media(min-width: 600px) { .in_text_content_22 { width: 580px; height: 400px; } }
During a meeting with Metropolitan Epifaniy, 1+1 journalist Alexander Zagorodny did not kiss his hand and immediately clarified whether Epifaniy was outraged by such actions.
Of course not. This is more, you see, the Russian tradition that the faithful, as a subordinate, must bow to the master, must kiss the hand. Such is the certain superiority over the faithful that the faithful are obedient slaves. And we are moving away from this tradition, because, according to Christ, we are friends,” the primate explained.
Father Oleg Kindiy, Doctor of Patristic Theology, Associate Professor of the Department of Theology of the UCU, priest of the UGCC explained that the Christian gesture of kissing the hand came to us from extra-Christian rites.
In ancient Rome it was a form of respectful greeting. Although they usually kissed not the hand itself, but the ring on the finger. This is how subordinates and servants testified to respect and submission.
The tradition of kissing the priest’s hand is closely connected with the Eucharist. During the Liturgy, he holds the Body and Blood of the Lord in his hands, sanctifies honest gifts and distributes them to the faithful. It is believed that the hands of a priest are special because they touch the Body of God.
On the day of ordination (ordination), after the service, the newly ordained priests give blessings to the faithful. People, accepting this blessing, kiss the priest’s hand in recognition that his palms have already held Christ. This is the tradition in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic churches. In other contexts, kissing the priest’s hand is not intended.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.