The Orthodox Church of Ukraine plans to bring up the issue of calendar reform for discussion on May 24. The corresponding decision was made during the meeting of the Holy Synod of the OCU.

 "It was decided to convene another meeting of the Council of Bishops on May 24, 2023, one of the issues on the agenda of which is the discussion of the calendar reform," the OCU said in a statement.

 In addition, the Holy Synod approved the procedure for blessing parishes and monasteries of the OCU to use the New Julian calendar.

 In November, at the meeting of the Holy Synod chaired by the Primate, the Synodal Calendar Commission was created and its head was appointed - the rector of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy, Archpriest Oleksandr Trofylyuk. As noted in the OCU, such a decision is dictated by the need to implement a calendar reform.

 The OCU noted that the ill-conceived and hasty implementation of the calendar reform could lead to the deepening and emergence of even greater division among Ukrainians. Therefore, the Holy Synod condemned the arbitrary, unilateral decision of His Holiness Michael, Metropolitan of Lutsk and Volhynia to make changes to the church calendar, which is a violation of the canonical order. However, the Synod allowed, where there are objective circumstances and pastoral necessity for this, with the blessing of the ruling bishop on December 25 of the new style, to carry out only the prayer with the akathist of the Nativity of Christ and the performance of carols.

 In Ukraine, Christian churches follow two calendars: Gregorian (Roman Catholic Church) and Julian (Greek Catholic and Orthodox Churches).

 There is also the New Julian calendar, which practically does not differ from the Gregorian calendar.