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| A worker paints the roof of a building in front of Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra Cathedral in Kiev, Ukraine |
By Stoyan Zaimov , Christian Post Reporter
Dozens of Christian pilgrims are flocking to
the western Ukrainian village of Beregovoy, where the figures of Virgin Mary
and the baby Jesus are believed to appear on a window pane.
The Mail Online reported on Thursday
that some Christians believe the stains on the double-glazed window resemble
that of a mother and a baby, which they have likened to Mary and Jesus — a
popular image in Eastern Orthodox iconography.
Images and videos taken of the window make it
hard to distinguish shapes, but some locals have said that they are convinced
the alleged miracle is a sign of God.
Members of the community have also claimed
that that the house where the window was based "exudes a calm presence by
spreading positive feelings."
The window has since been moved to the
village church, where priests hold special services and allow people to pray at
the glazed icon, drawing inspiration in a time of warfare and uncertainty.
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| Church elders can be seen carrying the window allegedly depicting the images of Mary and Jesus from the house to be displayed at the village church |
While western Ukraine has largely avoided the
destructive conflict with Russian-backed separatists that has consumed the
eastern regions of the country, Christians everywhere have shared their
distress at the starvation, poverty and destitution many are facing.
"Huge numbers are now caught between
hammer and anvil; the separatists aren't looking after them, and the Ukrainian
government won't care for them because they haven't declared which side they're
on," Auxiliary Bishop Jan Sobilo of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia said back in July.
"Not since World War II have we seen
such poverty and destitution," he added.
Sobili added that Christian groups are some
of the few that are helping people directly on the ground in Ukraine.
"People are continually arriving at our
Catholic communities asking for food, medicines, money and shelter," the
bishop added.
"Many elderly educated people, who
previously had jobs, have been unable to face begging on the streets and have
thrown themselves from windows and bridges. Such people often have no means of
survival and no one to turn to, and have ended up starving."
As many as 97 percent of the registered
religious communities in Ukraine are Christian, with close to half of them
belonging to different Orthodox churches, while the other half is split among
Roman Catholics and Protestants. The Religious Information Service of Ukraine said that as of
January 2011 there were as many as 33,977 churches and religious organizations
operating in the country.
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http://www.christianpost.com/news/christians-flock-to-see-baby-jesus-in-miracle-window-145111/
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