On December 20, 2024, under the chairmanship of the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, a meeting of the Council of Christian Churches of Ukraine (Council of Churches) was held to summarize the results of the year, discuss urgent issues related to church and public life, and adopt Christmas greetings to the Ukrainian people. The meeting of the heads of churches was held at the premises of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC in Kyiv.
This was reported by the Institute for Religious Freedom.
In his speech, the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (SEFC), Viktor Yelenskyi, informed the participants of the meeting of the Council of Churches about the state of church-state relations in Ukraine, the status of clergy during the mobilization period, the screening of Ukrainian legislation for compliance with EU legislation in the context of alternative service, and expressed gratitude to the Christian Churches for their comprehensive assistance in repelling Russian aggression against Ukraine. Additionally, the head of the SEFC answered questions about the state of implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Field of Religious Organizations,” including the adoption of relevant bylaws.
During the meeting, the heads of the churches discussed various issues of pastoral care and service to Ukrainian refugees and Ukrainians around the world, the urgent problems of Ukrainians abroad and possible solutions, and expressed hope for the future effective work of the newly created Ministry of National Unity of Ukraine.
In the context of the implementation of previous decisions, the Council of Churches planned to hold a forum in the first half of 2025 with the participation of heads of churches, the Business Ombudsman of Ukraine, and representatives of Ukrainian business and government. They also planned to take measures to register a draft law on partnerships in church-state relations in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and to intensify joint activities of denominations in the educational sphere. In order to achieve said goals, representatives of the churches planned a series of meetings with various executive authorities and members of the Ukrainian Parliament.
On the eve of the celebration of Christmas, the Council of Churches adopted a Christmas greeting to the Ukrainian people and recorded it in the format of a video message.
The meeting of the Council of Churches was attended by the heads and authorized representatives of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Church of Evangelical Christians, the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Evangelical Church, the Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church, the Ukrainian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Fellowship of Independent Churches and Missions of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, and the Institute for Religious Freedom.