During its visit to Brussels, Belgium, on June 22, a delegation from the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) met with experts and representatives from the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC).
This information was published on the UCCRO's website.
In the morning, a delegation from the UCCRO participated in a roundtable discussion titled "Faith in the Context of Enlargement: The Role of Religion in the EU Accession Process." This event was organized by the European Office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Participants included representatives from the COMECE, the CEC, and various non-governmental organizations working within EU structures. They discussed the spiritual and humanitarian missions of religious denominations during the Russian-Ukrainian war and the role of churches in Ukraine's ongoing European integration process.
Ukrainian religious leaders highlighted the heroism and resilience of Ukrainian defenders and the Ukrainian people, addressed the state of religious freedom in Ukraine, and reported on religious persecution in areas occupied by the Russian Federation. They also spoke about the aggressor state's use of religion as a weapon in hybrid warfare, particularly against European Union countries. Members of the UCCRO delegation expressed their support for vital reforms being implemented in Ukraine amidst the war. They called on representatives of European civil society to engage more actively with European policymakers on continued political and defense support for Ukraine and on facilitating Ukraine's accession to the EU, while recognizing that no other candidate country has faced circumstances like those Ukraine is experiencing.
In the afternoon, the UCCRO delegation met with Bishop Frank Kopania, Vice President of the CEC, and Pastor Frank-Dieter Fischbach, the CEC's General Secretary. During this meeting, the Ukrainian religious leaders discussed the situation regarding religious freedom in Ukraine, the crimes committed by the Russian Federation in the religious sphere, and the measures taken by the Ukrainian government to protect religious freedom from external influence by the aggressor state. They also shared their 30 years of experience in interfaith dialogue and cooperation within the UCCRO. As a commemorative gesture, the Ukrainian delegation presented the Vice President of the CEC with a medal marking the 30th anniversary of the UCCRO.
Ambassador Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine's Representative to the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, participated in the meeting between the UCCRO delegation and the CEC leadership. He provided attendees with updates on the status of negotiations between Ukraine and the EU, answering questions related to specific aspects of the European integration process.
At the conclusion of the day's events, Ukrainian religious leaders offered prayers in the Chapel of Europe, asking for an end to the war and for a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.
The UCCRO delegation visiting Brussels includes: Bishop Oleksandr Zan-Fabian of the Trans-Carpathian Reformed Church, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine; Bishop Vitaliy Kryvitsky, the Ordinary of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine; Mitred Protopresbyter Oleksa Petriv, the head of External Relations for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; Senior Bishop Anatoliy Kozachok of the Ukrainian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith; Bishop Pavlo Shvarts of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine; Metropolitan Yevstratiy, the deputy head of the OCU's Department of External Church Relations; and Oleksandr Zayets, Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Religious Freedom.
The visit of the UCCRO delegation to Brussels is supported by the Representative Office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Ukraine.