On March 11, a delegation from the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) met in London with Rebecca Smith, a member of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons who serves on the cross-party parliamentary group Christians in Parliament.
This was reported by the UCCRO website.
During the meeting, representatives of the UCCRO informed R. Smith about the current state of religious freedom in Ukraine, as well as instances of religious persecution in the temporarily occupied territories. The Ukrainian delegation highlighted crimes against humanity committed by the Russian occupation authorities in the religious sphere. These included the illegal arrest of clergy and representatives of religious communities, torture and murder of ministers from various denominations, damage to and destruction of temples and church premises, the seizure and closure of religious buildings and places of worship, and their repurposing for military and administrative uses. Additionally, they mentioned the abduction of Ukrainian children.
The UCCRO representatives emphasized the misanthropic ideology of the "Russian world," which is promoted by the Russian Orthodox Church. They also pointed out the active support for Russian military aggression against Ukraine exhibited by religious leaders from various denominations in Russia. By supporting the war, these leaders become complicit in the crimes against humanity being committed by the Russian Federation against Ukrainians.
Following the meeting, both parties agreed to maintain communication and exchange information.
“Christians in Parliament” is a cross-party group that brings together members of both houses of the British Parliament to support them in their work.
After the parliamentary meeting, the UCCRO representatives visited the Ukrainian Support Center and the Cathedral of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
The UCCRO delegation visiting London included: Metropolitan Yevstratiy (Zorya) of Bila Tserkva, spokesperson for the Kyiv Metropolis of the OCU; Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, Head of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London; Bishop Vitaliy Kryvytskyi, Ordinary of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church; Pastor Ihor Bandura, Deputy Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists; Pastor Anatoliy Raichynets, Deputy General Secretary of the Ukrainian Bible Society; Gennadiy Bilorytsky, Legal Advisor to the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine (UJROU); and Oleksandr Zayets, Chairman of the Board of the IRS.