As part of its visit to Berlin, Germany, on June 25, 2026, a delegation of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) met with Thomas Rachel, Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief and Member of the German Bundestag. The meeting took place at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.
Opening the meeting, Thomas Rachel thanked the delegation of religious leaders for their visit, expressed support for the Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom and independence, and reaffirmed Germany’s continued support for Ukraine. In his introductory remarks, he noted that the Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief is currently preparing an annual report on the state of religious freedom in various regions of the world, including Ukraine and the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.
In this context, Mr. Rachel invited the UCCRO representatives to share their assessment of the religious situation in Ukraine, the activities of churches during the war, and known cases of violations of freedom of conscience and religion in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
Members of the UCCRO delegation emphasized the importance of interfaith dialogue and cooperation among various religious communities within the framework of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, both before and during the war. They also spoke about the spiritual, social, and humanitarian ministries carried out by different denominations amid Russia’s ongoing full-scale aggression against Ukraine. The religious leaders highlighted the continuous dialogue between the Ukrainian authorities and religious communities aimed at addressing current issues in state-church relations.
Representatives of the Churches also responded to Mr. Rachel’s questions regarding the implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Activities of Religious Organizations,” particularly in the context of safeguarding freedom of religion in Ukraine from external influence by the aggressor state, which has instrumentalized religion as a weapon.
The UCCRO delegation further informed the Federal Government Commissioner about documented cases of religious persecution in the territories of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation, including the killing of clergy from various denominations, the unlawful arrest and conviction of representatives of Ukrainian churches, the seizure and closure of churches and religious buildings by the occupation authorities, and the destruction and damage of religious sites, including the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
The meeting between the UCCRO delegation and Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief Thomas Rachel, together with members of his office, was attended by: UCCRO Chairman and Bishop of the Transcarpathian Reformed Church, Oleksandr Zan-Fabian; Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine; Ordinary of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, Bishop Vitalii Kryvytskyi; Head of the Department for External Relations of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine, Mitred Archpriest Oleksa Petriv; Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church, Anatoliy Kozachok; Bishop of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine, Pavlo Shvarts; Deputy Head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Yevstratiy; and Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Religious Freedom, Oleksandr Zaiets.
