On June 27, 2025, the first Polish-Ukrainian Prayer Breakfast took place in Warsaw. The event was attended by a delegation of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO), representatives of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Poland and the Polish Ecumenical Council, Ukrainian and Polish parliamentarians, government officials, diplomats, and public figures.

Before the official breakfast, an ecumenical prayer for Ukraine and Poland was held in the chapel of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland. Among the participants were the Primate of Poland, Roman Catholic Archbishop Wojciech Polak; Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav Shevchuk; and clergy from both Poland and Ukraine.

The joint Polish-Ukrainian Prayer Breakfast was held under the theme “Ukraine in a New Europe: The Role of Churches”, and was moderated by Paweł Kowal, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Polish Sejm. Following the joint prayer, several key speakers addressed the participants, including: Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk; Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage Hanna Wróblewska; Ukrainian Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Mykola Tochytskyi; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleksandr Mishchenko; and members of both the Polish and Ukrainian parliaments.

Metropolitan Yevstratii of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (Bila Tserkva Diocese) spoke about the work and experience of UCCRO during wartime, particularly its international advocacy, and called for continued support for Ukraine to help bring peace to Europe.

Roman Catholic Bishop Oleksandr Yazlovetskiy highlighted the humanitarian and social efforts of various faith communities in Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s military aggression. He expressed gratitude to Caritas Poland, Polish churches, and the Polish people for their support.

The Grand Mufti of Crimea, Ayder Rustamov, emphasized in his address that the war began with Russia’s occupation of Crimea, which included persecution and arrests of Crimean Tatars. He called for continued prayers and support for Ukraine.

In his remarks, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the UGCC described the first Polish-Ukrainian Prayer Breakfast as an unprecedented historic event. He highlighted three elements of Pope John Paul II’s spiritual testament in the context of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation and Ukraine’s role in a new post-war Europe:

- Reconciliation between peoples;

- Genuine solidarity and support;

- A united Europe, of which Ukraine is an integral part.

The event concluded with all participants praying together the “Our Father.”

The Prayer Breakfast was organized by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Polish Sejm and the Catholic Information Agency.

Members of the UCCRO delegation who took part in the event in Warsaw included: His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of the UGCC and Head of the UCCRO delegation; Metropolitan Yevstratii (OCU, Bila Tserkva Diocese); Bishop Oleksandr Yazlovetskiy (Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine); Senior Bishop Anatoliy Kozachok (Ukrainian Pentecostal Church); Bishop Pavlo Shvarts (German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine); Bishop Oleksandr Zan-Fabian (Transcarpathian Reformed Church); Bishop Mykhailo Baloga (All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists in Poland); Grand Mufti of Crimea Ayder Rustamov (Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea); Oleksandr Zaiets, Head of the Board of the Institute for Religious Freedom.