On May 23, 2024, a delegation of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) held meetings in Brasilia with representatives of Christian churches, the government, and the parliament of Brazil. 

In the morning, UCCRO representatives participated in the "Churches Pray for Justice and Peace" event organized by the Brazilian Bible Society (BBS) regional office. Many Christian church representatives from the capital of Brazil attended the event.

The Ukrainian clergy showed videos and told their Brazilian colleagues about the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, the bombing and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities by the Russian military, the killing of civilians and destruction of civilian infrastructure, religious persecution in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, and urged the ministers of Brazilian churches to make every effort to stop the Russian aggression and pray for a just peace for Ukraine.

In his speech, Pastor Ihor Bandura, deputy chairman of the All-Ukrainian Union of Christian Evangelical Baptist Churches, said: “We observe a clear disparity between the perception of millions of Brazilian Christians and the current political stance towards Ukraine. On the one hand, there is genuine support, fervent prayers, and willingness to help. On the other hand, there are cautious diplomatic statements and a lack of understanding. As representatives of the Ukrainian church, we seek to expand cooperation with the churches of Brazil and mobilize the enormous spiritual power to support Ukraine, which will undoubtedly translate into political actions in favor of our country.”

At the end of the event, pastors and ministers of Brazilian churches prayed for Ukraine and the establishment of a just peace on Ukrainian land, and also for Ukrainian churches and the UCCRO delegation. 

Later, the UCCRO delegation met with Flavio Goldman, the Director of the Department of Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the Bible Society. Ukrainian religious leaders testified about the devastating war led by Russia against Ukraine, including crimes against humanity. They also presented the Director General with the report "The Impact of the Russian Invasion on Faith-based Communities in Ukraine" and stressed the importance of Brazil's high-level participation in the upcoming Global Peace Summit in Switzerland.

Flavio Goldman thanked the UCCRO delegation for the visit and for providing firsthand information about the situation in Ukraine. He assured that Ukraine can count on Brazil's support in the humanitarian sphere.

“We invite you and a group of fearless diplomats to Ukraine and witness the horrors of war and terror caused by the Russian army. You will hear from people whose lives have been destroyed by the enemy, who have their loved ones killed, meet courageous Ukrainian citizens fighting for freedom and the right to live in a free and democratic country, and gain a deeper understanding of the danger posed by Russian aggression not only to Ukraine but to the entire world,” said Pastor Anatoliy Raychynets, UBS Deputy Secretary General, in his speech on behalf of the delegation.

In the afternoon, the Ukrainian delegation met with Congressman General Girão, First Vice President of the Foreign Affairs and National Security Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, at the National Congress of Brazil. UCCRO representatives told the congressman about their visit to Brazil and the meetings they had in different cities with Brazilian church leaders. They also spoke about the Russian aggression against Ukraine and invited General Girau and a group of Brazilian parliamentarians to visit Ukraine, urging them to make efforts to ensure that Brazil takes part in the Global Peace Summit at the highest level.

UBS Secretary General, Bishop Oleksandr Babiychuk, addressed the congressman: “We asked for the prayerful support of the Brazilian churches. And we ask you to courageously stand up for the rights of people to live in a free country. We are being killed because we are Ukrainians and do not want to return to the Soviet Union. God has given you this position and responsibility to promote good and punish evil. Raise your voice against the evil that has invaded sovereign Ukraine and is destroying it, killing thousands of people.”  

General Girão assured that he would appeal to the President of Brazil to participate in the Global Summit and promised to initiate a visit of a group of Brazilian parliamentarians to Ukraine shortly.

At the end of the working day, the UCCRO delegation met with advisors to Senator Flavio Arns, who is also the Chairman of the Interparliamentary Friendship Group with Ukraine, at the Brazilian Senate. The senator himself was at that time in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, where an emergency occurred due to severe flooding that claimed the lives of many people and caused massive destruction.

A liturgy was held at the Cathedral of the RCC in Brasilia to offer prayers for the victims of the floods in Brazil, during which Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the Vatican's Deputy Secretary of State, called to pray for “martyred Ukraine.” In addition to Brazilian Catholic hierarchs and diplomats, the event was attended by Bishop Alexander Yazlovetsky of the Russian Orthodox Church. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Brazil, Andriy Melnyk, participated in the meetings of the UCCRO delegation in Brasilia. On the evening of May 23, the Ukrainian delegation returned to São Paulo. 

Brasilia became the fourth city that the UCCRO delegation visited during its advocacy visit to Brazil. Earlier, representatives of the UCCRO visited São Paulo (May 20), Curitiba (May 21) and Rio de Janeiro (May 22).