On October 21, 2025, in Oslo, a delegation of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) met with the President and members of the Parliament of Norway (Storting), with Norwegian religious leaders, and visited the Embassy of Ukraine, where they met with Oleksiy Havrysh, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Norway.
In the morning, the UCCRO delegation met with the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Norway, Olav Fykse Tveit. During the meeting, members of the Council expressed their gratitude to the Church of Norway for its prayers, humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, and support for Ukrainian refugees in Norway since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale aggression.
At the same time, the Ukrainian religious leaders emphasized that the war continues and that people in Ukraine still need support. They particularly noted that the border regions adjacent to Russia are under constant terrorist attacks from the Russian side, resulting in a critical situation with electricity and water supplies in many communities.
The Ukrainian representatives also stressed the danger of the misanthropic ideology of the “Russian world,” which is spreading in Norway and across Europe through the structures of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and other Russian religious organizations. They pointed out that the Kremlin’s use of religion as a weapon in various international forums poses a threat to other nations and requires cleansing the idea of ecumenism from Russian narratives, given the manipulations by the ROC in its relations with other churches, including within the framework of the World Council of Churches.
The Ukrainian leaders called on Bishop Olav Fykse Tveit to continue supporting Ukrainian refugees and to provide favorable conditions for the activities of Ukrainian religious communities of various Christian denominations in Norway.
At the meeting with Masud Gharahkhani, President of the Norwegian Parliament, and members of the Christian Democratic parliamentary group, UCCRO representatives expressed deep gratitude to Norway for its consistent and comprehensive support of Ukraine in resisting Russian military aggression, and highlighted the importance of protecting Ukrainian children, who suffer the most from the war.
In conversations with Norwegian parliamentarians, the Ukrainian religious leaders emphasized that defensive weapons provided to Ukraine (such as anti-missile systems) are just as essential for protecting human lives as humanitarian aid given to those suffering from hunger and cold.
During the visit to the Parliament, members of the Council of Churches, together with Dag-Inge Ulstein, leader of the Christian Democratic Party of Norway, and Norwegian religious leaders, offered a short prayer in the parliamentary chapel.
Subsequent meetings were held with the Forum for Religious Leaders and the Council for Cooperation between Religious and Life Stance Communities of Norway, which includes Christian churches, Muslim, Jewish, and other religious communities, as well as the Humanist Association.
The Ukrainian side shared information about interfaith cooperation within the framework of the UCCRO and about the humanitarian work of various Ukrainian denominations during the war, again emphasizing the threat of the “Russian world” ideology and calling for continued support for Ukrainian refugees in Norway.
At the end of the day, members of the Council met with Ambassador Oleh Havrysh at the Embassy of Ukraine in Oslo, where they discussed various aspects of countering Russian propaganda, providing spiritual care, and integrating Ukrainians in Norway. The meeting also included representatives of the Christian Council of Norway.
It should be noted that during their visit to Oslo, the UCCRO delegation also met with the Christian Council of Norway and had an audience with the King and Queen of Norway.
The visit of the UCCRO delegation to Oslo was organized with the support of the Christian Council of Norway and the Norwegian Bible Society.