On 25 June 2026, the delegation of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) concluded its visit to Brussels, Belgium, and Berlin, Germany, with a series of final working engagements.

At the beginning of the day, the UCCRO delegation met with Thomas Rachel, the Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief and Member of the German Bundestag.

The Ukrainian delegation’s next meeting took place at the Office of the Protestant Church for the Armed Forces of Germany, where they met with General Dean of the Evangelical Church in Germany for the Armed Forces, T. Kirschner; Monsignor Wolfgang Schilk, Director of the Catholic Military Bishop’s Office of the Catholic Military Chaplaincy Service for the Bundeswehr; and Mirjam Heimburger, Head of the Military Rabbinate of the Jewish Military Chaplaincy Service for the Bundeswehr. During the meeting, the parties exchanged experiences regarding pastoral care for military personnel and veterans in Ukraine and Germany.

At the Conference Center of the Catholic Academy, UCCRO members met with representatives of German churches and Christian organizations, including the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Germany, the German Catholic Commission Justitia et Pax, the Ecumenical Council of Berlin-Brandenburg, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany, the German Bishops’ Conference of the Roman Catholic Church, and others. The Ukrainian religious leaders spoke about the activities of churches and religious organizations during the war, outlined the challenges facing various denominations, and answered questions from representatives of German churches.

At the Academy of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), the Ukrainian delegation held an informal discussion with representatives of German media outlets. During the conversation, the religious leaders spoke about church life, the lives of believers, and Ukrainian society under wartime conditions; cooperation and interaction among different denominations in the social and humanitarian spheres; as well as the challenges of Ukraine’s post-war recovery and reconstruction.

During a meeting with Nils Wörmer, Deputy Head of International Cooperation at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and other Foundation representatives, the UCCRO delegation expressed its gratitude for the many years of fruitful cooperation, for organizing the advocacy visit to Brussels and Berlin, and discussed prospects for future cooperation between KAS and UCCRO.

At the end of the working day, a public event entitled “Faith, War and Responsibility: Socio-Ethical Perspectives of Ukrainian Christian Leaders” was held in the Forum Hall of the KAS Academy in the format of a panel discussion. The panel featured UCCRO Chairman Bishop Oleksandr Zhan-Fabian, Metropolitan Epiphaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Roman Catholic Bishop Vitalii Kryvytskyi, and Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church Anatoliy Kozachok. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Richard Ottinger, Director of the Catholic Social Institute (Germany). During the event, the Ukrainian religious leaders spoke about the experiences of religious communities and the atmosphere within Ukrainian society amid Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. They emphasized that Ukraine and the Ukrainian people are engaged in a just war of self-defense and highlighted the humanitarian activities of churches in supporting orphaned children, families, veterans, older adults, and other vulnerable groups. They also underscored the role of churches and religious organizations in preserving unity and strengthening the resilience of Ukrainian society. The religious leaders also stated that the Russian strike on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was deliberate and intended to damage a sacred site and demoralize society. They also answered questions from the audience, including those concerning the possibility of future dialogue between the Ukrainian and Russian peoples in the context of the theological principles of peacebuilding.

At the conclusion of the visit to Berlin, the Ukrainian delegation, at the invitation of Bishop Emmanuel of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, offered prayers for Ukraine’s victory and the establishment of a just peace at the church of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Germany in Berlin.

It should be recalled that from 22 to 25 June 2026, with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Office in Ukraine, a UCCRO delegation visited Brussels and Berlin. During the visit, Ukrainian religious leaders met with European religious leaders and experts, European Commissioner Marta Kos, Members of the European Parliament and diplomats, Ukrainian ambassadors, and Thomas Rachel, the Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief. They also participated in a number of public events and discussions.

The UCCRO delegation to Brussels and Berlin included: UCCRO Chairman and Bishop of the Transcarpathian Reformed Church Oleksandr Zhan-Fabian; Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine; Bishop Vitalii Kryvytskyi, Ordinary of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine; Archpriest Oleksa Petriv, Head of the Department for External Relations of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church Anatoliy Kozachok; Bishop Pavlo Shvarts of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine; Metropolitan Yevstratiy, Deputy Head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine; and Oleksandr Zaiets, Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Religious Freedom.