On July 18, 2025, in Kyiv, the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) met with Catholic Cardinal Paulo Cezar Costa, Metropolitan Archbishop of Brasília, the capital of Brazil. The meeting took place at the Bible House of the Ukrainian Bible Society.
Ukrainian religious leaders expressed deep gratitude to Cardinal Paulo Cezar Costa for his visit, for his support of Ukraine, and for his solidarity with the Ukrainian people. UCCRO representatives emphasized Ukraine’s long-standing tradition of interfaith dialogue and cooperation, the importance of interconfessional relations, and the role of churches during wartime.
Religious leaders shared with the Cardinal the devastating consequences of the “Russkiy mir” (Russian World) ideology, which has served as the ideological foundation for Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and poses a threat to all countries. They noted that the war has continued for 11 years, and testified to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russia — including religious persecution in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, unlawful arrests, torture, and killings of religious leaders of various denominations, the destruction and closure of churches and houses of worship, the abduction of Ukrainian children, inhumane treatment of prisoners of war and civilians, and terrorist missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Ukrainian faith leaders stressed the importance of continued international support for Ukraine to help achieve a just peace. They also informed Cardinal Costa about the global interfaith online event held the previous day under the theme “A Cry for Just Peace”, and invited him to review and consider endorsing the Interfaith Declaration: A Call to Conscience and Solidarity with the People of Ukraine, which is open for signatures worldwide.
Cardinal Paulo Cezar Costa affirmed that the people of Brazil support Ukraine’s pursuit of peace, recognizing the true nature of the war, and that people of goodwill in Brazil and beyond stand with the courageous Ukrainian people, hoping for truth to prevail over evil and for the war to end. He thanked the Ukrainian religious leaders for the meeting and the valuable information they shared, and assured them that he would take steps to help spread the truth about the war in Ukraine and work toward the establishment of a just peace.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Evangelical Church, the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church, the Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church, the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine, and the Institute for Religious Freedom.
It is worth recalling that from May 19–24, 2024, a UCCRO advocacy delegation visited Brazil, during which Ukrainian religious leaders traveled to São Paulo, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília.