On September 30, 2025, in Kyiv, the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) met with a delegation of leaders and representatives of churches from the Nordic countries — Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The meeting took place at St. Catherine’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Ukrainian religious leaders expressed deep gratitude to the representatives of the Nordic churches for their visit to Ukraine, for their continued support, and for demonstrating solidarity with the Ukrainian people. The UCCRO representatives spoke about the Council’s mission, its role in promoting interfaith dialogue, and its contribution to developing state–church relations in Ukraine based on partnership and mutual respect.

They emphasized the vital importance of interfaith cooperation among different churches and religious organizations in serving the Ukrainian people during the ongoing war for independence and in resisting Russian military aggression. Members of the Council also shared about UCCRO’s international advocacy efforts, including recent visits in 2025 to the United Kingdom, the United States, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Poland.

UCCRO representatives drew the attention of their Nordic colleagues to the dangers and destructive consequences of Russian propaganda, which distorts information about the situation in Ukraine and spreads false narratives about “Nazism,” “antisemitism,” and “lack of religious freedom.” They stressed that UCCRO’s activities, Ukraine’s vibrant religious life, interethnic harmony, the annual Hasidic pilgrimage to Uman, and interfaith prayers of remembrance at Babyn Yar — uniting Christians, Jews, and Muslims — all testify that Ukraine is a democratic country that upholds human rights and religious freedoms.

The Nordic church leaders expressed their clear understanding of the nature of the war in Ukraine and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s pursuit of a just peace, noting that their visit was a gesture of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Ukrainian religious leaders underlined the importance of continued international support for Ukraine, which remains a key condition for achieving peace and ensuring security across the European continent.

The delegation from the Nordic churches included:

• Norway: Presiding Bishop of the Church of Norway Olav Fykse Tveit and Pastor Einar Tjelle;

• Finland: Primate of the autonomous Finnish Orthodox Church (under the Ecumenical Patriarchate), Archbishop Leo of Helsinki and All Finland, his theological adviser and secretary Elisei Heikkilä, Dean of the Joensuu Parish Fr. Aleksander Roszczenko, Executive Director of the Church’s Diaconia Riina Nguyen, as well as Archbishop Tapio Luoma, Head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and his theological adviser Juha Meriläinen;

• Denmark: Primate of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, Bishop of Copenhagen Peter Skov-Jakobsen, and Academic Secretary Jonas Adelin Jørgensen;

• Iceland: Lutheran Bishop Gudrún Karls Helgudóttir and Bishop’s Secretary Pastor E. Björk Valdimarsdóttir;

• Sweden: Archbishop Emerita of Uppsala Antje Jackelén and Theological Secretary Christopher Meakin.

From the UCCRO, the meeting was attended by representatives of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church, the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church, the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, and the Institute for Religious Freedom.