On May 27, 2025, in Copenhagen, the delegation of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) held a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Denmark and signed a joint Declaration of Solidarity “When Time Come” with the National Council of Churches in Denmark (NCCD).

At the MFA, the UCCRO delegation met with Ambassador Natalia Freyberg, Special Representative for Freedom of Religion or Belief, and Kristian Lundberg, Head of the Department for Enhanced Cooperation in Eastern Europe. During the meeting, the Ukrainian delegation spoke about the spiritual and humanitarian activities of churches and religious organizations during the war, the current state of religious freedom in Ukraine, and the challenges faced by denominations under martial law. They also discussed religious persecution in the temporarily Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, the destruction of churches and the killings of clergy by Russian forces, the churches’ evolving understanding of war, and why Ukrainian religious leaders consider air defense systems and missiles part of humanitarian aid. Additionally, they shared information about UCCRO’s international advocacy efforts. The delegation responded to questions from MFA representatives and expressed gratitude to the Government and people of Denmark for their ongoing support and assistance to Ukraine.

The next stop in the UCCRO delegation’s visit to Copenhagen was a meeting with the leadership and members of the NCCD, held at the Lutheran church “House of the Holy Spirit.” The meeting, conducted in a spirit of fraternal fellowship, concluded with the signing of the joint Declaration of Solidarity “When Time Come” by the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations and the National Council of Churches in Denmark. On the Ukrainian side, the declaration was signed by Bishop Valerii Antoniuk, Chair of UCCRO and Head of the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. On the Danish side, it was signed by Bishop Peter Birch, Chair of the NCCD and Bishop of Elsinore in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark.

The full text of the “When Time Come” Declaration of Solidarity can be accessed via the following link.

The final engagements of the day for the UCCRO delegation included separate meetings between Ukrainian delegates and representatives of the Catholic Church in Denmark, Danish Baptist and Pentecostal churches, and the Danish Bible Society.

As a reminder, the UCCRO delegation's visit to Copenhagen is taking place at the invitation of the National Council of Churches in Denmark.