All-Ukrainian Council of Churches joins prayer meeting of the Verkhovna Rada on the anniversary of the invasion
On February 24, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine held a solemn meeting to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion and the first National Day of Prayer. The event was attended by members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO), government officials, international guests, and religious leaders.
Source: UCCRO
During the meeting, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk emphasized that on February 12, 2025, the Parliament decided to annually celebrate the National Day of Prayer on February 24. At the beginning of the event, all those present together with the choir sang the spiritual anthem of Ukraine “God the Great, the One”, which became a symbol of unity in faith and the desire for peace.
During the meeting, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution “On the Appeal of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the Parliaments and Governments of Foreign Countries, International Organizations and their Inter-Parliamentary Assemblies” calling on the international community to support the Peace Formula, the Victory Plan of Ukraine and the further integration of our country into the European and Euro-Atlantic community.
Prayer for peace and the defenders of Ukraine
After the official part, members of the UCCRO visited an exhibition of icons and paintings on boards made from military boxes, and also got acquainted with a unique handwritten Bible presented by the Ukrainian Bible Society.
On the sidelines of the Verkhovna Rada, the clergy prayed for Ukraine. They prayed for Ukraine’s defenders, the release of prisoners, the return of abducted Ukrainian children, and the establishment of a just peace. The prayer was led by Valeriy Antoniuk, chairman of the UCCRO.
Participants of the event
The meeting of the Verkhovna Rada was attended by representatives of various religious communities of Ukraine, including:
- Valeriy Antoniuk, head of the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists,
- Epifaniy, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine,
- Yosyf Milian – Auxiliary Bishop of the Kyiv Archeparchy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church,
- Vitaliy Kryvytskyy, Bishop of Kyiv-Zhytomyr of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine,
- Leonid Padun, Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church.
Also present were representatives of the Ukrainian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith, the Ukrainian Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine, the Association of Jewish Religious Organizations, and Muslim communities in Ukraine and Crimea.
Prayer events throughout the country
On the initiative of the UCCRO and other interfaith organizations, prayer meetings were held in churches and religious communities throughout Ukraine. Christians, Muslims, and representatives of other religious traditions united in prayer for peace, protection of the military, return of prisoners, and victory for Ukraine.
This day has become a symbol of the spiritual unity of the Ukrainian people in their quest for peace, justice and victory.
