UCCRO delegation concludes visit to Washington with meetings with religious, political and expert circles
On May 2-3, 2025, a delegation of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) held final meetings in the US capital. These were the final events of the UCCRO’s official visit to the United States, which lasted from April 28. The meetings in Washington became a platform for interreligious and international dialogue on religious freedom, the war in Ukraine, and the moral challenges of our time.
Source: UCCRO
Dialogue with the American Jewish Committee
During the meeting with the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the Ukrainian delegation emphasized the scale of religious oppression in the temporarily occupied territories, in particular the destruction of Jewish religious life in Donetsk and Luhansk, which has been going on since 2014. Rabbi Andrew Baker assured of the AJC’s continued support for Ukraine and shared practical advice on how to convey the truth about religious persecution and crimes of the Russian Federation at the international level.
Conversations with Analysts and Diplomats
Security challenges for Ukraine and Europe were the topic of conversations with Senior Fellow at the Marshall Fund for International Peace Jackson Jaynes and American diplomat George Noll. They discussed transatlantic unity and the importance of religious voices in advocating for peace and justice.
Meeting with a German MP and the Adenauer Foundation
The UCCRO delegation also met with Bundestag MP Peter Bayer (CDU), who was visiting the United States, and representatives of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The discussion centered on the role of the European Union in countering Russian aggression, strengthening Ukrainian-German cooperation, and the moral responsibility of European leaders to the peoples of Europe.
Testimony of the suffering of Ukrainians
During the dialogue with American Protestant leaders, the delegates spoke about the devastating consequences of the war for the Ukrainian people, particularly the fate of children. They called for increased prayer support and solidarity with Ukraine.
Honoring Historical Memory
The delegation visited the Holodomor Genocide Memorial and Taras Shevchenko Monument in Washington, DC, where they prayed in remembrance of the millions of victims of Soviet terror. It was a symbolic act of remembrance and a reminder of the historical parallels with the current Russian invasion.
Delegation composition
The delegation included representatives of the leading religious denominations of Ukraine, in particular:
- Pastor Ihor Bandura (Baptist),
- Metropolitan Yevstratiy (OCU),
- Bishops Vitaliy Kryvytskyy (RCC) and Pavlo Khomnytskyy (UGCC),
- Senior Bishop Anatoliy Kozachok (KVE),
- Chief Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich (OIROU),
- human rights activist Oleksandr Zayets (IRS).
The visit was organized with the assistance of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s offices in the United States and Ukraine.
