Address of the Church Council on Establishment of Peace and Development of the Ukrainian Society

“Address of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations on the establishment of peace and development of the Ukrainian society” was adopted during the visiting session of All-Ukrainian Church Council on November 2 in Kramatorsk city. It is reported by the ВСЦиРО site.

Address of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations on the establishment of peace and development of the Ukrainian society

Affirming its position, laid down in the address:
• on normalization of the social and political situation in Ukraine, taking into account internal and external challenges of 24.03.2014;
• on the situation in the East of Ukraine of 09.07.2014;
• in support of charitable and volunteering activity of 31.10.2014;
• on the obligatory contribution to the defense of homeland of 10.02.2015;
• on the liberation of hostages in the East of Ukraine as a demonstration of mercy of 06.09.2016,

All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations calls on all believers to continue praying for peace and well-being in Ukraine. All who are involved in inciting a military conflict in the east of Ukraine we urge to search for mutual understanding and strive for peace, to cease artificial exacerbation of hostility due to the mongering of false propaganda and informational manipulations. We urge both those, who took weapons illegally and those who came to the Ukrainian land with offensive and aggressive intentions, to lay down arms.
The war destroys and exterminates, bringing about pain and affliction only.
Dreadful events of the recent years in Donbass must compel everybody to think about the value of each human life, which should not become a small coin in geopolitical ambitions with any state and with anybody’s own vested interests. The society as a whole and each citizen in particular – whether it be a politician, a religious activist, a mass media rep – must establish public peace and accord, refrain from hate speech in their rhetoric, look for the avenues to reconciliation through a dialogue and mutual forgiveness.

We appeal to the people who are based in a military action zone and whom we have arrived here for, to the people who suffer from the war, to the people who have appeared on the occupied territories and “grey zone” and who have gone through invasion and liberation, and deem it our duty to speak about you and assure you that we are those who want to serve all of you so that you could feel yourselves worthy citizens and be surrounded by care and assistance. We wish sincerely to help you heal the war-inflicted wounds.

We turn to the international community with a request to do everything possible to retain territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of Ukraine’s borders, including the Ukrainian Crimea and Donbass. A contemporary world security system is founded on the respect for the international law and sovereignty of each state; therefore, these fundamental principles must be honored also with regard to Ukraine. Until now in the East of Ukraine there have been unacceptable violations of human rights, hostage taking and tortures, religious persecutions, and discrimination of religious minorities, which must be stopped at last and highlighted in the reports of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission.

Religion should not be used as a tool for artificial hate mongering and conflict escalation, but a source of peace, harmony and love. Being heads of churches and religious organizations, we address our faithful so that each of them could demonstrate strive for peace and mutual forgiveness by his/her own example, show respect toward representatives of other confessions.

Upheaval of moral values in the society is vital to Ukraine and appears as a condition for positive changes at the fundamental level. We call each citizen and each family to spiritual rejuvenation to become bedrock for the nation’s recovery as a whole, for building solid moral foundation, victory over corruption and other human temptations.

All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations highly appreciates military service of Ukrainian warriors and defenders, as well as military chaplains and volunteers in the East of Ukraine. Today, like never before, militaries and their family members, as well as many Donbass residents, whose security and order are ensured by Ukrainian defenders, desperately need pastoral guidance, moral support and practical social aid.

Charity and mutual help of fellow citizens are even more able to consolidate the Ukrainian society, strengthen a social and cultural identity of multi-national Ukraine.

We are convinced that establishing a broad social dialogue and cooperation between the power and general public in the strive for required changes and observance of fundamental rights will facilitate the arrival of peace, consolidation of the nation, way out of the economic and political crisis, implementation of essential reforms.

Staying in Kramatorsk, we keep in mind this is a Ukrainian city; so is Slaviansk and its suburbs which were occupied and are now liberated. They are harbingers of the victory of peace over war, truth over falsehood, and good over evil.

We ask God Almighty to send peace for the entire Ukrainian nation!