Virtual European Pre-Assembly “Christ’s Love Moves the World to Reconciliation and Unity” was run 25-26 February 2022. Participants raised the themes:

• Churches Confront War in Ukraine
• Churches as reconciling communities in increasingly secular and plural European societies
• Christ’s call to discipleship: transforming love, inclusive community, perpetual hope
• Panel on Churches in Europe and the global ecumenical movement: questions, challenges, priorities
• Next stop: Karlsruhe! (preparing the next WCC’ meeting)

Dr. Pavlo Smytsnyuk in his report emphasized the ways in which various Ukrainian churches have responded to Russian aggression, and then will raise three issues: unity, interconnectedness and reconciliation.

He admitted that the All Ukrainian Council of Churches—which unites 16 churches and religious organizations, including Jews and Muslims—issued a statement with words of support for the Ukrainian Armed forces and a blessing to soldiers, asking the international community to help stop the Russian invasion. They also wrote a letter to President Putin asking him to stop the war before it is too late. Even Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv, the Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in union with Moscow Patriarchate, called the Russian invasion “a repetition of the sin of Cain, who out of jealousy killed his own brother. Such a war can have no justification either before God or before people.” In the same time Patriarch Kirill, the Head of Russian Orthodox Church, only came short of condemning the war or even asking to stop it. He limited himself to “call on all parties to the conflict to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties”

Pavlo Smytsnyuk summarized that the Ukrainian churches have shown an exceptional moment of unity. This is what war does. This unity might contain risks, but it might lead to reconciliation and unity.