Peace in and for Ukraine: An Ecumenical Letter
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, sparked a humanitarian crisis and has left more than 30,000 Ukrainian civilians dead in the two years since. As of January 2024, more than 3.6 million people are displaced within the country and about 6.3 million others have sought refuge abroad.
As the second anniversary approaches, leaders from The Canadian Council of Churches, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and the Peace and Reconciliation Network of the World Evangelical Alliance issued a pastoral letter(opens in a new tab) urging Christians to continue to donate and advocate for peace in Ukraine.
Among the writers of this ecumenical letter are Ukrainian Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic, Ukrainian Evangelical, and Ukrainian Pentecostal church leaders; organizations and people in Ukraine and in Canada were consulted widely. The letter also references the recent statement(opens in a new tab) from Ukrainian churches made on January 12, 2024.
What can we do? The letter offers six concrete actions to support peace in Ukraine:
- Pray.
- Support Ukrainian refugees.
- Urge diplomatic steps towards a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine.
- Seek cooperative relationships of humanitarian support.
- Remember February 24.
- Hope for reconciliation.
United Church Mission and Service partners continue to respond through ACT Alliance to the protracted crisis through supporting
- immediate life-saving, multi-sectoral emergency support provided to people affected by the conflict (refugees and internally displaced)
- safe access to basic services and supports restored for people affected by conflict
- resilience of host communities and local organizations strengthened, and social cohesion built with internally displaced persons and crisis-affected population in Ukraine, and refugees in Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia
Your support is still needed.
Please click here for the letter referenced above:
A Canadian Pastoral Letter on Ukraine, Canada and the Church
Click here to go to the United Church donation page: https://united-church.ca/social-action/act-now/ukraine-crisis
Prayer for Peace
This prayer has been prepared by drawing on prayers from the Ukrainian Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox spiritual traditions and is endorsed by the Canadian Council of Churches, the
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and the Peace and Reconciliation Network of the World Evangelical Alliance.
O Lord our God,
We beseech Your loving kindness upon the state and the people of Ukraine during this time of war.
We pray for all those who are suffering physically, emotionally, psychologically, or spiritually in Ukraine and throughout the world as a result of the Russian invasion, that You would assuage their suffering and grant them comfort and healing.
We pray the You would enlighten the hearts of those who pursue violence. Grant them the peace of true repentance and wisdom to cease their sinful actions, seek forgiveness, and make amends for their actions.
We ask for peaceful existence in Ukraine that is deep and inalienable, and that she never again be subject to invasion or violence. And grant that we may all praise You, our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, One in the Holy Trinity.
Amen.
