World Council of Churches: Statement on the War in Ukraine

World Council of Churches logoIn a public statement, the World Council of Churches governing body declared that “war, with the killing and all the other miserable consequences it entails, is incompatible with God’s very nature and will for humanity and against our fundamental Christian and ecumenical principles.” The statement further “rejects any misuse of religious language and authority to justify armed aggression.”


Deploring the illegal and unjustifiable war “inflicted on the people and sovereign state of Ukraine” the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee lamented “the awful and continuing toll of deaths, destruction and displacement, of destroyed relationships and ever more deeply entrenched antagonism between the people of the region, of escalating confrontation globally, of increased famine risk in food insecure regions of the world, of economic hardship and heightened social and political instability in many countries.”

The governing body reiterated “the appeal of the global fellowship of churches represented in the WCC for an end to this tragic war, for an immediate ceasefire to halt the death and destruction, and for dialogue and negotiations to secure a sustainable peace.”

The statement further calls for “a much greater investment by the international community in searching for and promoting peace, rather than in escalating confrontation and division” and affirms “the mandate and special role of the World Council of Churches in accompanying its member churches in the region and as a platform and safe space for encounter and dialogue in order to address the many pressing issues for the world and for the ecumenical movement arising from this conflict, and the obligation of its members to seek unity and together serve the world, and therefore urges members of the ecumenical fellowship in Russia and Ukraine to make use of this platform.”

Read the full statement

 

World Council of CHurches - War in Ukraine
“Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Psalm 34:14
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9

Source: World Council of Churches Press Release

 

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Image Credits: World Council of Churches