On 16 July 2026, Kyiv hosted commemorative events marking the 30th anniversary of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO). The celebrations brought together Ukrainian and international religious leaders, representatives of government institutions and civil society, ambassadors and diplomats from various countries, members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, scholars, and experts.
The commemorative events began with a ceremonial meeting of UCCRO dedicated to the Council’s 30th anniversary, chaired by His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine. At the opening of the meeting, participants observed a moment of silence in memory of the defenders of Ukraine who had fallen as a result of Russia’s aggression. In their remarks, Metropolitan Epiphaniy, Chair of UCCRO, and other Council members reflected on the key milestones in the establishment, development, and activities of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations throughout the various stages of modern Ukraine’s history. They also discussed prospects for the further advancement of interfaith dialogue and cooperation in Ukraine.
Greeting the participants during the meeting were Olena Kovalska, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Viktor Yelenskyi, Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience; Ivan Verbytskyi, First Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine; Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights; and Denys Shmyhal, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine.
Following the ceremonial meeting, an official reception was held to mark the 30th anniversary of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. Addresses were delivered by Metropolitan Epiphaniy, Chair of UCCRO; Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay (South Africa), General Secretary of the World Council of Churches; and Rev. Frank-Dieter Fischbach (Germany), General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches.
As part of the event, a special cancellation ceremony was held for a commemorative postage stamp dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. The formal part of the reception concluded with the singing of Ukraine’s spiritual hymn, God the Great, the One and Only (Bozhe Velykyi, Yedynyi).
Among those participating in the celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of UCCRO were: Metropolitan Epiphaniy, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and Chair of UCCRO; Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine Yaakov Dov Bleich; Valerii Antoniuk, Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists; Sheikh Ahmed Tamim, Head of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine and Grand Mufti of Ukraine; Bishop Vitalii Kryvytskyi, Ordinary of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine; Anatoliy Kozachok, Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church; Aider Rustemov, Head of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Crimea and Grand Mufti of Crimea; Bishop Oleksandr Zán-Fábián of the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia of Ukraine; Leonid Padun, Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Church; Roman Prodaniuk, President of the Ukrainian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists; Oleksandr Zaitsev, Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Evangelical Church; Bishop Pavlo Shvarts of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine; Igor Rudzik, Secretary of the Synod of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church; Fr. Artashes Hakobyan of the Ukrainian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church; Archpriest Vasyl Lutsyshyn, Vice President of the Ukrainian Bible Society; and members of the UCCRO Secretariat.
Photo: Andriy Sydor