Zelensky thanks UCCRO members for Ukraine's "advocacy" abroad

Zelensky's meeting with UCCRO members. Photo: Presidential Office website

On December 23, 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) at the Kyiv Sophia Cathedral complex. He extended his greetings for Hanukkah and Christmas, according to the Presidential Office website.

The President emphasized that the "role of UCCRO is important for Ukraine's advocacy in the world." He stated, "After all, the Russian Federation is trying to use its church to influence the views of Ukrainians who have gone abroad because of the war," without specifying which Church he was referring to.

In response, the head of the OCU, Epifaniy Dumenko, assured Zelensky that UCCRO members are "convey the truth about Ukraine abroad and fight Russian propaganda." He also expressed gratitude to the President for the adoption of the law banning the UOC, referring to it as the "law on the protection of spiritual independence."

"Unfortunately, the enemy is quite active in the informational space and is particularly attempting abroad to sow discord and spread falsehoods about Ukraine, our people, and the state of affairs in our country, misleading the international community. Therefore, bearing witness to the truth abroad must also become one of our priorities," Dumenko said.

The head of the UGCC, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, expressed gratitude to Zelensky on behalf of the attendees for mentioning UCCRO in the President's Internal Resilience Plan. He also highlighted that members of the Council of Churches "have learned to work together for the common good, rejecting narrow corporate interests in favor of national priorities."

"We are all different, from different confessions, even different religions, but we have learned to work together for the common good. This partnership is the key to victory," the head of the UGCC assured.

The meeting was facilitated by the State Ethnopolitics Service, led by Viktor Yelensky.

Earlier, UOJ reported that Zelensky stated Ukrainian believers have high hopes for Trump.

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