OCU and UGCC clergy pray with Muslims in mosque

Ecumenical prayer in a mosque. Photo: Ukrinform

On May 8, 2026, a gathering was held at a mosque in Lviv in connection with the recent arson attack, Ukrinform reports. The event was attended by Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev, Chief Mufti of Crimea Ayder Rustemov, clergy of the OCU and UGCC, as well as representatives of the city and regional authorities.

In his remarks, Mustafa Dzhemilev called the act of vandalism a provocation aimed at destabilizing the situation in the country. He expressed confidence that such actions would not undermine the unity of the Ukrainian people and noted the importance of the swift response by the media and human rights defenders to the incident.

Mufti Ayder Rustemov said that the perpetrator who attempted to set fire to the mosque had already been detained. According to him, after a confrontation procedure, investigators identified a “Russian trace” in the suspect’s actions.

UGCC representative Hieromonk Yustyn Boyko, speaking about the incident, said that any desecration of a place of worship is an attack on “a place where faith is born,” and stressed the importance of demonstrating that there is no interreligious discord in Lviv.

OCU cleric Mykhailo Sadovsky called on participants to make efforts to strengthen “cultural dialogue” and eradicate hatred.

The event concluded with a joint prayer by representatives of different religious communities.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that young people studied the “shared values” of Catholicism and Islam at a UGCC cathedral.

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