UGCC head urges World Council of Churches to admit OCU
Shevchuk and Dumenko meeting with the World Council of Churches delegation. Photo: UGCC
The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, proposed that the World Council of Churches admit the OCU as a member. He made the appeal during a meeting with a WCC delegation led by General Secretary Jerry Pillay in Kyiv on July 15, 2026.
Shevchuk described the OCU’s admission to the council as a “concrete step” toward supporting Ukraine and ensuring its presence in the international community. According to the UGCC head, this is necessary so that the voice of Ukrainian believers may be heard consistently within the ecumenical community.
He also said that an “existential ecumenism” is now taking shape in Ukraine – a new form of practical interchurch cooperation that has emerged in response to the tragic challenges of the present time. In Shevchuk’s view, common prayer and joint witness make believers more resilient.
As the UOJ previously reported, DESS head Viktor Yelensky expects the OCU to be admitted to the World Council of Churches.
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