WCC News: WCC expresses hope and prayer for a just peace for people of Ukraine

As the presidents of the United States and Russia meet in Alaska, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed hope and prayer that, from this meeting, progress towards a just peace for the people of Ukraine will emerge.  Thousands of Ukrainian flags have been placed at the Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) the central square of Kyiv, capital city of Ukraine, in memory of those whose lives have been lost since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces in February 2022. Ukraine suffers from the invasion by Russian Federation military forces into the country, ongoing since late February 2022, and the annexation by Russia of four regions in eastern Ukraine. Photo: Albin Hillert/LWF 15 August 2025 “We pray that God will lead the participating heads of state on God’s way of just peace, and away from the path of aggression, conflict, and yet more bloodshed and destruction,” said Pillay.  Pillay also commended to all WCC member churches and ecumenical partners the call issued by the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations for a World Day of Prayer for Ukraine on 24 August, marking Ukraine’s 34th Independence Day.  Pillay appealed for the end to the war and suffering; protection of innocents and the preservation of human life; establishment of a just peace; and the restoration of truth, freedom and dignity. “We pray for peace and justice in the world knowing that this is what God desires,” Pillay concluded.  Read the full WCC Statement on Ukraine Appeal of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations on the occasion of the World Prayer for Ukraine Learn more about the Global Prayer for Ukraine on 24 August 2025 See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland