An invitation to prayer and hope for peace in Ukraine by supporting refugees, diplomacy, and reconciliation
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, sparked a humanitarian crisis and has left more than 30,000 Ukrainian civilians dead in the two years since. As of January 2024, more than 3.6 million people are displaced within the country and about 6.3 million others have sought refuge abroad.
As the second anniversary approaches, leaders from The Canadian Council of Churches, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and the Peace and Reconciliation Network of the World Evangelical Alliance issued a pastoral letter urging Christians to continue to donate and advocate for pea#downloadsce in Ukraine.
Among the writers of this ecumenical letter are Ukrainian Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic, Ukrainian Evangelical, and Ukrainian Pentecostal church leaders; organizations and people in Ukraine and in Canada were consulted widely. The letter also references the recent statement from Ukrainian churches made on January 12, 2024.
What can we do? The letter offers six concrete actions to support peace in Ukraine:
- Pray.
- Support Ukrainian refugees.
- Urge diplomatic steps towards a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine.
- Seek cooperative relationships of humanitarian support.
- Remember February 24.
- Hope for reconciliation.
United Church Mission and Service partners continue to respond through ACT Alliance to the protracted crisis through supporting
- immediate life-saving, multi-sectoral emergency support provided to people affected by the conflict (refugees and internally displaced)
- safe access to basic services and supports restored for people affected by conflict
- resilience of host communities and local organizations strengthened, and social cohesion built with internally displaced persons and crisis-affected population in Ukraine, and refugees in Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia
Your support is still needed.