AUCCRO urges U.S. Congress to pass legislation to counter the "war on faith"

The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) officially appealed to both houses of the U.S. Congress to support and pass the Countering Russia’s War on Faith Act. This document is aimed at creating mechanisms to monitor the persecution of religious communities in the uncontrolled territories of Ukraine and imposing personal sanctions against those involved in these crimes.

According to the WCCIRO statement, the initiative is bipartisan and has received the support of congressmen from both the Republican and Democratic parties. The bill is designed to protect fundamental religious liberty, which is under systematic attack. The appeal cites data from the International Alliance for Religious Freedom, according to which at least 80 Ukrainian clergymen of various denominations have been killed during the conflict, and more than 200 have been kidnapped, tortured and illegally detained.

The document pays special attention to the destruction of religious infrastructure. It is reported that as a result of air and artillery strikes on the territory of Ukraine, more than 800 religious buildings have been damaged or completely destroyed. Numerous cases of desecration of churches, which are used by the invaders as military warehouses, administrative buildings and firing points, have been recorded in the temporarily occupied territories. At present, many ministers of various churches continue to be in illegal detention.

At the end of the address, the members of the WCCIRO expressed their gratitude to the American people, churches, Congress and the U.S. Government for supporting Ukraine in its struggle for independence. The religious leaders emphasized that the adoption of the law would be an important step in establishing freedom of conscience and bringing to justice those responsible for crimes against believers.

It should be noted that earlier the hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich), drew attention to the fact that the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations ignores the violation of the rights of clergy and believers of the UOC. The bishop cited the example of forced mobilization of the UOC clergy, noting that the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations does not seem to notice what is happening.