The World Council of Churches has called on Russia to immediately halt its invasion of Ukraine

The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Professor Jerry Pillay, called for an immediate end to the Russian invasion. The organization expressed concern over the latest missile strike on Ukraine, which caused serious damage to the main church of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra—the Assumption Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pillay emphasized that this site holds special spiritual and cultural significance as a place of centuries-old prayer, monastic witness, and veneration of holy relics. This was reported byoikoumene.org.

According to the WCC general secretary, Russian airstrikes also hit high-rise residential buildings in nearly all districts of the Ukrainian capital. In this regard, he called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, respect the dignity of every human life, and protect the civilian population, places of worship, and cultural heritage sites.

Pillay also stated the need to renew efforts aimed at achieving a just and sustainable peace, and emphasized the importance of dialogue and reconciliation. “Russia must immediately cease these attacks and end its illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine now, ” he said.

The World Council of Churches also called for full legal accountability for those responsible for all such criminal attacks against civilians, humanitarian workers, and civilian infrastructure. The organization’s statement came amid the ongoing devastating impact of the war on Ukraine’s population, religious sites, and cultural heritage.