The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church called for the inclusion of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in the World Council of Churches

Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), proposed that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) be admitted to the World Council of Churches (WCC). This call was made during a meeting with a WCC delegation in Kyiv, led by the organization’s general secretary, Jerry Pillay.

According to , the UGCC press service reports that Shevchuk described the OCU’s potential membership in the council as a “concrete step” necessary to strengthen international support for Ukraine. According to Shevchuk, the OCU’s presence within the organization will ensure that the Ukrainian voice is consistently heard in the ecumenical arena.

In his address, Sviatoslav Shevchuk also touched on the topic of so-called “existential ecumenism”—a new model of interchurch cooperation that has emerged in Ukraine in response to contemporary historical challenges. He emphasized that joint prayer and a shared witness to the faith strengthen society’s spiritual resilience.

As a reminder, Viktor Yelensky previously called on to expel the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) from the World Council of Churches. In his view, the activities of the Moscow Patriarchate “directly contradict Christian commandments and are aimed at destroying Ukrainian identity.”