The Council of Christian Churches in Sweden has suspended the Russian Orthodox Church's membership

The Council of Christian Churches in Sweden (Sveriges kristna råd) has officially decided to suspend the membership of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in the organization. According to , the Council’s official website, this measure formalizes a status that has effectively been in place in relations between the two organizations since 2022.

The reason for this step, as stated on , was “Russia’s ongoing military invasion of Ukraine, as well as the close ties between the Russian state and the Moscow Patriarchate.” According to a statement by the Council’s leadership, the current security situation has made constructive cooperation impossible since the very beginning of the full-scale conflict.

The decision was made based on updated membership criteria approved at the extraordinary annual meeting in 2026. The new rules require member churches to uphold the principles of human dignity, peace, democracy, and non-discrimination. The suspension of membership means that the Russian Orthodox Church in Sweden can no longer participate in the Council’s activities, apply for distributed funds, or influence the decision-making process.

The Council of Christian Churches emphasized that this step is “necessary to ensure the safety of other members of the organization and to maintain an independent stance on issues related to the protection of humanitarian values.”

As a reminder, on August 25, 2025, an ecumenical “worship service” entitled “Time of God’s Peace,” marking the centennial of the closing of the “Life and Work” conference in Stockholm in 1925, led by then-Archbishop Nathan Söderblom. Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople took part in the event, along with Lutheran women “bishops” and representatives of other religious traditions. The head of the Phanar was accompanied by members of the episcopate and clergy of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.