Conference of European Churches calls for Christmas truce in Ukraine

On December 16, 2024, the website of the Conference of European Churches published a statement calling on the parties to the Russian-Ukrainian war to establish a Christmas truce. The organization believes that in this way both warring countries will be able to show respect for the Christmas holiday and start a peaceful settlement of the conflict. The statement is posted on the organization’s website.

“The Conference of European Churches (CEC) has issued a heartfelt plea for a Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine, calling on all parties to embrace this season of hope and humanity. This call is a direct result of the recent CEC consultation on “just peace” held in Warsaw from December 9-11, 2024. The European ecumenical organization, which represents 115 member churches across Europe, called on Russia to respect the Christmas season by ending violence and promoting compassion. “One of the key recommendations of the consultation included a demand for an exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine using the ‘all for all’ formula, which emphasizes the importance of humanitarian gestures in a conflict,” – the statement said.

We shall remind you that recently the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, once again urged Ukrainians and Russians to find mutual understanding. The pontiff believes that Ukrainians and Russians are brothers and should therefore reconcile.