President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with representatives of the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches living in Ukraine.
The Head of State congratulated them on Easter and wished them Ukraine's victory in the war against Russian occupiers.
"It will definitely be achieved thanks to our warriors, our people and your sincere prayers," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said and thanked the clergy for supporting the faithful in this difficult time.
"It is very important that people have the opportunity to come, talk to you, and pray. I would also like to express gratitude for the service of our military chaplains. Thanks to you, our men and women at the front have the opportunity to communicate and feel your support," the President noted and added that it is important to reinforce the chaplaincy service with representatives of different churches.
The clergy proposed to Volodymyr Zelenskyy to initiate a nationwide prayer breakfast. The President supported this idea.
The Head of State also noted the importance of communication between churches of different countries.
"I would like to ask you to communicate with each other not only here, within our country, but also abroad. This dialogue is very important for us now. After all, the church has a great influence on society, on state leaders. And so this is a very important signal for us regarding the support of our partners," he emphasized.
Valerii Antoniuk, Head of the All-Ukrainian Union of the Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists and member of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, noted the importance of religious freedom in Ukraine. According to him, this is evidenced, in particular, by an effective partnership with the American community. Among other things, they organize prayer breakfasts, which provide an opportunity to share information about what is happening in Ukraine.
"We must not only continue to advocate for Ukraine, but also raise this issue at all possible levels. We are planning a series of meetings abroad to talk about the real state of affairs in Ukraine. We believe that it is important to convey the truth to the international community today. We are not just concerned about this – it is our pain," said Valerii Antoniuk.
