The Norwegian Council of Churches arrived in Kyiv for a two-day solidarity visit

A delegation from the Norwegian Council of Churches arrived in Kyiv and met with representatives of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. The participants discussed support for Ukraine and the work of churches during the war.

 

The Norwegian delegation’s visit to Kyiv will last two days.

During the meeting, members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations expressed their gratitude to the delegation of Norwegian religious leaders for this visit of solidarity in support of the Ukrainian people.

“They emphasized the importance of interfaith dialogue and cooperation, especially during the war, described the spiritual, humanitarian, and social activities of Ukrainian churches and religious organizations in society while repelling Russian military aggression against Ukraine, and reported on religious persecution by the occupying authorities in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine,” the statement reads.

Representatives of the Norwegian Council of Churches stated that they are ready to provide every possible assistance to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

They also noted that this year in Norway is a year of preparation for the country’s defense against possible aggression, and that Ukraine’s experience and the work of Ukrainian churches are important to them.

Representing the Norwegian Council of Churches at the meeting were: Rev. Henrik Erhard Hermansen, General Secretary of the Norwegian Council of Churches; Rev. Harald Hegstad, President of the Norwegian Lutheran Church; Rev. Oystein Gjerm, President of the Norwegian Pentecostal Association; Rev. Sten Sorensen, President of the Baptist Church of Norway; Paul Andre Bratbak, priest, assistant bishop of the Catholic Church in Norway; Rev. Herborg Oline Finnset, bishop of the Norwegian Lutheran Church; Rev. Oyvind Haraldsøy, General Secretary of the Norwegian Bible Society.

Representing the Ukrainian side at the meeting were: the chair of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) and Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius; Serhiy Kippa, Auxiliary Bishop of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine; Anatoliy Kozachok, Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Church of Evangelical Christians; Vasyl Furt, Deputy Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Christian-Baptist Churches; Pastor Stanislav Nosov, representative of the Ukrainian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists; Anatoliy Raichynets, Deputy General Secretary of the Ukrainian Bible Society; Metropolitan Yevstratiy of Bila Tserkva of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, as well as representatives of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ukraine, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine, and the Institute for Religious Freedom.

This was reported by the press service of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO).

As a reminder, at least two people were killed in Kyiv as a result of a nighttime attack.

Russia struck Zaporizhzhia’s transportation infrastructure.

Russia also struck Dnipro with ballistic missiles, damaging a facility.