“Where There Is Dialogue, There Is Hope”: The Role of the Churches in the Search for a Just Peace for Ukraine Discussed in Augsburg
A regular working meeting of official delegates of the International Group “Reconciliation in Europe—The Task of the Churches in Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and Germany” took place in Augsburg, Germany. Participants discussed the repercussions of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, the role of the Churches in supporting those affected, and the search for a just peace. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was represented by Fr. Ihor Shaban, head of the UGCC Commission on Interfaith and Interreligious Relations.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Evangelical, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Greek Catholic Churches from Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and Germany. The group has been active since 1995 and is dedicated to promoting interchurch dialogue and reconciliation in Europe.
As part of the program, the delegates met with the leadership of the Catholic charitable foundation Renovabis. During a conversation with the foundation’s executive director, Dr. Thomas Schwarz, the participants discussed the humanitarian consequences of the war in Ukraine, support for those affected, and the role of religious organizations in protecting human dignity in wartime.
A separate event during the visit was a meeting with the Bishop of Augsburg, Dr. Bertram Meier.
“We spoke about the military aggression against Ukraine and about the Church, which strives to remain the voice of conscience at a time when that voice can easily be drowned out by the roar of weapons and the clamor of politics,” Fr. Ihor Shaban noted.
The participants also heard a presentation by Dr. Harutyun Harutyunyan from Armenia, who addressed the cost of peace and the experiences of peoples who have endured war and loss. The presentation served as a basis for further discussion.
The central theme of the meeting was Russian military aggression against Ukraine and the role of the Churches in the search for a just peace. The delegates emphasized that supporting Ukraine is a moral obligation and that peace cannot be built at the cost of territorial concessions without reliable security guarantees.
Participants noted that every day of the war poses a threat to human life and that the Churches cannot view this reality solely through the prism of strategic interests. A strong warning was voiced against the cynical use of Ukraine as a “space for containing Russia” or as a “time resource” for preparing other European countries for possible future conflicts.
“The participants responded just as critically to discussions about a ‘rapid ceasefire’ achieved at the cost of territorial concessions without real and reliable security guarantees. For peace without justice is not peace, but merely a postponement of new suffering,” said Fr. Ihor Shaban.
In conclusion, the participants emphasized the importance of the Church as a place of support, compassion, and fraternal solidarity, where human suffering is not left unattended.
The UGCC Department for Information
