On the evening of June 25, 2026, a public event entitled “Faith, War and Responsibility – Socio-Ethical Perspectives of Ukrainian Christian Leaders” took place at the Forum Hall of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Academy in Berlin, Germany.
The panel discussion brought together Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, along with other hierarchs. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Richard Ottinger, Director of the Catholic Social Institute of Germany.
During the event, Ukrainian religious leaders spoke about the experiences of religious communities amid Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, emphasizing that Ukraine and its people are engaged in a just defensive war.
They also highlighted the humanitarian work of Churches in supporting orphaned children, families, veterans, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups. The role of Churches and religious organizations in preserving unity and strengthening the resilience of Ukrainian society was also discussed.
The participants stated that the recent Russian strike on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was deliberate and intended to damage the holy site and demoralize society.
“We remain strong in spirit and unbroken. This attack only united both the Ukrainian people and our friends around the world even more. Instead of demoralizing us, it strengthened the determination to defeat the Russian empire of evil,” Metropolitan Epifaniy said.
The religious leaders also addressed questions concerning the possibility of future dialogue between Ukrainians and Russians in the context of Christian peacebuilding.
“When the war ends with the victory of truth and a just peace is established, Russia’s attempt to destroy us will have failed. Then it may happen that the current Kremlin regime collapses, because it is leading its country toward catastrophe,” Metropolitan Epifaniy said.
“When Russia is defeated and perhaps even disintegrates, as the Soviet Union did after the Cold War, dialogue on restoring relations may become possible with a peaceful Russia or its successor states, just as happened in Europe after World War II.”
He further suggested that, without the current level of Kremlin control, the Russian Orthodox Church could eventually recognize the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
“It may be compelled to do so because canonical Church order and the good of Orthodoxy require it. Until then, however, speaking about reconciliation with the aggressor is impossible, because it only encourages the continuation of the war,” he stated.
Metropolitan Epifaniy also reiterated the Orthodox Church of Ukraine’s openness to dialogue with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church linked to the Moscow Patriarchate.
“We have repeatedly appealed to them, both personally to Metropolitan Onufriy and collectively to all of them, calling for constructive dialogue. However, these appeals continue to be ignored at the official level,” he said.
According to the Primate of the OCU, more than 2,000 communities have voluntarily joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, while those who remain aligned with Moscow continue to hope for a Russian victory.
“We see only one path forward—the path of unity among all Orthodox Christians in Ukraine, as envisioned by the Tomos of Autocephaly. Moscow has no right to control the life of Orthodoxy in Ukraine, and the time will come when that control will belong entirely to the past,” Metropolitan Epifaniy concluded.
Source: pomisna
