Head of the UGCC Calls on the World Council of Churches to Admit the OCU to Its Membership
Sviatoslav Shevchuk called for ensuring the presence of the Ukrainian voice in the international community.
Head of the UGCC Sviatoslav Shevchuk proposed to the World Council of Churches (WCC) that the OCU be admitted to the organization. He made this appeal during a meeting with a WCC delegation led by General Secretary Jerry Pillay in Kyiv on July 15, 2026.
Sviatoslav Shevchuk described the admission of the OCU to the council's membership as a "concrete step" toward supporting Ukraine and ensuring its presence in the international community. According to the head of the UGCC, this is necessary so that the voice of Ukrainian believers may be heard consistently in the ecumenical arena.
He also noted that an "existential ecumenism" is currently taking shape in the country — a new form of practical inter-church cooperation that has emerged in response to the tragic challenges of the times. In Shevchuk's view, shared prayer and joint witness make believers more resilient.
As the UOJ previously reported, SSetnpfc head Viktor Yelensky is counting on the OCU being admitted to the World Council of Churches.
