A senior Ukrainian official has renewed calls for the Russian Orthodox Church to be removed from the World Council of Churches, arguing that its actions during Russia’s war against Ukraine are incompatible with core Christian teachings.
Viktor Yelensky, who heads Ukraine’s State Service for Freedom of Conscience and Ethnic Policy, appealed at a seminar hosted by the Collège des Bernardins in Paris, according to reports from the Church Times.
Yelensky said the WCC should “exclude the Russian Church from membership since its activities directly contradict the fundamental principles of Christianity.”
He further criticized the Moscow Patriarchate, describing it as “an enemy of both religious freedom and Ukraine” and accusing it of working against Ukraine’s sovereignty, cultural heritage and religious life.
Yelensky also supported discussions about imposing sanctions on Moscow Patriarch Kirill and other church leaders whom he believes have helped justify Russia’s military campaign. He argued that it was “absolutely legitimate” to consider penalties against clergy who had endorsed the war or participated in what Kirill himself has referred to as “subversive work” in Western nations.
The remarks came shortly after a series of Russian missile and drone attacks struck multiple Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, leaving at least 22 civilians dead and many others injured.
In response, Ukraine’s Council of Churches and Religious Organizations issued a statement condemning the attacks, noting that homes, churches, educational institutions, medical facilities and businesses had been damaged or destroyed. The council observed that the strikes occurred only days after “the bright holiday of the Trinity,” the Christian celebration held on the fiftieth day following Easter.
The council also directly linked the Russian Orthodox Church to the conflict, declaring that “These bloody crimes are being committed by Russian invaders of Ukrainian soil with the active support of the Moscow Patriarchate, an integral part of the criminal Kremlin regime,” according to the Church Times.
Efforts to remove the Russian Orthodox Church from the World Council of Churches began soon after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. At the time, Christian leaders from Anglican, Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions across 15 countries signed a petition calling for the church’s expulsion, among them former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
