World Council of Churches on appeal by Selenskyj’s wife – kath.ch
The wife of Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy has asked the World Council of Churches (WCC) for help. Geneva calls on Patriarch Cyril I to “raise his voice so that this war ends and the suffering is stopped”.
Jacqueline Straub
Olena Zelenska, wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has asked the World Council of Churches for support. What do you think?
Peter Prove*: We haven’t officially received the letter yet. But we saw him on social media. An answer is currently being prepared.
“It’s a fundamental ethical imperative.”
Selenska asks you to mediate in the organization of “real humanitarian corridors”. Will you do this?
Prove: The World Council of Churches is in no position to secure these corridors. We do not have the means or the diplomatic capacity, nor the material capacity to ensure this. But we have members on both sides of the conflict. We will do our utmost to indicate in our public and private advocacy work that such humanitarian corridors are urgently needed for those trapped in the midst of conflict who have this opportunity to escape. Its obvious. Because it is a fundamental ethical imperative.
«We can offer a neutral, unbiased platform.»
What options does the World Council of Churches have in the current war situation?
Prove: Being a moral voice is our strength. We can insist on certain moral and ethical principles. Especially in a conflict like this. It is clear that international humanitarian law is needed, including the protection of civilians.
We can bring together the churches that are on different sides of the conflict. And we can provide a neutral, unbiased platform for dialogue to take place. And hopefully some kind of minimal consensus will be reached.
“We expect signs of hope.”
What do you expect from Patriarch Cyril I?
Show that we have great expectations of Patriarch Cyril I. As World Council of Churches acting general secretary Ioan Sauca wrote in a letter to Patriarch Cyril I, we expect Cyril I to show signs of hope. He must raise his voice to end this war and stop the suffering.
* Peter Prove heads international affairs at the World Council of Churches in Geneva.
© Catholic Media Center, 03/22/2022
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