An open letter calls on the World Council of Churches for clear words and concrete steps

On September 15, 2026, World Council of Churches General Secretary Jerry Pillay received a delegation from the Russian Orthodox Church led by Metropolitan Hilarion, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, a member of the World Council of Churches Central Committee, also participated in the meeting remotely.

According to the statement released by the World Council of Churches, the discussion covered war, peace, religious freedom, inter-church relations, nuclear weapons, and the role of churches in contemporary conflicts. Following the meeting, Jerry Pillay stated that churches must stand together against violence and injustice and that dialogue is the path to such a shared witness. He also reaffirmed the World Council of Churches' commitment to acting as a bridge amidst the world's various divisions and conflicts.

In an open letter, Moderator Pavel Pokorný asks whether the World Council of Churches is paying equal attention to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and what specific steps toward a just peace were proposed by the representatives during the meeting. He also emphasizes that the condemnation of violence and injustice must be clearly voiced by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church—not only to the international community but, above all, to their own church and country.

Full text of the open letter:

(Open letter to WCC General Secretary Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay)

„Dear Brother General Secretary,

On 15 September, you and other representatives of the WCC met with a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church. According to the report published by the WCC, this meeting addressed the issues of war and just peace. The report states that the WCC seeks “to serve as a bridge across the divisions and conflicts of the world.” It further notes that the participants agreed, among other things, that “the church must speak together against violence and injustice, and the path to that common witness is dialogue.”

This meeting takes place while the war continues, a war that the Russian Federation is waging against Ukraine in violation of international law, with the support of the Russian Orthodox Church. We therefore wonder whether the WCC affords the same degree of attention and hearing to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as it does to the Russian Orthodox Church. We also ask in what sense the WCC intends to be a bridge across this conflict.

The report is too brief and does not explain how the dialogue between the WCC and the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church proceeded, nor whether, and what specific steps toward a just peace in this war, the representatives of the WCC proposed during the meeting. The concluding statement that “the church must speak together against violence and injustice” gives the impression that the WCC and the Russian Orthodox Church are united in condemning the violence and injustice taking place in Ukraine. For these words to be more than an impression, and to carry real weight, we would need to hear them clearly and unequivocally from the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church themselves. Moreover, they should not be spoken only outwardly for the ears of the international church community, but first and foremost inwardly, to their own country and church.

We continue to visit deeply afflicted Ukraine, to support people affected by the war, and to assist refugees. We weep with those who weep. We pray for a just peace and appreciate every effort that may contribute to it. We also pray for you and ask that you use all the opportunities and authority at your disposal in service of this peace.

With fraternal greetings,

Pavel Pokorný
Moderator of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren”