Freedom of religion is not a political tool, but a fundamental human right.
The following joint statement by churches of various Christian traditions is addressed to the international community. It draws attention to specific cases of pressure, persecution and interference in church life — and calls for protection, dialogue and accountability.
Below is a statement from the Christian Interconfessional Consultative Committee (CICC):
Statement by the Churches participating in the HMCK
We, representatives of the Churches participating in the Christian Interconfessional Consultative Committee, the largest inter-Christian association in the Eurasian region, express our concern over the continuing persecution and violations of the rights of Christians in a number of countries.
As disciples of Christ, we bear witness that the calling of Christian churches throughout the ages has been expressed in service to peace and love. Attempts to use religion for political ends inevitably lead to division and mutual hostility, which contradicts the very essence of Christian teaching.
We have always spoken out in defence of the rights of believers and churches in different countries: the rights of Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Evangelical Christians, Baptists, Evangelicals, and Adventists. Today, we are particularly pained by what is happening in Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, Armenia, and other countries, where clergy and ordinary believers are being persecuted and their freedom of conscience restricted.
In Ukraine, the practice of state pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the aim of its liquidation and complete destruction continues, accompanied by seizures of churches, discriminatory laws and persecution of clergy and laity.
In Armenia, unprecedented pressure is being exerted on the Armenian Apostolic Church, with arrests of hierarchs and attempts to interfere in internal church affairs on political grounds.
In Estonia, concern has been raised over the adoption of a law on churches and parishes that affects the internal life of the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church, as well as the expulsion of Metropolitan Eugene of Tallinn and All Estonia, which violates the principles of religious freedom.
In Moldova, administrative and judicial measures against the Orthodox Church of Moldova are intensifying: court cases are underway to deprive it of its previously returned property, cases are being brought against clergy and laypeople defending their churches, and there is talk of a complete ban on the Church. All this threatens further division and destabilisation of Moldovan society.
Expressing solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are subjected to persecution and slander, we pray for peace and freedom of religion for all people of good will, remembering the Saviour’s commandment to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who mistreat us and persecute us (Matthew 5:44). We call on the international community to pay attention to what is happening and to promote the protection of fundamental human rights and freedom of conscience.
May the Lord strengthen His disciples who are enduring sorrow and trials, and may He establish Christ’s love, peace, and justice in all countries!
The statement was signed by:
1. Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Co-Chairman of the HMC;
2. O. Yu. Goncharov, First Vice-President of the Euro-Asia Division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Churches, Co-Chair of the HMC;
3. Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan, head of the Russian and New Nakhichevan Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church;
4. Metropolitan Eugene of Tallinn and All Estonia, Primate of the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church;
5. Archbishop Vladimir Provorov, head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia;
6. S. V. Ryakhovsky, presiding bishop of the Russian United Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals);
7. P. V. Mitskevich, Chairman of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists;
8. E. A. Grabovenko, presiding bishop of the Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith;
9. Bishop Ivan Laptev, head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria;
10. Bishop Saman Odisha, representative of the Assyrian Church of the East in Russia;
11. L. V. Kartavenko, Chairman of the All-Union Fellowship of Evangelical Christians.