On April 8, more than 50 people lay dead at a crowded Kramatorsk train station in eastern Ukraine following a missile attack by Russian forces. Two days later, churchgoers attended Palm Sunday services across the country at the same time that Pope Francis, speaking from St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, called for an Easter ceasefire

In his message, the pope condemned Russia's attacks while urging peace and unity — and it’s a sentiment that continues to echo across all global faiths and religions during the ongoing war and refugee crisis, now nearly four months on. 

In a historic effort called #FaithinUkraine, a high-level delegation of leaders of the world's faiths — Anglican, Brahma Kumari, Buddhist, Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim — gathered in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, on April 12 to promote friendship, offer healing, and demonstrate solidarity and unity. They delivered hopeful messages and prayer, and visited refugees and help centers along the border to hear testimonies from populations directly impacted by the war.

The mission was assembled by the Elijah Interfaith Institute, a UNESCO-sponsored interfaith organization that brings together the world's prominent religious leaders and scholars, and The Peace Department, a global nonprofit that seeks to accelerate the mobilization of resources needed for communities and the world to achieve socioeconomic justice.

#FaithinUkraine featured a public event at the iconic Chernivtsi Theater, the first such assembly since the war in Ukraine began, that was broadcast live across the world. A combined 400 million people tuned in globally for the faith leaders' tributes, according to a report from the organizations, and they listened to poetry, meditations, and live musical performances from faith institutions.

The campaign inspired Pope Francis to write a letter to the people of Ukraine, which was read during the #FaithinUkraine public event. In it, he spoke of the need for everyone, especially people in power, to contribute to peace efforts.

“I thank you for the initiative of this moment of prayer and fraternity between followers of the different religions, which contributes to strengthening the sense of responsibility of believers before a war that contradicts all those efforts made in past decades to build a world with fewer weapons and greater peace,” he wrote.

“May government leaders, especially those who appeal to the sacred principles of religion, hear the word of God that says: ‘I have plans for peace and not for evil.’”

More than 7 million people have been displaced by the war in Ukraine since it began on Feb. 24, and 16 million people are estimated to urgently require humanitarian assistance and protection, according to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency.

As the war and other conflicts worldwide rage on, displacing more and more people, what can unity and solidarity among leaders of the world's faiths teach us? 

Following the interfaith mission, we reached out to four of the faith leaders who took part in the #FaithinUkraine campaign to gain insight into how their movement for peace can keep inspiring hope and having an impact.


Archbishop Rowan Williams (Anglican, UK)

Archbishop of Canterbury Emeritus

#FaithinUkraine brought powerful messages of "solidarity, friendship, prayer, hope, and comfort" from leaders of the world's faiths. Why is global solidarity so important during conflicts and refugee crises?

Global solidarity matters because the refugee crisis is not the business of any one nation or society. Practically, it needs coordinated and intelligent action; spiritually, it needs a recognition that we are all diminished not only by the suffering of refugees but by any lack of generosity in response.

The war in Ukraine has caused the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. What did you learn as you met with refugees during your visit at the border?

I was struck by the intensified passion of refugees for their homeland and its future, but also by the ready willingness of so many refugees to commit themselves to mutual support. They do not want to be dependent but to be actively engaged in helping each other.

Global Citizens around the world continue to take action to Stand Up for Ukraine and support refugees everywhere facing poverty, hunger, and more. What's one thing that, as a leader calling for peace, you want them to know?

Refugees need to know that others understand the pressures on them; there is still a rhetoric around that seems to regard refugees as people who have made a choice to leave their homes. We all need to learn that fleeing in the face of violence is not exactly a choice, and that the cost of flight is unimaginable for most of us in comfortable settings.

Where did you feel #FaithinUkraine had its greatest successful impact?  

Difficult to estimate impact, but I hope that the actual refugees we met might have felt that they were being listened to with care and commitment.

Global faith leaders participate in the #FaithinUkraine public event at the iconic Chernivtsi Theater in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.
Image: Courtesy of The Peace Department

Swami Rameshwarananda Giri (Hindu, Spain)

President of the Phi School of Vedanta

#FaithinUkraine brought powerful messages of "solidarity, friendship, prayer, hope, and comfort" from leaders of the world's faiths. Why is global solidarity so important during conflicts and refugee crises?

One of the great problems we face today is that a large part of the aggressions that are committed, are committed in the name of what the aggressor considers to be just. In fact, I believe that more injustices are committed in the name of partisan interests disguised as truths than by initiatives full of explicit evil.

That is why it is so important to send a message of solidarity, unity, peace, and true love beyond the differences that justify individualistic positions, where the truth is distorted according to the interests of each one. It requires a lot of fearlessness in a situation of uncertainty and horror to instill true love and a consciousness of unity in the hearts of all human beings.

The war in Ukraine has caused the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. What did you learn as you met with refugees during your visit at the border?

That it is the ordinary people who suffer the suffering generated by the interests of third parties sitting comfortably in offices. That the poor refugees do not understand the reason for the war. That war is something infamous and unjustifiable. That there is more love in the world than hate; otherwise, we would have become extinct. That we are all part of a single family. That they are all part of me.

Global Citizens around the world continue to take action to Stand Up for Ukraine and support refugees everywhere facing poverty, hunger, and more. What's one thing that, as a leader calling for peace, you want them to know?

That there is no path to Peace; Peace itself, established in every human heart, is the path. That, even though many of them have lost everything, they must trust in the love they can give and receive. That no matter the scenario, there is always hope as long as we remain faithful to Virtue. After all, religious leaders are simple people at the service of the whole [of] humanity.

Where did you feel #FaithinUkraine had its greatest successful impact?  

The spread of the #FaithinUkraine event has sent an uplifting message to all those people who have followed it. First of all, in our home countries, and I hope that it has also helped to alleviate some of the suffering of people in Ukraine who participated in the event or connected directly with us. I am still receiving messages of friendship and thanks from Ukraine.

Rabbi Daniel Kohn (Jewish, Israel)

Chief Rabbi, Bat-Ayin

#FaithinUkraine brought powerful messages of "solidarity, friendship, prayer, hope, and comfort" from leaders of the world's faiths. Why is global solidarity so important during conflicts and refugee crises?

Pain and conflict awaken our compassion and the deeper truth of our humanity: that we are one, and the pain experienced by others is also our own. Speaking that truth is crucial for the awakening of the higher vision we need, the divine vision, which will bring peace. On the practical level, this unity is expressed in a solidarity which can bring assistance and provide physical and spiritual sustenance. 

The war in Ukraine has caused the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. What did you learn as you met with refugees during your visit at the border?

I learned how generous those who have a place have been to those who have been displaced. I was deeply moved by people reaching out to help. I learned how much simple messages of comfort and prayer mean a great deal to these people in need. 

Global Citizens around the world continue to take action to Stand Up for Ukraine and support refugees everywhere facing poverty, hunger, and more. What's one thing that, as a leader calling for peace, you want them to know?

That we pray for them. That we're willing to call out despots who attack, invade, and destroy.

Where did you feel #FaithinUkraine had its greatest successful impact?

The evening was a truly uplifting and heartwarming mix of verbal, meditative, and musical messages of comfort, prayer, and friendship — together with our visit to the refugee home, which was powerful, touching, and clearly meaningful.

A performance from Ukrainian musicians kicked off the #FaithinUkraine public event at the Chernivtsi Theater in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.
Image: Courtesy of The Peace Department

Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric (Muslim, Bosnia)

Emeritus Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Head of the World Bosniak Congress

Faith in Ukraine brought powerful messages of "solidarity, friendship, prayer, hope, and comfort" from leaders of the world's faiths. Why is global solidarity so important during conflicts and refugee crises?

The global solidarity is important because humanity is one body. So that, if a part of the body suffers, the whole body of humanity, by its goodness, shares its sorrow and pain. Otherwise, humanity would lose its divine spirit, its human soul, its compassionate heart, and its good sense of decency. 

The war in Ukraine has caused the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. What did you learn as you met with refugees during your visit at the border?

I have learned that the cry “Never Again” after [the] Holocaust has failed not only in Bosnia but this time in Ukraine as well. Indeed, I have learned that Cain has survived his due punishment. Because punishment does not only come in the form of a judge reaching a verdict and sentence for a criminal; it also comes in the form of a guilty conscience, wherein the morality of the criminal himself is pitted as the ultimate punishment. 

In his Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky writes: "If he has a conscience, he will suffer for his mistake; that will be punishment — as well as the prison.” Indeed, the only escape from this personal punishment, then, is to ask forgiveness of mankind and of God. As Dostoevsky writes, "Go at once, this very minute, stand at the cross-roads, bow down, first kiss the earth which you have defiled, and then bow down to all the world and say to all men aloud, 'I am a murderer!' Then God will send you life again. Will you go, will you go?" Oh, Vladimir Putin, will you go, will you go? 

Global Citizens around the world continue to take action to Stand Up for Ukraine and support refugees everywhere facing poverty, hunger, and more. What's one thing that, as a leader calling for peace, you want them to know?

I would like them to know that ultimately peace will prevail. I would like to tell them that their suffering is not in vain because in Ukraine today, the line is being drowned between good and evil, between civilization and barbarism, between murderer Cain and peaceful Abel. As it was drowned in Bosnia as well. The fight against a military aggression is not easy, but the surrender to a tyrant is a terrible shame and humiliation, which is worse than being a temporal refugee.  

Where did you feel #FaithinUkraine had its greatest successful impact?

The very fact that “Faith in Ukraine” dared to visit Ukraine in the time of war is enough to show that we have taken the right side with Ukraine, as well as that we care for Ukraine people. We were in Ukraine neither as monitors nor mediators. We were simply conciliators with an attempt to make Ukrainian refugees, orphans, and Ukrainian people in general feel better by our sincere words of solidarity, friendship, prayer, hope, and comfort.

I think we have succeeded in our mission to demonstrate that the Ukrainian people are not alone in their struggle for freedom, peace, and security in Europe and the world. We should continue our mission inside and outside Ukraine for Ukraine’s freedom, because from my Bosnian experience, the Russian military aggression will last more than anyone’s prediction.

Global Citizen Asks

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