Initiative Group “December 1st” and Christian Church Leaders Meet to Foster Ukrainian Unity

The central theme of the meeting was a reflection on the moral and spiritual challenges facing Ukrainian society under the conditions of full-scale war, as well as the need to renew cooperation between the Churches and civil society.

Participants emphasized that Ukraine’s victory requires not only military strength, but also spiritual maturity, social solidarity, and shared responsibility for the country’s future.

The Initiative Group “December 1st,” founded in 2011 in response to a call by church leaders to intellectuals and moral authorities, stressed the need to rethink its mission fifteen years after its founding.

Earlier this year, the Group sent a letter to the heads of Ukraine’s Christian Churches proposing a renewed close dialogue.

“Today we, the ideological successors of this Group’s founders, address you as the spiritual heirs of those church leaders of Ukraine. On December 13, 2026, fifteen years will have passed since the founding of our Group, and the approach of this date prompts us to reflect on whether the Group is sufficiently fulfilling the commitment it undertook then — in particular, to promote ‘the formation of a critical mass of citizens capable of living in freedom and truth, taking responsibility for their actions, and affirming moral politics and the common good,’” the text of the letter read.

The outcome of this appeal was the April 29 meeting between the Group and church leaders, which confirmed the continuation of the partnership between civil society and the Churches.

Yosyf Zisels, the current presiding member of the Group, emphasized that today it is especially important to speak not only about political or economic problems, but above all about the spiritual causes of the social crisis — corruption, loss of trust, social fragmentation, moral fatigue, and disunity.

Key Topics Discussed

Particular attention was paid to social unity, support for military personnel, the role of public service, responsibility toward occupied territories and Ukrainians abroad, as well as the need to form a shared vision of victory and post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

Church representatives stressed that the fight against corruption and social degradation cannot be limited to legislative mechanisms alone. It is primarily about the individual’s inner moral responsibility, and the affirmation of the values of truth, dignity, freedom, and accountability.

Participants confirmed their readiness for further cooperation and support for the new stage of the Initiative Group “December 1st” as a platform for ethical dialogue in society.

Meeting Participants

Orthodox Church of Ukraine:

• His Beatitude Epifaniy, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Primate of the OCU;
• His Grace Yevstratiy, Metropolitan of Bila Tserkva, spokesman of the OCU;
• Archpriest Yaroslav Romanchuk, Rector of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy;
• Priest Kostiantyn Moskaliuk, Vice-Rector of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy.

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church:

• His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych, Metropolitan of Kyiv, Head of the UGCC;
• Father Oleksa Petriv, Head of the Department of External Relations of the UGCC in Ukraine;
• Father Dr. Ihor Shaban, Head of the UGCC Commission for Interconfessional and Interreligious Relations.

Roman Catholic Church of Ukraine:

• His Excellency Vitaliy Kryvytskyi, Bishop of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese;
• His Excellency Oleksandr Yazlovetskyi, Bishop, President of Caritas-Spas of Ukraine.

Protestant Churches of Ukraine:

• Ihor Bandura, Deputy Head of the All-Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Christian Baptist Churches;
• Anatoliy Kozachok, Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Church of Evangelical Faith Christians (Pentecostals).

Members of the Initiative Group “December 1st”:

• Myroslav Marynovych — human rights activist, dissident, Vice-Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University;
• Yosyf Zisels — civic activist, co-president of the Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine;
• Oleksandra Matviichuk — human rights defender, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Prize laureate;
• Valeriy Pekar — entrepreneur and civic activist, lecturer at NaUKMA and UCU business schools;
• Volodymyr Yermolenko — philosopher, publicist, President of Ukrainian PEN;
• Yaroslav Yatskiv — scientist, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine;
• Yevhen Holovakha — sociologist, Director of the Institute of Sociology of the NAS of Ukraine;
• Olena Stiahkina — writer, publicist, Doctor of Historical Sciences;
• Yevhen Zakharov — human rights defender, Director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group.

Yaryna Yasynievych, Executive Secretary of the Initiative Group “December 1st” and Program Director of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, also participated in the meeting.

About the Initiative Group “December 1st”

The Initiative Group “December 1st” was established in 2011 as an association of moral authorities, intellectuals, and civic figures dedicated to promoting value orientations in Ukrainian society and the development of a responsible state.

The Group played an important role during the Revolution of Dignity, issuing public appeals, analytical positions, and moral assessments of key events. In subsequent years, it maintained its significance as an independent moral voice in public dialogue, responding to the challenges of war, state transformation, and human rights issues.

Today the Initiative Group “December 1st” continues its work as a space for responsible thought, uniting representatives of science, culture, the human rights community, and civil society.

Members of the Group include: Olha Aivazovska, Maksym Butkevych, Oleksandra Hnatiuk, Yevhen Holovakha, Volodymyr Yermolenko, Yevhen Zakharov, Yosyf Zisels, Myroslav Marynovych, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Valeriy Pekar, Olena Stiahkina, Yaroslav Yatskiv.

Photo: Olena Kyrychenko-Povoloska