Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), hosted a meeting on May 1 with religious leaders from Ukraine. The gathering in Washington aimed to show solidarity with Ukraine amid ongoing conflict.

During the meeting, Ukrainian religious leaders detailed various issues faced by their country, including the indiscriminate bombing of churches and illegal deportation of children to Russia. They also spoke about religious persecution in occupied territories. Expressing gratitude for American support, they called for continued assistance in sharing the truth about events in Ukraine.

Bishop Vitaliy Kryvytskyi of the Diocese of Kyiv-Zhytomyr emphasized the importance of standing by the truth: “We really have felt the solidarity of the Church in the USA, and we never cease to pray for you. Now we are asking the Church to be on the side of the truth, and not to allow a false narrative to prevail in the current political climate. For us it is ‘war’ not a ‘conflict.’ This is one example of how we see things have shifted.”

Archbishop Broglio encouraged Ukrainians to maintain their commitment to Biblical values, urging them “to speak the truth, even when not politically expedient, respect fundamental human rights and treat every human person with dignity, even Russian prisoners of war.”