Letter to Patriarch Kirill Addressing the Situation in Ukraine (English)

The Elijah Interfaith Institute

Source: Elijah Interfaith Institute

Your Beatitude Patriarch Kirill,

We, religious leaders representing many faith traditions, write to express our concern with the war taking place in Ukraine. We are mindful of our religious obligation to choose peace through dialogue. Our role is to pray for and support peaceful resolutions of conflict situations.

We are saddened to see the fighting, which pits people of faith against each other. The current conflict has already resulted in a significant loss of life, of both combatants and civilians. The conflict also poses a much wider risk of destruction beyond Ukraine, including the threat of a nuclear accident and a larger conflict between nuclear armed powers, which we know God wants us to avoid at all costs. In this moment, religious leaders are called to rise to the occasion on behalf of God, people, and all creatures.

We appreciate how as Patriarch you have spoken for peace. In light of your close connection to President Vladimir Putin, we call on you to request that he take immediate steps to de-escalate the conflict, and seek a peaceful resolution to it.

We thank you for your time and attention in considering this request.

With blessings for peace on God’s good earth,

Affirmed by members of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders:

Buddhist Leaders:

  • His Holiness the Dalai Lama
  • Jan Chozen Bays
  • Venerable Zoketsu Norman Fischer
  • Dharma Master Hsin Tao
  • Venerable Prof. Jinwol Sunim
  • Venerable Ashin Nyanissara (Sitagu/Thegon Sayadaw)
  • Her Eminence Mindrolling Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche
  • Venerable Bhikkhu Sanghasena
  • Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo
  • Venerable Dharmakosajarn

Christian Leaders:

  • Cardinal Christoph Schönborn
  • Prior Isabelle Flye-Saintmarie
  • Bishop Frank Griswold
  • Archbishop Boutrous Mouallem
  • Rev Dr Katharine Henderson
  • Bishop Lennart Koskinen
  • Dr. Dimitra Koukoura
  • Metropolitan Nikitas Lulias
  • Patriarch Sahag Mashalian
  • Most Revd Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon
  • Abbot Primate Notker Wolf
  • Bishop Domenico Sorrentino
  • Rev. Prof. David Ford

Leaders of the Religions of India:

  • Swami Amarananda
  • Swami Atmapriyananda
  • Swami Rameshwarananda Giri
  • Acharya Shri Shrivatsa Goswami
  • Karshni Swami Sri Gurusharananand
  • H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati
  • H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
  • Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh
  • His Holiness Sri Sri Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji
  • Swami Agnivesh

Jewish Leaders:

  • Chief Rabbi René-Samuel Sirat
  • Rabbi David Bigman
  • Rabbi Yuval Cherlow
  • Rabbi Arthur Green
  • Rabbi Menachem Hacohen
  • Rabbi Richard Marker
  • Rabbi Michael Melchior
  • Rabbi David Rosen
  • Gilla Rosen
  • Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp
  • Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg

Muslim Leaders:

  • Kyai Haji Yahya Cholil Staquf
  • Sheikh Muhammad Nur Abdullah
  • Dr. Y. Mossa Basha
  • Grand Mufti Dr. Mustafa Ceric
  • Imam Plemon T. El-Amin
  • Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi
  • Dr. Muzaffar Iqbal
  • Sayyed Jawad Al-Khoei
  • Imam Abduljalil Sajid
  • Dr. Ahmed Taoufiq
  • Dr. Muhammad Suheyl Umar
  • Sheikh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani

Affirmed by Other religious leaders:

  • Rabbi Dov Singer
  • Rabbi David Wolpe
  • Rabba Tamar Elad-Applebaum
  • Imam Abdul Rauf
  • Archbishop Felix Machado
  • Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzabala
  • Dr. Chinmay Pandia
  • Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati
  • Br. Thomas Josef Goetz
  • Swamini Adityananda Saraswati
  • Sukhbir Singh
  • Archbishop Aram Artesyan
  • Ven. Geshe Tashi Tsering
  • Rabbi Eliyahu Birnbaum
  • Professor Nasr Seyyed Hossein
  • Rabbi David Lau
  • Custos of the Holy Land Fr. Francesco Patton
  • Rabbi Dr. Alon Goshen Gottstein
  • Rabbi Yonatan Neril
  • Rabbi Michael Schudrich
  • Rev. Dr. Maria Leppakari
  • Rev. Fletcher Harper
  • Rabbi Donniel Hartman
  • Dr Khan Rajat Malhotra
  • Rabbi Asher Lopatin
  • Rabbi Yitz Greenberg
  • Rabbi Mel Gottlieb
  • Rev. Dr. Uwe Graebe
  • Rev. Dieter Bullard-Werner
  • Rabbi Avi Rosenfeld
  • Rev. Johannes Stahl
  • Rev. Dr. Ibrahim Wushishi Yusuf
  • Rev. Susan Hendershot
  • Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn
  • Rev. Bruce Thompson
  • Rev. Dr Frank Lorentzon
  • Rev. Kayko Driedger Hesslein
  • Rev. Patricia Simonson
  • Dr. Jaakko Rusama
  • Rt. Rev. Jāna Jēruma Grīnberga
  • Rabbi Shayna Abramson
  • Rabbi Daniel Silverstein
  • Rabbi David Jaffe
  • Rabbi Avidan Freedman
  • Rabbi Avram Mlotek
  • Rabbi Ami Silver
  • Rabbi Shamir Caplan
  • Rev. Detlev Knoche
  • Pastor Dietric
  • Imam Sqazwini
  • Archbishop Antje Jackelen
  • Fr. Christian Rutishauser

Other Signatories:

  • Mateen Siddiqui
  • Maureen Goodman
  • Professor Nader Saiedi
  • Dr Ahmed Nazeer
  • Peta Jones Pellach
  • Dr. Sallie B. King
  • Dr. Piotr Sikora
  • Prof. Haviva Pedaya
  • Brian Farr