The Ukraine Effect (European Affairs Committee Report)

Lord Bishop of Chichester Excerpts

Thursday 21st November 2024 Lords Chamber

[The Lord Bishop of Chichester]

My Lords, it is a privilege not only to speak in this debate, which touches on a matter of such great importance, but to be reminded, in the valedictory speech of the noble Lord, Lord Levene, of what a resource of wise experience and courtesy exists in this House.

I am very grateful for the work of the European Affairs Committee in its report, and to the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts, for this debate. I am glad to follow the noble Lord, Lord Banner, and the positive statements he made about reconstruction. It is on that subject that I will focus my contribution. Reconstruction must look at economy, buildings, infrastructure and the fabric of society, but I hope it will also look at something distinctive about Ukraine, which is the place of the church. In talking about people and not parliamentarians, the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter, already reminded us of that. The noble Baroness, Lady Nicholson, made similar comments about the neighbours of Ukraine who have given assistance. In large part, monasteries and nunneries will also be an extension of the familiarity of a Christian tradition that is so important in Ukraine.

The United States Institute of Peace notes that,

“high levels of religiosity in Ukraine make religion a central element of legal, cultural and political affairs. The close relationship between the institution of the Orthodox Church, state authority and national identity mean that religion is inseparable from all contemporary events. It is therefore of utmost relevance to the ongoing war in Ukraine”.

I hope that the Minister and the European Affairs Committee would want to make space for the consideration of what contributions the Church might be invited to make to the reconstruction of life in Ukraine.

However, the issue is complex. Following the war there, there is fracture in the church. The Russian Ukrainian Orthodox Church, under the Moscow patriarchate, has been a sign of Moscow imperialism, and so there is now the emergence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, alongside the Ukrainian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church. However, between these bodies, there is already very little considerable co-operation. In the Church of England, we have been in contact with the Ukrainian Christian churches council, through the work of the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace, which we believe reflects the majority of Christian churches in Ukraine and seeks to provide a forum for restoration of relationships between those jurisdictions. The fracture of those jurisdictions has had international consequences in terms of relationships not just across churches but also across some national boundaries as well. A letter from Patriarch Sviatoslav to Ukrainians dispersed in exile and also in Ukraine writes that, if peace,

“does not develop and establish social justice upon the … principles of human dignity, the sanctity and inviolability of human life, the common good, and solidarity, humanity will end up in societies where the concept of law is replaced by the concept of interests, be they of particular individuals or maleficent groups”.

I hope that the churches can be an important part in building the peace in Ukraine which has been spoken about so powerfully this afternoon.