The heads of the seven largest religious communities of Volyn today signed in Lutsk the Declaration of the Volyn Council of Churches on non-interference in elections.
The spiritual pastors pledged not to allow the use of their authority, premises, or church symbols for political campaigning. In addition, the churches and religious organizations appeal with a demand to parties not to draw them into political campaigning, and to state bodies to respond promptly to violations of legal norms.
At the same time, the pastors reserve the right to make public statements and appeals that reflect their moral and spiritual assessment of social phenomena and provide ethical guidance to believers for the exercise of their right of choice.
The leaders of the church communities of Volyn agreed to consider campaign speeches by priests who do not heed these guidelines as not reflecting the position of the Church or the religious organization to which they belong.
All were called to God's blessing by the administrator of the Volyn Eparchy of the UOC, Metropolitan Nifont, the administrator of the Volodymyr-Volynskyi Eparchy of the UOC, Archbishop Simeon, the administrator of the Volyn Eparchy of the UOC-KP, Bishop Mysail, the ordinary of the Lutsk Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, the protopresbyter of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the head of the Volyn Association of Churches of Christians of the Evangelical Faith-Pentecostals, Bishop Veremchuk, the head of the association of Baptist Christians, Bishop Chaika, and the senior pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist churches, Vitalii Zharun.