• Who We Are
    • Who We Are
    • Mission
    • History
    • General Synod
    • Leadership and Ministry
    • Staff
    • United Church of Christ Board
  • What We Believe
    • What We Believe
    • Worship Ways
    • Daily Devotional
  • What We Do
    • What We Do
    • Office of the General Minister & President
    • Justice & Local Church Ministries
    • Wider Church Ministries
  • News
  • Church Finder
  • Donate Now
  • Search
UCC Logo United Church of Christ
  • Church Finder
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Store
  • Frontline Faith Portal
  • Donate Now
  • Search
  • Who We Are
    • Column
      • About
        • Mission
        • Constitution and Bylaws
        • History
          • UCC Archives
        • UCC Brand Guidelines
        • General Synod
          • Synod 33 Worship Videos
          • Past General Synods
        • Abuse Prevention
    • Column
      • Structure
        • Conferences
        • Affiliated Ministries
          • The Pension Boards
          • Cornerstone Fund
          • Insurance Board
          • The Council for Health and Human Services Ministries
          • Church Building & Loan Fund
          • Convergence
    • Column
      • Team
        • Elected Officers
        • Staff
        • United Church of Christ Board
          • Board Minutes
        • Office of General Counsel
        • UCCOSSN
    • Column
      • Career Opportunities
      • Annual Reports
  • What We Believe
    • Column
      • Worship
        • Statement of Faith of the United Church of Christ – La Declaración de Fe de la Iglesia Unida de Cristo
        • Worship Ways
        • Daily Devotional
        • Sermon Seeds
  • How We Serve
    • Column
      • Office of the General Minister & President
        • Welcome to Human Resources
          • Employee Relations Resources
        • Center for Analytics, Research & Development and Data (CARDD)
          • General CARDD FAQs
          • About The Center for Analytics, Research & Development, and Data (CARDD)
          • Authorized Minister Opt Out
          • Access UCC
          • Archived Reports
          • Assessment Resources
          • Information Policies and Requests
          • Faith Communities Today (FACT) Survey
          • MissionInsite
          • Statistics and Reports
          • Vital Signs and Statistics Blog
          • Data Hub FAQs
          • Data Hub
          • Yearbook and Directory
    • Column
      • Justice & Local Church Ministries
        • Justice
          • Faithful Action Ministries
            • Environmental Justice Ministries
            • Economic Justice
            • Racial Justice
          • Office of Public Policy & Advocacy in Washington D.C.
            • Justice and Peace Action Network
            • Our Faith Our Vote
            • Justice Training Resources
            • Action Center
          • Health and Wholeness Advocacy
            • Disabilities and Mental Health Justice
            • Encuentros Latinx
            • UCC HIV & AIDS Network-UCAN
            • LGBTQ Ministries
            • Our Whole Lives
            • Overdose and Drug Use Ministries
            • Scouting
            • Wellness Ministries
          • The Pilgrim Press & Stillspeaking Publications
    • Column
      • Justice & Local Church Ministries
        • Local Church
          • The Faith Education, Innovation and Formation (Faith INFO)Team
            • Weekly Seeds
            • Youth & Young Adults
          • Worship Resources
            • Worship Ways
            • Sermon Seeds
            • Synod 33 Worship Videos
            • Music and Liturgical Arts
          • Stewardship & Generosity Resources
          • Ministerial Excellence, Support & Authorization (MESA)
            • History, Polity, and Theology
            • Search and Call
            • Ministerial Profiles
            • Ministry Opportunities
            • Manual on Ministry
    • Column
      • Wider Church Ministries
        • Global Ministries
        • Global H.O.P.E.
          • Volunteer Ministries
          • Refugee and Migration Ministries
          • Disaster Ministries
          • Recovering Hope
        • Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations
  • Resources
  • News
    • Column
      • News
        • United Church of Christ News
    • Column
      • Columns
        • Witness for Justice
        • Into the Mystic
        • Getting to the Root of It
        • The Pollinator: UCC Environmental Justice Blog
        • UCC Roots
        • Encounters at the Well
        • Reflexiones
    • Column
      • Upcoming Events
        • Webinars
      • Subscriptions at the United Church of Christ
      • Changes & Deaths
  • Giving
    • Column
      • Donate Now
      • Ways to Give
        • Giving Tuesday
        • General Synod 2021 Thursday in Black Offering
        • General Synod 2021 Racial Justice Offering
        • Disaster Ministries: How to Give
        • Our Church’s Wider Mission
          • Our Church’s Wider Mission Basic Support
          • Strengthen the Church
          • One Great Hour of Sharing
          • Neighbors in Need
          • Christmas Fund
          • 5 for 5
    • Column
      • Ways We Give
        • Scholarships & Grants

  • Home
  • News
  • Column
  • Witness for Justice
  • Ukraine, and Beyond
Witness for Justice

Ukraine, and Beyond

by Peter Makari | published on Mar 3, 2022

Executive, Middle East and Europe

At church on Sunday, Feb. 27, our pastor opened the service with a word of concern for the people of Ukraine. He invited the congregation to offer a prayer for peace by singing a hymn reminding us of the specialness of every land to the God of all the nations. It was a special moment in a time when the world’s attention is focused on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The governor of the state of Ohio, Mike DeWine, had declared Feb. 27 a “Day of Prayer for the Ukraine,” and many churches in the state observed the occasion, as churches and people around the world continue to do in these tense and worrisome weeks.

The buildup and movement of tanks, missiles, and troops leading up to the invasion itself were signs of an imminent attack. The US and European allies had gathered intelligence that proved to be correct, enabling an accurate prediction of how the first days of the Russian strategy would be implemented. There were opportunities to work to avert an invasion through diplomatic means, but, by virtue of its permanent membership, Russia was able to veto a resolution in the UN Security Council condemning the attack.  Preparations were made for a response, if such a negotiated offramp was not found, in order to avoid a much worse situation, with the threat of Russia’s use of nuclear weapons hovering in the background.

To help Ukraine fend off the attack, the US has approved military aid for Ukraine. “Swift and severe” sanctions were immediately put in place on Russia, which were designed to “impose a severe cost” on the Russian economy. Mr. DeWine and other US governors urged a boycott of Russian products in protest of the invasion.

The implications of the invasion are already being felt by Ukrainians whose homes and communities are under attack. More than 500,000 Ukrainians are already displaced either within the country’s borders or seeking refuge in neighboring countries (as of March 1); and some millions more could ultimately be forced to flee.

The principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force is embedded in international law and the UN Charter and must be upheld. Russia must be held accountable, and the Ukrainian people, especially the most vulnerable, must be cared for, with their full rights and their full dignity. Europe, the US, and many around the world are rallying in support of Ukraine in global solidarity, including praising Ukrainians’ valiant resistance to the invasion and occupation of their homeland.

Even as the world’s attention is on Ukraine, there are other places in the world where international law is ignored with no outcry or accountability. One such case is the Israeli occupation and annexation of Palestinian lands and people, which has continued for decades.  Israel continues to receive billions of dollars in military aid, despite its military occupation.  Sanctions are not on the table. Boycotts have been made illegal in some of the same US states that now support boycotts of Russian products. Palestinian resistance to occupation is maligned, and Palestinian refugees are marginalized.

Can this broad support and insistence on international law in the case of the Ukraine be a sign that the principles and structures established to preserve and promote peace will be respected?  Will it serve to be a rallying cry for a consistent application of international law? We pray for a peaceful, prompt, and just resolution to the crisis in Ukraine with no more suffering and pain. And we pray that past, present, and future victims of violations of law and justice the world over find some recompense in regular, consistent, and robust insistence on the application of international law and principles of human rights—for the sake of the dignity of humanity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter Makari is the Executive, Middle East and Europe, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ; and Team Leader for Global Ministries, Cleveland.

View this and other columns on the UCC’s Witness for Justice page.
Donate to support Witness for Justice.
Click here to download the bulletin insert.

Categories: Column Witness for Justice

Sign Up For Our Newsletter








Privacy Policy






Related News

Into the Mystic

Kindland

Listen to the...

Read More
Witness for Justice
Witness for Justice

Climate Hope

Earlier this week, a couple of related items in my social media feed serendipitously arrived...

Read More
Justice & Peace Action Network Monthly Newsletter

JPANet February 2023 Newsletter

Each month we ask UCC advocates to help us unpack the complex justice issues that we’re...

Read More
  • Column
    • Local Church and Conference Resource Directory
    • Mission
    • Justice & Local Church Ministries
    • General Synod Resolutions
  • Column
    • Contact
    • News
    • Store

Content on ucc.org is copyrighted by the National Setting of the United Church of Christ and may be only shared according to the guidelines outlined here.

1300 E. 9th Street, Suite 1100
Cleveland, Ohio 44114

  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Subscribe on YouTube

Donate Now


UCC Crest
© United Church of Christ 2023. Privacy Policy.
Crafted by Cornershop Creative