Our team leader, Phil Barnard, has joined with other ecumenical partners from across London in writing to the Prime Minister, urging him to extend and simplify the visa programme for all Ukrainian refugees.

At a meeting at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, in the West End, we heard from the Ukrainian Bishop, Kenneth Nowakowski about the current crisis and stood in solidarity with him and his people in their current existential struggle.

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminister, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, chaired the meeting and agreed that we should submit a joint letter to the Government encouraging a change in the current policy.

“How can mothers with young children, the elderly and the disabled, who have travelled a thousand miles, be expected to complete online application forms in a language foreign to them?”, the reads.

The Faiths Minister, Kemi Badenoch, also attended the meeting and expressed thanks to the churches for all that they have been doing during the pandemic.

We continue to pray for an end to the bloodshed in that war-torn land and for those seeking to negotiate a lasting peace.