New Report on Ukraine Efforts by Folkekirken: Largest Social Mobilization Since the Second World War
Eight out of ten churches have held church events for peace in Ukraine. There is great support for Ukrainians in the church, a new report shows.
From the Easter service in Lem Church for Ukrainians. Photo: Hanne Byskov.
The war in Ukraine has created the largest flow of refugees in Europe in recent times. The war is an all-dominant topic, which also has had its impact on the work of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark.
A new report has looked into the extent of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark's care, commitment and attitude towards Ukrainian refugees and what activities the church has offered.
The study shows that the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark has carried out the largest social and ecclesiastical mobilization since the Second World War. Eight out of ten churches have held church events for peace in Ukraine and every second church has had social or church work for Ukrainian refugees. 91 per cent of the priests believe that it is a task for the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark to provide ecclesiastical and social care for Ukrainian refugees.
In 37 per cent of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark's parishes, the congregations and priests have held church services or services with Ukrainian elements, such as Ukrainian choirs, Ukrainian translations of the service, candle lighting, etc. The report emphasizes that the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark to a large extent has tried to give room and space to Ukrainians.
Some background on the report
- The study was carried out by Emil Hilton Saggau, researcher at Lund University.
- The study was developed in collaboration with The Council on Interchurch Relations of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, the Faculty of Theology's Center for Church Research at the University of Copenhagen, the Committee of the Churches for Migrants in Europe (CCME) and the research group behind the project 'Public Theology in the Post-Migrant Society: The Role of Religion in Multi-Faith Refugee Relief' at the Universities of Edinburgh, Lund and Louvain.
- The study was carried out as a questionnaire distributed to all deans and priests registered in Kirkefondet's database.
- The study was sent out at the beginning of September and was completed at the end of October 2022.
