On 7 March, President of Latvia Egils Levits met with Archbishop Jānis Vanags of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia, His Eminence Alexander Orthodox Church Metropolitan of Riga and all Latvia, metropolitan Archbishop of Riga Zbigņevs Stankevičs of Roman Catholic Church, and Bishop Kaspars Šterns of the Union of Baptist Churches in Latvia at the Riga Castle. Meeting was followed by press statements.
Press statement by President Levits
I invited leaders of traditional religious groups to a meeting today to discuss the war waged by Putin’s regime against Ukraine and response, and unity, of Latvian people.
12 days have passed since Putin invaded Ukraine. Ukrainian people have shown tremendous courage in defending their country and nation, winning many hearts around the world.
There has also been tremendous consensus among Latvians over support to Ukraine at this critical time. This unity is not based on beliefs, nationality, home language or religion. All people stand with Ukraine, and that is what matters now. Resounding majority of Latvians of various ethnic origins, including Latvian, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and other minority groups, and various religious groups, have condemned invasion of Ukraine orchestrated by Putin’s regime.
As for those remaining few who fail to see through the veil of Russian propaganda, let us calmly and concisely explain them what is really happening, what Putin’s regime is actually doing. This war is unacceptable and unfair.
We must try to reach the minds and hearts of those who need our explanations because we share the same universal values of peace and justice. Leaders of main religious groups and I concluded that these values are supported by the whole society and various religious denominations. According to religious leaders, churches must encourage unity on Ukraine, talk to their congregations about war, give people reassurance, debunk fake news and misinformation. I praise all churches that support the aspirations of their parishes and the whole society for peace and support for Ukraine.
We talked about the existing support, and all churches were very open to helping Ukrainian refugees. This is an area in which religious organisations can play a major role, uniting all people and driving the support for Ukraine.
Churches are important in raising awareness. They can also provide vital practical support to Ukraine and all religious leaders with whom I met today were ready to back practical assistance to Ukraine. I want to thank everyone for productive meeting, which serves as nothing less than a true testament to our unity as a society.
