One of the largest groupings of nations in the world is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), comprising 11 countries with a total population of 680 million people of whom around 120 million are Christians of various denominations.
Churches of these countries have been forthright in supporting Ukraine. The Protestant Christian Batak Church in Indonesia wrote and distributed a song of prayer and hope dedicated to the people of Ukraine and the countries receiving them. Similarly, Singapore churches called for prayer and supported humanitarian aid efforts. The Grace Baptist Church wrote: ‘After weeks of posturing and diplomacy with the US and Europe while the world waited with bated breath, Russian president Vladimir Putin launched an invasion by land, air and sea on neighbouring Ukraine. This is the largest conventional attack on a European state since World War Two, 80 years ago.’ New Creation Church wrote: ‘As a church, we are supporting a Christian humanitarian organisation to bring relief and aid to the people.’
Archbishop Joseph Vă Văn Thiên of Hanoi, giving voice to Vietnam’s seven million Catholics, accompanied his parishioners in their plea for peace: ‘Many people have died as a result of the war, including children. We ask God to remember in a special way the Ukrainian people.’
