Research project “Child-Friendly Church”

Although the focus of our work is often connected with the issue of violence, we are convinced that a clear “no” to abuse begins with treating children with dignity as equal members of the community. This conviction became one of the driving forces behind the study of how the faithful and clergy of the UGCC in Ukraine envision a child-friendly Church.

The study was based on eight indicators of child-friendliness developed by the Center in 2022. To formulate them, we reviewed academic works from Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant traditions, and also conducted our own research through focus groups involving 55 adult laypeople, 5 children, and 20 representatives of the UGCC clergy. As a result, indicators and criteria of child-friendliness were developed, reflecting both value-based convictions and everyday practices. These indicators later became the foundation for a questionnaire used in a large-scale study.

In spring 2025, we conducted a nationwide survey among UGCC clergy and laity. With the support of the Sociology Department of UCU, the Center’s team developed the research methodology and independently collected the data. The sample structure was based on the statistics of the Vatican’s Annuario Pontificio 2024.

With the blessing of His Beatitude Sviatoslav and the support of bishops from all (arch)eparchies and exarchates responsible for the protection of minors, relevant patriarchal commissions, and more than 60 monastic and lay communities, the study engaged 777 clergy members and 1,500 lay and consecrated participants.

Sociologists from the Ukrainian Catholic University, Dmytro Myronovych and Danylo Sudyn, carried out the analysis and interpretation of the results, while the research agency Fama prepared the data visualization and publication of the report.

The collected data will serve as a foundation for further discussions with key stakeholders about the place of children within the Church environment. The findings may be used by relevant commissions and the Bureau for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons of the UGCC to develop mechanisms and tools for the prevention of violence and the creation of a child-friendly environment.

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