BOC cleric: UOJ is not alone – we Orthodox Christians stand behind it
Following attacks against the UOJ and false accusations of “ties to Moscow,” clergy and laity are speaking out in defense of the media outlet.
In response to a media campaign accusing the Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ) of “working for the Kremlin,” the UOJ editorial team in the United States issued a firm official statement and threatened legal action against the slanderers. Orthodox Christians from other countries have voiced their support, including Bulgarian priest Fr. Vasilij Vasilev from Shumen, who published an emotional message in defense of the UOJ. In it, he denounced the lies targeting the outlet and affirmed that the UOJ serves faith and Truth – not political agendas.
“ENOUGH! LEAVE ORTHODOX MEDIA ALONE!” reads the headline of Fr. Vasilij’s statement, a priest of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
“These accusations that the UOJ is connected to Moscow or pushing foreign interests are not just offensive – they are poisonous lies. This is spiritual aggression against the faith, against freedom of speech, and against the holy mission of speaking the truth, even when the world doesn’t want to hear it,” he wrote.
Fr. Vasilij asked, “Who is afraid of the UOJ? Those who have no light in their hearts. Those who want to silence any Orthodox witness. Those who call evil good, and good evil.”
Supporting the UOJ’s decision to take the matter to the European Court, the priest called it “an act not of despair, but of dignity.” According to him, the UOJ “does not serve power, but faith. They do not persecute people – they show how the Church itself is being persecuted. They do not destroy – they preserve.”
He then appealed to the international community: “Freedom of speech cannot be selective. Orthodox journalists are not ‘disinformation agents’ simply because they speak truths that make you uncomfortable. Truth does not belong to secular newsrooms. Truth is Christ.”
In conclusion, Fr. Vasilij declared: “The UOJ is not alone. We, Orthodox Christians, stand with you. We pray for you. We support you. And we say clearly: leave this devout media outlet alone! You are not Kremlin operatives – you are messengers of Christ.”
Earlier, the UOJ editorial board explained why it is taking legal action in the European Court against those spreading defamatory claims.
