American ROCOR bishop demands apology from congressman for slander
The ROCOR bishop urges U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson to retract claims of Kremlin ties, calling them “libelous” and “deeply disturbing",
Bishop Luke of Syracuse, the abbot of the Trinity Monastery and vicar bishop of the Eastern American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), published an open letter to U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson demanding apologies and retractions, writes UOJ in America.
The letter is a response to the congressman's recent social media posts, in which Wilson accused the hierarchs of ROCOR, the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), the Antiochian and Serbian Churches of ties with the Kremlin and the KGB due to their activities in defending the UOC.
In the official letter to Congressman Wilson, Bishop Luke stated that he felt “deep horror and dismay” over the congressman's statements and categorically rejected these accusations. "Any suggestion of collaboration or espionage by ROCOR on behalf of the MP or the Kremlin is libelous," he wrote, insisting that the Church operates free from the political influence of the Russian state.
Urging Congressman Wilson to rectify the situation, he demanded a "full retraction" and "public apologies to the bishops of ROCOR."
Earlier, UOJ reported that the First Hierarch of ROCOR, Metropolitan Nicholas, made a statement about his recent trip to the Capitol.
