Battle for UOC’s truth in America: Allies, opponents, and the growing clash
Meetings held by Orthodox clergy in the United States with members of Congress about the persecution of the UOC have caused a sharp backlash from lobbyists aligned with Zelensky and the OCU. What exactly is happening – and why does it matter?
The unfolding confrontation in the United States between defenders of the UOC and their opponents resembles a gripping detective narrative. And considering that all this is occurring against the backdrop of profound geopolitical shifts, the conflict takes on a global significance.
A brief background
The persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by the authorities has been ongoing for years. Recently it has become total and extremely harsh. Parliament has adopted a law banning the UOC, officials are illegally re-registering parishes into the OCU, and nationalist groups are seizing churches by the hundreds. Many of these seizures involve beatings of believers and open sacrilege. Law enforcement agencies, acting on fabricated charges, have opened criminal cases against hierarchs and clergy; those who remain steadfast in their loyalty to the Church are being imprisoned. The same is happening to journalists who dare to speak the truth about the actions of the Ukrainian government.
All of this persecution could stop immediately – if the UOC agreed to merge with the OCU. But how could it join those who violate God’s commandments and use violence against believers? How could it unite with people whose “ordinations” were performed while they were in a state of excommunication? How could it merge with a body whose representatives openly speak of their willingness to unite with Eastern-rite Catholics? To join the OCU today would mean becoming a graceless, state-run structure that is not ashamed of violence or arbitrariness. The UOC understands this fully. And therefore – despite threats, violence, and prison – not a single bishop (setting aside Drabynko and Shostatsky), very few priests, and only small numbers of laypeople have defected to the OCU. As a result, the persecution only intensifies.
Yet defenders of the UOC are doing everything legally possible to resist this injustice. They are trying to bring information about the situation in Ukraine to human-rights organizations, international politicians, and global civil society. And this is beginning to bear fruit. UN reports are already regularly documenting violations of the rights of UOC believers.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities, the OCU, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate parade through international forums, striving to sell a polished myth in which Ukraine is thriving, and freedom of conscience shines brighter than ever.
Meetings between Orthodox clergy and a U.S. congresswoman
On 18 November 2025, representatives of several Orthodox Churches in the United States met with Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna. The Orthodox delegation was substantial – bishops, priests, monastics, and laypeople from the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), and the Antiochian, Serbian, and Constantinopolitan jurisdictions. ROCOR was represented by its First Hierarch, Metropolitan Nicholas. The meeting was organized by the pan-Orthodox St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco Society.
The focus of the discussion was the persecution of the UOC. Participants spoke about genuine repression and appealed for the protection of religious freedom and the restoration of justice.
They did not ask for suspension of aid to Ukraine or any political concessions. Nevertheless, certain circles in the United States attempted to smear the participants as Kremlin agents gathering intelligence.
Unsuccessful attempts at discreditation
The American outlet The Hill published an article by journalist Laura Kelly claiming that the Orthodox clergy were “lobbyists and clergy linked to the Russian Orthodox Church” running an “advocacy campaign” on Capitol Hill. The article quoted Congressman Joe Wilson, who alleged that ROCOR or other Russian Orthodox jurisdictions "could serve as vehicles for intelligence collection or foreign influence operations directed at U.S. policymakers.” In other words: if you lack arguments – accuse your opponent of working for Putin.
These baseless accusations triggered a powerful media backlash from politicians and clergy alike.
Thomas Beach, a South Carolina state representative, sharply condemned Wilson’s comments: “Really ugly smear of Orthodox Christians as agents of a foreign power. This is beneath the office.”
Days later, Beach appeared on One America News, stating that persecuting Christians cannot be justified by political rhetoric.
Stefano Loudares Forte, head of the New York Young Republicans Club, accused Wilson on X of spreading propaganda clichés against the UOC and ignoring overwhelming evidence of persecution.
Protopresbyter Vasilije Vranic, Dean of Washington of the Serbian Orthodox Church, stated that Wilson’s remarks and The Hill’s reporting distort reality and display “shocking ignorance” of the “egregious violations of human rights and religious freedom in Ukraine” committed against the UOC. He said that The Hill was spreading “flagrant falsehoods,” unbefitting for American media.
The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America also criticized The Hill, refuting the claim that Bishop Irinej had allegedly met with Putin. The diocese called the allegation “outrageous,” “defamatory,” and the article “blatantly misleading.”
Catherine Whiteford, leader of the U.S. Republican youth wing, explained that the meeting focused on freeing detained clergy and journalists, ensuring urgent medical care for them, stopping illegal mobilization of priests, and preventing forced participation in combat.
Congresswoman Luna herself responded, writing on X: “Bad take @RepJoeWilson. I just met with a number of orthodox church leaders (not just russian orthodox) that are requesting help because the government of Ukraine is jailing Christians for preaching their faith. They asked you your help and you do this? Do you really think taxpayer dollars should be going towards the persecution of Christians?”
The Phanar Archons enter the fight
After Wilson’s comments and The Hill article, the archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate joined the campaign to discredit Orthodox clergy in America. They issued a statement accusing UOC believers of terrorism and even murder of OCU members – without offering a shred of evidence. A complete disgrace. Too much, as Americans say.
Why would the archons publish such lies? Why cast themselves in such a negative light, especially when everyone already knows what is happening in Ukraine?
Perhaps they see the collapse of the myth of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s “peacemaking and love” in Ukraine.
These outrageous and baseless accusations provoked an even stronger response from Orthodox clergy in the United States.
On 20 November 2025, the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) announced the possibility of withdrawing or suspending its membership in the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA (ACOB), where the Ecumenical Patriarchate holds primacy.
That same day, the St. John of Shanghai Society issued a firm rebuttal to the archons’ statement. Representatives of the Orthodox Churches in the U.S. not only denounced the archons’ accusations as false and unsubstantiated, and justified their defense of the UOC as a human-rights issue, but also accused the archons of undermining the authority of Orthodoxy in America and endangering the unity of the Orthodox Churches.
They demanded that the archons and the Greek Archdiocese withdraw the scandalous statement, apologize to those slandered, and treat sister Churches with respect.
The Greek Archdiocese steps back
On 21 November 2025, Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambriniadis), head of the Greek Archdiocese of America, issued a statement declaring: “I do not and would never perceive my brother Hierarchs – or, indeed, their official representatives – as agents of foreign governments.”
This was not an apology for the slander, but it was a movement in the right direction. He also reminded the public that “just two weeks ago, at the annual meeting of the Assembly of Bishops, we broke bread together and continued our work for the life of the Church in the United States.” At that same Assembly, it was stated that the law banning the UOC must not be used to violate the rights of believers.
Another noteworthy line from his statement: “All of us jointly recognize that, when the church becomes entangled with political matters, it does so at the risk of itself and its faithful.”
Could it be that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is beginning to realize that the creation of the OCU was destructive from the outset – a political intervention orchestrated by President Poroshenko and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo?
What does all of this mean?
First, the truth about the persecution of the UOC and the assault on freedom of religion by the Ukrainian authorities is no longer trickling out – it is breaking through in a powerful stream that cannot be stopped by official rhetoric. More and more American politicians and officials are discovering the real situation.
Second, this understanding will require action. The situation has escalated so far that it is impossible to remain neutral. One must choose: either side with the persecutors or defend the fundamental right to freedom of religion. There is hope that specific steps to protect the UOC may soon follow.
Third, it is increasingly clear that the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s intervention in Ukrainian church affairs was destructive. It solved nothing and instead drove the situation into a dead end. The only way forward is to convene a pan-Orthodox council – the one body with genuine authority to resolve the crisis.
Fourth,
the Ecumenical Patriarchate continues to promote a new ecclesiology of “first without equals,” authored by Archbishop Elpidophoros. In this logic, the Patriarchate legalized Ukrainian schismatics in 2018 and created the OCU. And in this same logic, it refuses to acknowledge the persecution of the UOC, because acknowledging it would require admitting that creating the OCU was a mistake.
Following this logic, the archons are trying to discredit all efforts to defend the UOC. But the “first without equals” concept is rejected by the majority of Local Orthodox Churches – and Constantinople is being compelled to confront that reality.
Fifth, the United States is currently witnessing a mass movement of young people into Orthodoxy. They are seeking Christ. But if they instead encounter endless infighting among Orthodox over who is “first” and which throne is more ancient, the result may be a mass exodus from Orthodoxy.
