Sen. Grassley Dismisses Persecution of UOC as Russian Propaganda

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WASHINGTON, DC — On December 16, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) made a speech from the floor of Congress about the recent pan-Orthodox summit organized by the Society of St. John.

Grassley described the attendees as "representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church," despite the fact that they were drawn from half a dozen jurisdictions, including the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.

He accused the organizers of "falsely claiming persecution by the Ukrainian Government" on behalf of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Senator did not provide any evidence to debunk the well-documented instances of persecution of the UOC by the Ukrainian government.

He then pointed to Russian persecution of religious minorities in occupied Ukraine as evidence that the Zelenskyy administration is not persecuting the UOC.

The UOJ reached out to Sen. Grassley's press team, asking if it was possible that, in wartime, both sides may violate human rights. There has been no reply as of publication.

Three U.S. Representatives attended the Society of St. John's summit earlier this week: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), and Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI). 

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