EXCLUSIVE: Ukrainian Lobbyist Tells Activists to Have Pastors Wear Black Robes – Congress Won’t Know the Difference

Bp. John of Worcester, Bp. Seraphim of Kostajnica, and Fr. Steven Mitchell were "visibly Orthodox" on Capitol Hill last week. Photo: Aaron Hickman/UOJ-USA

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of a call last Wednesday in which Ukrainian lobbyists said religious freedom is their “Achilles heel” and that they need to be careful with what images they use in lobbying materials because “a lot” of Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) churches “were destroyed by Ukrainian Armed Forces,” it was also said that, in an upcoming event of their own that is organized by evangelical churches, activists should encourage their pastors to dress in a way that makes them stand out in photos.

“I mean, they don't know what the difference is between OCU, UOC, Ukrainian Greek Catholic,” Julian Hayda, the associate director of public engagement for Razom for Ukraine, stated. “All these different churches, they all dress the same way. So, if you have a priest come with a black robe and a big metal cross, that will give you moral authority in Congress. The photographs will be very important.”

This should be done even if your pastor “doesn’t talk,” Hayda said, as visuals matter. And on the topic of visuals, this idea was presented by Hayda as a counter to why he believes the Society of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco’s Day of Action was successful.

“They were very visibly Orthodox on Capitol Hill,” he said in the call that was leaked to the Union of Orthodox Journalists of America by a confidential source. “That meant that they appeared not to be Russian – there was not a single Russian flag – and they appeared to just be a poor, persecuted, American, homegrown religious group,” he said.

The Society of St. John’s Day of Action was attended by nearly 200 American citizens who are concerned about the ongoing persecution of the UOC by the Ukrainian government.

Previously, UOJ reported on a speech by Bp. Theodosius, a native of Ukraine, who said that the Ukrainian authorities classify icons as work of art and relics as mummies.

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