Rep. Luna to Contact Vatican Over Persecution of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna smiles after receiving an Orthodox icon from Society of St. John Director of Government Affairs Catherine Whiteford. Photo: Aaron Hickman/UOJ-USA

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a post on X late Thursday night, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) announced that she will reach out to the Vatican, in addition to the U.S. State Department, following information she says she has received over the past 24 hours from Ukrainian Orthodox Christians and members of Ukraine’s own government regarding persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

Yesterday, Rep. Luna shared a video appeal she had received from a UOC parish that is at risk of losing their church in yet another instance of outsiders being brought in to force a transfer to the state-backed Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). She also confirmed receipt of a letter from Ukrainian MPs Oleksandr Dubinskyi and Artem Dmytruk on behalf of the "We Are for Peace!" group of the Ukrainian Parliament, asking her to raise the issue of political prisoners in Ukraine in the United States.

In his post sharing the letter, Dubinskyi thanks Rep. Luna for her advocacy for peace and claims that Ukraine is facing a largely ignored human-rights crisis. He asserts that more than 42,000 people are being held as political prisoners and that around 400,000 men who refused military mobilization are under criminal prosecution, allegedly stripped of basic rights and afraid to appear in public.

He further claims that those affected are routinely labeled as “Russian assets” or “agents,” and that priests, journalists, and peace advocates are already imprisoned. Dubinskyi argues that releasing these detainees and restoring their rights is necessary for national reconciliation and for moving Ukraine toward a peaceful settlement, particularly if a referendum on a future peace agreement is to take place.

In her post referencing communication with the Vatican, Rep. Luna stated that American taxpayer dollars should not be directed to a government that, in her words, persecutes or obstructs Christians seeking to worship freely. She emphasized that the Vatican has a responsibility to inform the international community about cases of Christian persecution worldwide, including what she described as active and documented incidents in Ukraine.

"I look forward to the response and will be sharing what the Vatican says regarding the matter, but this is something that the entire international community should be condemning, regardless of Christian denomination," she said. "Peace could not come soon enough in Ukraine."

Pope Francis took a stance on Law 3894 — the piece of legislation that effectively bans the UOC — in 2024, saying, "Let no Christian church be abolished." Pope Leo has yet to issue such a forceful statement on the issue.

Previously, UOJ reported that a media investigation in Ukraine is targeting a school located at a monastery of the UOC, including outlandish accusations that children are "taught to glorify the Russian God."

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