EXCLUSIVE: Abp. Elpidophoros Warned Ecumenical Patriarch About UOJ-USA, Society of St. John in November

Abp. Elpidophoros at the Hierarchical Liturgy for the annual Assembly of Bishops meeting in November. Photo: Aaron Hickman/UOJ-USA

MARCH 11, 2026 — A multi-page letter sent by Abp. Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople on November 21, 2025, has been anonymously leaked to the Union of Orthodox Journalists of America.

In the letter – sent after initial meetings were held on Capitol Hill by the Society of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco regarding the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) – His Eminence warned the Ecumenical Patriarch that “the organization also announced plans to bring several hundred Orthodox Christians to the Capitol in December to meet with members of Congress regarding the protection of the pro-Russian ecclesiastical presence in Ukraine.”

The event he was referencing is December’s Day of Action, which did take place the following month and has been widely seen as a productive, pan-Orthodox effort, even contributing to the release of Metr. Arseniy to house arrest and the release of a priest from forced military mobilization.

Referring to UOJ-USA’s reporting on said events as "propaganda" and calling the Society of St. John “supposedly pan-Orthodox,” Abp. Elpidophoros shares that some of the meetings scheduled to be held back in November were cancelled through the “coordinated efforts” of Grand Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne, Fr. Alex Karloutsos. He also shared that, “following these very troubling reports, after consultation with the Very Rev. Archpriest Alexander Karloutsos, we decided to travel in the coming days to Washington in order to prevent developments and inform officials of the White House, the State Department, and Congress regarding the real facts and the situation in Ukraine.”

Meetings held by the Society of St. John in November included Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and Sarah Rogers, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

"The meeting with the Faith Office was canceled because we had a confirmed meeting with a member of the President's Cabinet. The Faith Office meeting was, at that point, redundant,” Ben Dixon, Director of Operations for the Society of St. John and UOJ-USA Editor-in-Chief, said.

Abp. Elpidophoros also references an article from The Hill, which was widely condemned as inaccurate, leading to eventual corrections and a change of the headline. The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America offered an exclusive statement to UOJ-USA due to The Hill’s article inaccurately stating that Bp. Irinej met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Referencing this, Abp. Elpidophoros writes:

“Bishop Irinei of the Serbian Patriarchate, in an exclusive statement to the Russian propaganda outlet UOJ in America, protested the claim in The Hill that he had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin while accompanying Patriarch Porfirije. He stated that the report was false and defamatory and urged The Hill to correct the claim, which it eventually did.”

Elsewhere in the letter, His Eminence states that Bishop Irinej is allegedly viewed unfavorably by his church authorities because he is considered overly sympathetic to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Hellenism.

Writing about The Hill, Abp. Elpidophoros also states that, “the article refers to ROCOR and its close ties with Moscow, the so-called ‘OCA,’ which maintains permanent representation in Moscow, and His Grace Bishop Irinei of the Serbian Patriarchate, who was reportedly approached to participate but was unable to do so due to prior obligations.”

The article from The Hill states, “The Orthodox Church in America, part of the delegation, maintains representation in Moscow.” This indicates that His Eminence deliberately added “so-called” when describing the OCA – a Church the Ecumenical Patriarchate is in communion with but does not recognize as autocephalous.

Sharing notes about the attendance of the meetings back in November, His Eminence provided the Ecumenical Patriarch with a roster:

“Participants reportedly included hierarchs, priests, monks, and laypeople from ROCOR, the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America."

Those named as present by Abp. Elpidophoros included:

Metropolitan Nicholas of ROCOR
Bishop John Abdallah of the Patriarchate of Antioch
Rev. David Bozeman of the OCA
Rev. Vasilije Vranic representing Bishop Irinei.

Fr. David Bozeman attended the meeting as the official representative of Metr. Tikhon of the OCA. The following month, at December’s Day of Action, Metr. Tikhon sent OCA Chancellor Fr. Alessandro Margeritino, who spoke at the Society of St. John’s press conference.

December saw even broader clerical attendance overall, as Bp. Serafim (Serbian Orthodox Church) and Bp. Theodosiy (ROCOR) also attended. Bp. Theodosiy of Manhattan (formerly of Seattle) – a Ukrainian citizen born and raised in Kyiv and tonsured in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra – gave a speech on the persecution of the UOC at the press conference in Washington.

Furthermore, Abp. Elpidophoros wrote to the Ecumenical Patriarch that a subsequent report claimed that a "representative of the ‘Church of Constantinople’ was present, which is false and misleading.”

However, reporting from UOJ-USA on meetings with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and Rep. Darrell Issa only stated that “bishops, priests, monastics, and laity” of various jurisdictions, including the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, were present. There is no use of the word “representative.”

Regarding the statement from the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate titled, “Archons Question White House Meeting with Russian Orthodox Clergy Who Are Lobbyists for Putin,” which remains on their website, Abp. Elpidophoros said the following:

While matters were proceeding well, a draft statement was sent to my humble self unexpectedly and without prior consultation or even simple discussion of the matter by the head of the Order of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Honorable Mr. Anthony Limberakis, at noon on November 19, by email.

Before I could even read it, within two hours it had already been published by the Order’s media.

Since the Order’s publications mainly concern the personality, statements, speeches, and activities concerning Your All-Holiness, the communications office of our Holy Archdiocese usually republishes them, which it also did in this case.

The reaction, due to the harsh language and content of the statement, was great and distressed the brother hierarch-members of the Orthodox Episcopal Assembly, because it characterized everyone collectively as agents of Russia. And the fact that the social media of the Holy Archdiocese republished this statement was perceived by them as expressing my own views on this and adopting the harsh expressions in it.

The fact mobilized the said hierarchs, who, according to information from the Holy Archdiocese, convened for consultation and deliberation on what to do. During these consultations, extreme voices were expressed about complete withdrawal or temporary suspension of their participation in the Episcopal Assembly. Having been informed of the above, I acted immediately and first conveyed to them that the statement does not express my feelings and views and that it was republished by the Holy Archdiocese's social media out of habit. Then, the electronic republications of the said statement were deleted from the Holy Archdiocese's media, and I initiated the process of issuing my personal statement to calm the situation.

Mrs. Catherine Whiteford of the aforementioned “Society of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco” also issued a statement condemning the Archons’ announcement and calling on me to take corrective action.

Today my public statement was released in the hope that the tension will subside.

This situation was reported promptly by UOJ-USA. Whiteford also said in her statement that the Archons’ statement had slandered “members of the Greek Archdiocese itself who participated honorably in these meetings as American citizens concerned for religious liberty and peace — not as representatives of any government.”

Abp. Elpidophoros’ statement can be read here. In the letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch, he also acknowledged receiving a letter from Metr. Saba of the Antiochian Archdiocese expressing “his displeasure with the action of the Order of the Archons of the Ecumenical Throne.”

Additionally, in the “Comments and Observations” portion of his letter, Abp. Elpidophoros states that the Archons “highlighted an inherent issue and a tendency of it to act independently without consultation with their own shepherd, the Archbishop of America, which should concern the Mother Church."

He also said that the prolonged ecclesiastical crisis in Ukraine continues to complicate Orthodox cooperation in the diaspora and that the Ukrainian lobby “appears unable to persuade international opinion of the correctness of the measures taken against Onuphry and his ecclesiastical structure, which the opposing side exploits to portray Ukraine as violating religious freedom.”

Speaking anonymously to UOJ-USA, the sender of this letter stated:

“You will see that it is not the Archons, but Archbishop Elpidophoros who is your main and most dangerous enemy — the enemy of all American Orthodoxy. I cannot tell you all the details. He is hypocritical and cautious, but he is currently doing everything to destroy you. Only public exposure and widespread disgrace can stop him.”

The full letter, translated into English, is published below, and the original letter in Greek is attached here.

At the time of publication of this article, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has not responded to the media inquiry sent by the Union of Orthodox Journalists of America.

To His All-Holiness,

the Ecumenical Patriarch

Mr. Bartholomew,

At the Phanar.

Your All-Holiness, Most Holy Father and Master,

By the present letter I communicate with Your Venerable Head regarding recent developments concerning the actions of certain figures among the Orthodox presences in America aimed at influencing officials of the White House in favor of the positions and views of the Moscow Patriarchate with regard to the ecclesiastical situation in Ukraine.

The Article on the Website "The Hill"

Specifically, the reputable American website The Hill, in a related article of November 17 of this year (Attachment 1) titled “The White House will meet with clergy maintaining ties with the pro-war Russian Orthodox Church.”

The same website referred to the activities of “lobbyists and clergy with ties to the Russian Orthodox Church” operating in the circles of the Capitol in order to meet with officials of President Trump, particularly with the White House Faith Office, which was confirmed by officials of that office.

Informational emails were also reportedly sent to members of Congress referring to planned meetings with officials of the Department of State.

“The White House Faith Office will meet with a delegation of American representatives from the Orthodox Church to discuss the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Faith Office regularly meets with advocacy groups and religious leaders upon request to discuss issues related to faith in our country and around the world.”

The purpose of these activities is said to be the sensitization of U.S. government officials regarding the alleged “religious persecution in Kyiv against Orthodox Christians.”

The same publication also refers to a request by certain members of Congress from the Republican Party to the Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate whether the Russian Federation or its intelligence services attempted to recruit, influence, or compromise Orthodox presences in the United States that maintain ties with Moscow.

Part of a draft letter prepared by the said group of members of Congress under the leadership of Representative Joe Wilson to Mrs. Bondi reportedly states:

“It has come to my attention that ROCOR [Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia] is actively seeking to expand its political influence in the United States, including through an event reportedly scheduled for November 18, 2025, aimed at lobbying Members of Congress and their staff. This development raises legitimate concerns that ROCOR or other Russian Orthodox jurisdictions could serve as vehicles for intelligence collection or foreign influence operations directed at U.S. policymakers.”

Thereafter reference is made to similar troubling activities of pro-Russian Orthodox circles in Finland, which prompted the intervention of the country’s security services. Similar phenomena were observed in Sweden and Norway, as reported in November 2024 by the Molfar Intelligence Institute in a report referring extensively to:

“Russian Orthodox Church outposts near critical and strategic infrastructure in at least five European countries.”

Analyzing the composition of the group of pro-Russian clergy active in Washington, the article refers to ROCOR and its close ties with Moscow, the so-called “OCA,” which maintains permanent representation in Moscow, and His Grace Bishop Irinei of the Serbian Patriarchate, who was reportedly approached to participate but was unable to do so due to prior obligations.

In this context extensive reference is made to the close ties between Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia and the Moscow Patriarchate.

The group is reportedly guided by legal advisers headed by Peter Flew, a lawyer representing the ecclesiastical faction in Ukraine under Onuphry. Also participating is Catherine Whiteford, Co-Chair of the Young Republican National Federation. In addition, the highly popular former Fox television host Tucker Carlson is said to support the effort, having significant influence online.

Also reportedly sympathetic to the effort are Vice President J. D. Vance and the well-known Republican Party faction known as MAGA, which holds significant influence among the party’s electoral base.

According to the publication, the group stated that it seeks to discuss with the government and members of Congress the alleged:

“Escalating religious freedom violations being carried out against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by the Ukrainian government.”

Mrs. Whiteford is said to be supported by Robert Amsterdam, the well-known representative of Mr. Onuphry, who leads the campaign to portray Kyiv in the United States as suppressing religious freedom.

According to a report in the Washington Post, Mr. Amsterdam was hired by Mr. Vadim Novinsky, a Russian-Ukrainian magnate with ties to the leadership of the Moscow Patriarchate, and he has been placed at the head of the U.S. lobbying effort on behalf of Mr. Onuphry.

Initial Reactions

Representative Anna Paulina Luna responded to Mr. Wilson, stating:

“Bad take @RepJoe Wilson. 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 Serbian Patriarchate cleric Rev. Vasilije Vranic also replied:

“America should be very concerned when a congressman serving on the Foreign Relations Committee exhibits such shocking ignorance about egregious violations of human rights and religious freedom in Ukraine, as well as when a supposedly reputable news outlet, which The Hill purports to be, is publishing flagrant falsehoods. I am very concerned about the future of our country if this continues without repercussions.”

The attacks escalated against Mr. Wilson, who was unethically targeted by the aforementioned pro-Russian propaganda website

Bishop Irinei of the Serbian Patriarchate, in an exclusive statement to the Russian propaganda outlet UOJ in America, protested the claim in The Hill that he had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin while accompanying His Beatitude Patriarch Porfirije.

He stated that the report was false and defamatory and urged The Hill to correct the claim, which it eventually did. He concluded by stating:

“Bishop Irinei supports efforts to defend the basic human rights and religious freedom of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its faithful who are suffering unprecedented persecution in Ukraine.”

Following these very troubling reports, after consultation with the Very Rev. Grand Protopresbyter Alexander Karloutsos, we decided to travel in the coming days to Washington in order to prevent developments and inform officials of the White House, the State Department, and Congress regarding the real facts and the situation in Ukraine.

At the same time, we took steps to cancel the meetings of this pro-Russian group with the aforementioned government officials.

Nevertheless, on November 18 reports circulated regarding a meeting of the said pro-Russian figures in Washington.

The first publication by the propaganda outlet Union of Orthodox Journalists of America was, as expected, misleading. It featured a photograph of the White House and, while the headline spoke generally about a meeting with “the leadership,” the main text referred only to the White House Faith Office.

Among the participants listed were representatives of the OCA, the Patriarchate of Antioch, ROCOR, and the Serbian Patriarchate.

The next publication of the same propaganda website referred to a meeting with Ms. Anna Paulina Luna, a member of Congress representing the State of Florida from the Republican Party.

According to the publications of the main organ of Russian propaganda under the name “Union of Orthodox Journalists of America,” the meeting was organized by the Society of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco, described as a “Pan-Orthodox Brotherhood of Orthodox Christians in America.”

Participants reportedly included hierarchs, priests, monks, and laypeople from ROCOR, the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

Those named as present included:

Metropolitan Nicholas of ROCOR
Bishop John Abdallah of the Patriarchate of Antioch
Very Rev. David Bozeman of the OCA
Very Rev. Vasilije Vranic representing Bishop Irinei.

A subsequent report claimed that a representative of the “Church of Constantinople” was present, which is false and misleading.

The issues reportedly raised before the “American government” (which one, since they only met with one congresswoman?) included:

a) repeal of the law against the ecclesiastical presence under Onuphry (Law 3894);
b) the release of Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk and other imprisoned clergy and the provision of medical care to detainees in accordance with international law;
c) the cessation of the conscription of clergy into the armed forces; those serving should be removed from combat roles and placed in support roles;
d) they do not request the cessation of military aid to Ukraine but request safeguards so that the funding is not used for the persecution of Christians.

Finally, it is announced that the aforementioned "Society of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco" plans in the coming December to bring several hundred Orthodox Christians to the Capitol from all over America, to participate in meetings with members of Congress on the protection of the pro-Russian ecclesiastical presence in Ukraine.

Ultimately Fr. Alexander informed me by telephone that through his coordinated efforts on November 19 the meetings with government officials were canceled.

Supportive of our position was the intervention of Pastor Mark Burns, advisor to President Trump, who described the Moscow Patriarchate as a “documented tool of the Kremlin.”

He stated:

“With deep concern I read in the press that a delegation linked to the Russian Orthodox Church, an institution that is a documented tool of the Kremlin, is meeting with U.S. officials here in Washington. Let me be clear: when a church stands hand in hand with a regime that blesses bombs and trades in death, we cannot pretend we are simply meeting for spiritual dialogue. We are fighting a battle for the soul of the Gospel. This is spiritual warfare. The Russian Orthodox Church has publicly blessed military equipment, aligned itself with Vladimir Putin’s war machine and the Kremlin, and has donned the uniform of aggression instead of the garment of the Good Shepherd. As a spiritual diplomat, I call on our leaders, our churches, and every believer: let us have discernment, not just diplomacy. Let us defend our faith, which protects life, and not ideologies that destroy it. The Gospel does not bless bombs nor plan attacks. It serves mercy, pursues justice, and lifts up the broken. I address the US officials: Act with wisdom. To the religious leaders: protect the integrity of our witness. To the church worldwide: we must wonder with whom we align when we sit at the same table. If your table companion supports brutality, your teaching is compromised. Now is the time to raise our voices and pray for Ukraine, for all innocent souls trapped in this war, and for the church worldwide, to rediscover its destiny as peacemaker. Let us not be silent when faith is used to justify violence. Let us be bold when truth is fought.”

The Statement of the Order of the Archons

While matters were proceeding well, a draft statement was sent to my humble self unexpectedly and without prior consultation or even simple discussion of the matter by the head of the Order of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Honorable Mr. Anthony Limberakis, at noon on November 19, by email.

Before I could even read it, within two hours it had already been published by the Order’s media.

Since the Order’s publications mainly concern the personality, statements, speeches, and activities concerning Your All-Holiness, the communications office of our Holy Archdiocese usually republishes them, which it also did in this case.

The reaction, due to the harsh language and content of the statement, was great and distressed the brother hierarch-members of the Orthodox Episcopal Assembly, because it characterized everyone collectively as agents of Russia. And the fact that the social media of the Holy Archdiocese republished this statement was perceived by them as expressing my own views on this and adopting the harsh expressions in it.

The fact mobilized the said hierarchs, who, according to information from the Holy Archdiocese, convened for consultation and deliberation on what to do. During these consultations, extreme voices were expressed about complete withdrawal or temporary suspension of their participation in the Episcopal Assembly. Having been informed of the above, I acted immediately and first conveyed to them that the statement does not express my feelings and views and that it was republished by the Holy Archdiocese's social media out of habit. Then, the electronic republications of the said statement were deleted from the Holy Archdiocese's media, and I initiated the process of issuing my personal statement to calm the situation.

Mrs. Catherine Whiteford of the aforementioned “Society of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco” also issued a statement condemning the Archons’ announcement and calling on me to take corrective action.

Today my public statement was released in the hope that the tension will subside.

In the meantime, a letter was received from His Eminence Metropolitan Saba of the Patriarchate of Antioch, through which politely but clearly he expresses his displeasure with the action of the Order of the Archons of the Ecumenical Throne. To this, I think I should respond in the spirit of my related public statement.

Finally, today another meeting in Washington of the said group of Orthodox was published, this time with the Antiochian-origin member of Congress from California, Mr. Darrell Issa, Vice Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a member of the Republican Party

Comments and Observations

Among my observations:

From the actions of the representatives here of Russian interests, it is evident their encouragement from the oscillations of American foreign policy on the Ukraine issue, which provide opportunities for them to exploit internal political confrontations in the US, but also the sensitivity of political circles of the Trump Presidency on issues of religious freedoms in general, and persecutions against Christians in particular. Thus, they appear aligned behind the leading representative of ROCOR, Metropolitan Nicholas, both the representatives of the Patriarchates of Antioch and Serbia, and of the so-called autocephalous "Orthodox Church in America" (OCA).
It is notable that the Patriarchates of Romania, Georgia, and Bulgaria did not align and did not participate in this effort of political influence.
It is known that the Most Reverend Bishop Irinej of the presence here of the Serbian Patriarchate is under a regime of disfavor from his ecclesiastical authority, because he is considered overly friendly toward the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Hellenism. Thus it is explained the fact that he did not participate in person in the delegation to Washington, but sent one of his priests. Interesting is also the characterization by him as "slanderous defamation" of the claim that he allegedly met with the President of Russia, despite the fact that, following, as he should, the policy of his ecclesiastical authority, he stated that the "canonical" church in Ukraine is the ecclesiastical presence under Onufriy.
Unprecedented is the fact that the group active in Washington of Orthodox Christians presented itself under the cover of a lay organization, supposedly of pan-Orthodox character, with president Ms. Catherine Whiteford under the name "Society of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco," which, as said above, is also an executive of the ruling Republican Party. It is estimated that this is due to the effort of the representatives here of Russian interests to appear as expressers of concerns of American citizens about the alleged violation of religious freedoms in Ukraine, exploiting connections and contacts with political factors.
The website known for some time for its role in spreading Russian propaganda in the English-language press under the name "Union of Orthodox Journalists" in this case took on the role of the official organ expressing the views of the protagonists of the movement to influence politicians in Washington against the canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine, hosting exclusive statements to it as well as news, exerting communicative pressure on those disagreeing with it, which exceeds the limits of objective journalistic deontology and becomes propaganda and militant journalism targeting and criminalizing the representatives of the other side.
The issuance by the Order of the Archons of a communiqué, whose style and content threatened the cohesion of the Orthodox Episcopal Assembly in America, highlighted an inherent issue and a tendency of it to act independently without consultation with their own shepherd, the Archbishop of America, which should concern the Mother Church, whether it would be useful to make a suitable indication from the Phanar for closer cooperation with the Holy Archdiocese.
The prolonged ecclesiastical situation in Ukraine complicates, beyond inter-church relations at a higher level, also the cooperation among Orthodox in the diaspora, especially in the local Episcopal Assemblies. It is known that in several countries the Episcopal Assemblies cannot even be convened, because there is a clear instruction to the local hierarchs from the so-called "mother Churches" of certain autocephalous Churches not to attend gatherings chaired, according to order, by the hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, because it granted autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which, according to them, is allegedly "uncanonical and schismatic." The same effort to undermine the Episcopal Assembly is being made in America, because the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its representatives constitute the obstacle to the claims of the so-called autocephalous "Orthodox Church in America" (OCA) to achieve recognition of its "autocephaly," and of the other presences here to usurp the role and position of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Thus, they pretext various excuses, seizing "opportunities" such as the canonical election of the Most Reverend Emeritus Bishop of Nicopolis Mr. Alexander or the issuance of the communiqué of the Archons of St. Andrew, to raise, as they should not, the issue of their participation in the Episcopal Assembly. Finally, it seems that the Ukrainian side is unable to convince international public opinion of the correctness of the measures taken by the Ukrainian Government against Onuphry personally, his hierarchs and clergy, and his entire ecclesiastical presence in the country. Exploiting this, the other side projects Ukraine internationally as a country trampling on religious freedoms and persecuting the Orthodox Church.
The effort of Russian-interest hierarchs, clergy, and laity to influence political factors in Washington, despite the noise made, I believe did not have the expected and anticipated results by them, limited to meetings with very few members of Congress without particular influence on American policy. And it would have had minimal impact on ecclesiastical matters here, if the Archons' communiqué had not been published, which put us in the difficult position to publicly separate the position of the Holy Archdiocese and forced us to move behind the scenes to calm the situation, especially toward the side of the representative of the Patriarchate of Antioch.

Submitting these matters for the information of the Mother Church, I remain with deepest respect and absolute filial devotion.

New York, November 21, 2025

Your humble servant,

† Elpidophoros of America