Pan-Orthodox Delegation Meets Rep. Luna to Urge Action on Persecution of UOC

Rep. Luna is pictured with members of the Orthodox faithful present in today's meeting. Photo: Society of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bishops, priests, monastics, and laity of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), Orthodox Church in America (OCA), Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, Serbian Orthodox Church, and Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America met with U.S. Rep Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) today to discuss the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

The meeting, hosted by the Society of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco — a pan-Orthodox fraternity of Orthodox Christians in the U.S. — coincided with several other meetings on Capitol Hill. Hierarchs present were Met. Nicholas (ROCOR) and Bsp. John Abdalah (Antiochian). Met. Tikhon of the OCA was represented by Fr. David Bozeman, and Bsp. Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Church was represented by Fr. Vasilije Vranic.

It was this initiative which U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson attacked yesterday evening on X and in a letter sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Luna fired back on X today, using her personal account to say:

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?

In another post from her official account, Luna stated that she will be hosting Orthodox Christians from across the country with members of Congress in December. This is in reference to an event being organized by the Society of Saint John of Shanghai to bring several hundred Orthodox Christians from across the country to Capitol Hill to advocate for the canonical church in Ukraine. More information on the event can be found at societyofstjohn.com.

In a post on Facebook about the meeting today, the Society said: 

"Our demands were simple: that human rights be respected by the Ukrainian government - even in the difficult circumstances of the war which has been foisted upon them."

The following list of items were also asked of the U.S. government:

• The repeal of the anti-UOC law (Law 3894) currently being implemented.
• The liberation of Met. Arseniy of Sviatohirsk and other imprisoned clergy; for medical care to be provided to prisoners in accordance with international norms and the agreements Ukraine herself has signed.
• An end to the impressment of clergy into the armed forces; that those serving would be taken out of combatant roles and placed in support roles (such as chaplains or medics — in accordance with international norms).

"We did not and will not advocate for a cessation of military funding to Ukraine," the Society said. "We simply request that mechanisms be put in place to ensure no foreign funding is used for the persecution of Christians."

While hosted by the Society, the meetings were arranged by Catherine Whiteford, co-chair of the Young Republican National Federation. In a post on X, Whiteford said that her efforts with religious freedom are in her personal capacity and her views do not necessarily reflect YRNF as a whole.

This story is developing, and UOJ will continue to report as details become available.

Previously, UOJ reported that Thomas Beach — a state representative in South Carolina — said that Wilson's comments are "beneath the office."

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