German ROCOR Diocese: 'Dangerous Accusations from Washington'

The German diocesan administration under Met. Mark recently published a statement on the accusations from Washington. Photo: UOJ-Germany

This article was first published by UOJ's German bureau.

BERLIN — In the public controversy over the remarks of U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson — who alleged that Orthodox bishops in the United States advocating for the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) “could serve as instruments for gathering intelligence or carrying out operations to influence U.S. policymakers” — the German Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), under Metropolitan Mark, issued a statement on Monday, November 24, 2025.

The diocesan administration of ROCOR in Germany published a declaration on the website of its diocesan newsletter Der Bote, titled “Dangerous Accusations from Washington.” The statement is published in full below.

“On 21 November 2025, the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Metropolitan Nicholas, as part of a delegation of Orthodox Churches in the USA, met with representatives of the U.S. government. The friendly exchange on religious freedom and peace in Ukraine was marked by openness and understanding. Unfortunately, this meeting coincided with the publication of an article which, without any evidence, questioned the independence of several Orthodox Churches in America from political influence from abroad.

In direct reaction to this meeting, a representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate [EP] in North America, ‘Archon Grand Aktouarios’ Anthony J. Limberakis, M.D., took to social media, making statements that attempt to obscure the true situation in Ukraine. Facts are turned completely upside down, and perpetrators are swapped with victims. This renewed attempt to advance the Patriarchate’s lobbying interests in the U.S. is astonishing only for its degree of detachment from reality.

The canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) under Metropolitan Onuphry — by numbers the largest Church in the country and, with its thousand-year history, indisputably more legitimate than the nationalist ‘Orthodox Church of Ukraine’ (OCU) created in 2018 at the instigation of then-Ukrainian President Poroshenko — is portrayed as a ‘splinter group, an arm of the Moscow Patriarchate,’ ‘targeting and killing.’ In full view of the global public, nationalist-militarist groups, with the assistance of official authorities and through the use of violence, are systematically seizing churches from the UOC (over 1,000 known cases); its faithful are persecuted, terrorized, and slandered; its clergy are forcibly conscripted and sent to the front; President Zelensky has already sealed the ban of the UOC.

The distinguished Mr. Limberakis appeals to Patriarch Bartholomew, but even he has asked Ukraine to stop the violence. The Archon, however, seeks to mislead American supporters of Ukraine: in reality, the terror carried out by nationalist-indoctrinated ideologues — schismatics without valid ordination (i.e., uncanonical) — with the help of the state, targets innocent Christians, in disregard of international norms. This situation has repeatedly prompted concern from the United Nations (most recently in Press Release 01.10.2025). Limberakis does not care that in November both the Polish Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia protested that this so-called ‘canonical church’ promoted by Limberakis is invading their territories completely illegally, although the Tomos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate explicitly forbids it from operating abroad.

The persecutor is made to appear the persecuted. Ecclesial and spiritual realities are utterly politicized. It is the same old slanderous politics, the same methods known from Soviet times, with which ROCOR has always been defamed — even though since 1920 it has gone its own independent way throughout the world, especially in Europe and the USA, without ingratiating itself with state powers. No one should be deceived by these provocations. It is better to rely on the facts legally documented by attorney Robert Amsterdam (NY).

Falsehood unmasks itself. Mr. A. Limberakis thereby merely discredits the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

We regret the growing radicalization and hardening of the EP regarding the historic mistake it made in creating the OCU. An overwhelming majority of Orthodox Churches and their representatives worldwide, despite political pressure, have condemned Patriarch Bartholomew’s disastrous interference in Ukraine and refuse to recognize the OCU.

We pray for an end to the war in Ukraine and to the internal political persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.”

Previously, UOJ reported that Bishop Luke of Syracuse had penned a strongly worded letter to Rep. Joe Wilson.

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