Rep. Luna Responds to UOC Appeal, Vows Action Against Forced Church Seizures in Ukraine
Florida congresswoman says she will document attempts to seize Ukrainian Orthodox Church parishes and hold officials accountable as local faithful plead for international protection.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) posted a video appeal that she received from faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) who were asking for her intervention as their parish faces the possibility of a forced transfer to the state-backed Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).
In an exclusive statement to the Union of Orthodox Journalists of America, Rep. Luna said:
"I was deeply moved and disheartened by the appeal of Ukrainian Christians from the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in the village of Kuzmyn, Ukraine. Zelensky has chosen to wage war on his own people for their faith. To Ukrainian officials in Kuzmyn, in the Khmelnytskyi region, and Ukraine more broadly, know this: we are monitoring church seizures and compiling a list of officials involved in these illegal seizures. There will be consequences if the Nativity parish in Kuzmyn is seized from the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church."
In the post on X, Rep. Luna said that she received a video appeal asking for her protection as the local authorities move to seize the community's church, "a church built by their parents and grandparents."
"These illegal seizures must stop!" she said.
Rep. Luna added that she will be working to document church seizures and bring Ukrainian officials involved in said seizures to justice. She also tagged U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the U.S. State Department on the post.
"Glory to God! Honorable Congresswoman Anna Paulina, we, the religious community of the Church of the Nativity of the Holy Theotokos of Kuzmin village, Khmelnystkyi Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, appeal to you," the rector of the parish, in the video recorded on Dec. 27, 2025, begins. "First of all, we want to wish you a Merry Christmas, which you celebrated these days."
The rector goes on to thank her for her recent actions on Capitol Hill and for her concern for the rights of the UOC faithful. The priest states that their community is "forced" to ask for her help, as Ukrainian authorities "do not allow us to pray, and forbid it, and take away our churches." He added that these are not isolated cases, but part of a larger campaign to eradicate the UOC.
A parishioner then shares that on Dec. 21, 2025, people who have no relation to their parish community organized a meeting against their will and voted for the transition of their community to the state-backed Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).
"This meeting, from beginning to end, was created by outsiders as a falsification," another parishioner said, saying that authorities and businessman brought in outsiders for the fake meeting, staging it as genuine.
The fear of the community is that, when the local, true parishioners object, the authorities will show up to forcefully seize the church, as has happened numerous times around Ukraine.
"Dear Congresswoman Luna, we are ordinary, law-abiding Ukrainians who have no one left to turn to for protection," an emotional parishioner pleaded. "We humbly ask you to hear us and do everything possible so that our church is not taken away from us, into which we have put our souls."
The community stated their belief that Rep. Luna's intervention and communication can help change the situation and prompt Ukrainian authorities to handle the situation appropriately.
"We implore for peace for our independent Ukraine," yet another parishioner said. "We ask to deliver our Ukrainian people from the Russian invaders, who attacked us and want to enslave us."
The video closes with the community saying, "We pray for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Thank you!"
Previously, UOJ reported that the SBU posted a video alarming Ukrainian Christians who celebrate Christmas on the Old Calendar.
