Petition Condemning the Role of Constantinople in Ukrainian Christian Persecution

September 10, 2023
Greek Archdiocese, Petitions, War in Ukraine

Click here to skip down to the petition text and sign to show your support. For a list of signers of the petition, click here. 

There was a recent exchange between Tucker Carlson and Mike Pence, former Vice President and current presidential candidate, on the subject of Christian persecution in Ukraine. For those of us who have been trying to bring attention to the suffering of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, this was a very heartening moment. One of the leading journalists in the United States not only knew about the persecution in Ukraine, he asked pointed questions about it during a presidential campaign event. What a blessing to get this kind of attention for Christian suffering! This exchange kicked off a major debate online and in the media about what is actually happening in Ukraine.

Here’s part of the Carlson / Pence exchange below:

“I’m confused on this question. It’s very clear that the Zelenskyy government has arrested priests for having views they disagree with. That’s not consistent with religious liberty, it’s an attack on it and we’re funding it. And I’m just wondering how, and I don’t mean to be disrespectful at all, but I sincerely wonder how a Christian leader could support the arrest of Christian leaders for having different views,” Carlson began.

 

“The problem is that you don’t accept my answer,” an exasperated Pence responded. “I just told you I asked a religious leader in Kyiv if it was happening. You asked me if I raised the issue and I did. I also raised it with the Ukrainians and I was told that there are religious leaders who are working with the Russian military who is murdering people by the thousands.

 

“No, you spoke to one person who’s clearly on one side of it and there are many, many news reports that are not disputed by anybody that clergy are being arrested in Ukraine and I’m merely saying I might not agree with it, I’m not Russian Orthodox, but you can’t arrest clergy for having different views. Period,” Carlson said.

“And I won’t stand for it,” Pence said. “People being persecuted for their religious beliefs. I won’t stand for it.”

You can see the full segment here, along with an article giving a typical “pro-Zelenskyy” spin. Tucker Carlson was spot on about everything he said. In the ensuing debate, many commentators showed up to defend the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and blast Pence for his nonsensical answer.

The message about Christian persecution has clearly gotten out, but there is way more to do. Not one candidate for US president has made stopping persecution of the UOC a major campaign issue. Not one member of Congress has introduced any legislation, or even tried to hold any hearings on the subject. The people who matter in the world know what is happening to Metropolitan Onuphry and the UOC. They just don’t feel compelled to do anything about it. Which means we need a lot more attention focused on what is happening to the bishops, clergy, monks, and laity of the UOC.

In the aftermath of the Tucker vs Pence engagement, it has become quite clear that the Patriarchate of Constantinople is at the center of our issues in getting meaningful help for the UOC. That is why the petition below condemns the bad actions, and inactions, of Constantinople. It is necessary because:

  • The Patriarch of Constantinople is constantly held up as if he were the Orthodox equivalent of the Roman Catholic Pope. If he says that the UOC is illegitimate, then many Westerners will accept that he has the right to decide that. Uneducated Westerners readily believe, and tell others, that the UOC must be subordinate to the Russian Church, because Constantinople says that it is. The “real” Ukrainian Church must be the OCU, because Patriarch Bartholomew says so. If bad things are happening to anyone in Ukraine, then those suffering must be Russians and Russian sympathizers. If there are any beatings, arrests, seizures, etc., then it is all okay because the Patriarch of Constantinople supports OCU.
  • On the other hand, many Westerners say there is no persecution of anyone happening in Ukraine. If there were, then the Patriarch of Constantinople would have said something about it. Patriarch Bartholomew, and his representative in America, Archbishop Elpidophoros, present the situation in Ukraine as being completely normal, giving politicians like Pence the cover to do so as well. Even the worst abuses, such as seizing holy property (churches and monasteries), are either ignored by those in the Patriarchate, or are presented as Ukrainians voluntarily removing themselves from the “Russian” Church: “Naturally, our prayer and wish is that the complete restoration of unity among all our Ukrainian brothers will be achieved. I know that His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine has been working from the very outset toward this goal, while after the Russian invasion of Ukraine hundreds of parishes have abandoned the ecclesiastical structure under the Patriarchate of Moscow in Ukraine and have been incorporated into the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.“

We cannot let such lies stand, especially since the situation in Ukraine continues to worsen. The Ukrainian government is sending bishops to prison on trumped-up charges. The Ukrainian Government continues to debate an outright ban on the UOC. The attempt to seize the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is accelerating. Metropolitan Onuphry has been banned from his own home at the Lavra, along with all seminarians and all novice monks. If they leave the grounds of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, they will not be allowed to return. Law enforcement officers have blocked several warehouses where food is stored, all part of an ongoing effort to make the Lavra unlivable for the remaining monks. Faithful Orthodox who had come for services were not allowed to enter the territory of the monastery, in violation of Ukrainian law, and priests had to commune the faithful through a locked gate. There is much more going on, and more information is easily available to those who want it.

In the midst of all this, it was heartening to see the outpouring of love for Metropolitan Onuphry on the occasion of the ninth anniversary of his accession to the primatial throne of Ukraine. It is always clear who is the real Metropolitan of Kiev.

If we are to help our Orthodox brothers and sisters in Ukraine, then we must make it clear to the world that the actions of Patriarch Bartholomew have resulted in Christian persecution which he is actively covering up. If we don’t correct our “spiritual leader,” then who will? Our last petition supporting the UOC gathered over 5,500 signatures, but was read over 500,000 times. As Orthodox Christians, we must do better. Please read the petition verbiage below, and then sign it to raise your voice against Christian persecution. You will get an email with a link to authenticate your signature – please click the link to do so. Please let others know about the petition. The world must hear from us.

We Condemn the Actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople for Its Role in the Persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Whereas, the Patriarch of Constantinople intervened in the affairs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 2018 as a benefit to the political campaign of President Petro Poroshenko and to further NATO / US goals in Ukraine; and

Whereas, at that time, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was fully self-governing under the leadership of Metropolitan Onuphry, himself a native-born Ukrainian, and was the preferred Church for some 70% of the Ukrainian population; and

Whereas, the creation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) by the Patriarch of Constantinople did not heal the previous schism (ongoing for decades), but rather created an even larger and more dangerous schism; and

Whereas, the tomos granted to the formerly schismatic bodies, thus combined into the OCU by the Patriarch, has since served as the basis for violent and unjust persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; and

Whereas, following the Russian invasion, the UOC has severed all ties with Moscow (May 2022), supported the war effort, and condemned Russian actions; and

Whereas, the OCU has, in alliance with the Ukrainian Government and civilian radicals, led the effort to physically harm Orthodox Christians (clergy and laity), confiscate parishes and other holy sites from the UOC, remove all canonical Orthodox Christians from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, sought to completely outlaw the activities of the UOC, and has otherwise interfered with the religious freedom of millions of Ukrainian citizens; and

Whereas the Patriarchate of Constantinople has repeatedly ignored the persecution of the UOC, and even lied outright about its occurrence, going so far as to assert that seizures of parishes and other holy sites are “voluntary”; and

Whereas, the majority of the Orthodox Christian world has continued to embrace Metropolitan Onuphry and the UOC, including the Patriarchates of Georgia, Antioch and All the East, Jerusalem, Bulgaria, and Serbia. Additional support has come from His Grace Bishop Siluan of Australia, Metropolitan Isaak of Germany and Central Europe of the Antiochian Orthodox Patriarchate, Metropolitan Nicholas and the ROCOR Synod, Archbishop Anastasios of Albania, Metropolitan Tikhon of America and the OCA Synod, Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou (Cyprus), who bravely defies his synod to continue embracing the UOC, and many more too numerous to mention; and

Whereas, the support of global Orthodoxy for the UOC is largely ignored in the Western media as the Patriarchate of Constantinople intentionally cultivates the lie that Patriarch Bartholomew, as the “spiritual leader” of Orthodoxy, has the inherent power to unilaterally intervene in Ukraine, and thereby justify the persecution resulting from that intervention; and

Whereas, the representative of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the United States, Archbishop Elpidophoros, has assisted in justifying and covering up the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, even to the point of chastising fellow bishops in America that continue to support the canonical church; and

Whereas, the actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople have had grave impact on the unity of world Orthodoxy.

Now, therefore, we the undersigned Orthodox Christians and allies do categorically condemn the actions of Patriarch Bartholomew and the Patriarchate of Constantinople for justifying and enabling Christian persecution in Ukraine, for standing silent in witness to the horror of it, and for actively covering up the facts of it. We call upon candidates for political office in the United States and throughout the West to learn the true facts of the suffering of the UOC, and for them to endorse an end to the persecution. We call upon the Western media to learn and accurately report the facts of the persecution of the UOC. We call upon all canonical Orthodox bishops to publicly support the UOC and an immediate end to this persecution.

We Condemn the Actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople for Its Role in the Persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Petition Text Below:

Whereas, the Patriarch of Constantinople intervened in the affairs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 2018 as a benefit to the political campaign of President Petro Poroshenko and to further NATO / US goals in Ukraine; and

Whereas, at that time, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was fully self-governing under the leadership of Metropolitan Onuphry, himself a native-born Ukrainian, and was the preferred Church for some 70% of the Ukrainian population; and

Whereas, the creation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) by the Patriarch of Constantinople did not heal the previous schism (ongoing for decades), but rather created an even larger and more dangerous schism; and

Whereas, the tomos granted to the formerly schismatic bodies, thus combined into the OCU by the Patriarch, has since served as the basis for violent and unjust persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; and

Whereas, following the Russian invasion, the UOC has severed all ties with Moscow (May 2022), supported the war effort, and condemned Russian actions; and

Whereas, the OCU has, in alliance with the Ukrainian Government and civilian radicals, led the effort to physically harm Orthodox Christians (clergy and laity), confiscate parishes and other holy sites from the UOC, remove all canonical Orthodox Christians from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, sought to completely outlaw the activities of the UOC, and has otherwise interfered with the religious freedom of millions of Ukrainian citizens; and

Whereas the Patriarchate of Constantinople has repeatedly ignored the persecution of the UOC, and even lied outright about its occurrence, going so far as to assert that seizures of parishes and other holy sites are voluntary; and

Whereas, the majority of the Orthodox Christian world has continued to embrace Metropolitan Onuphry and the UOC, including the Patriarchates of Georgia, Antioch and All the East, Jerusalem, Bulgaria, and Serbia. Additional support has come from His Grace Bishop Siluan of Australia, Metropolitan Isaak of Germany and Central Europe of the Antiochian Orthodox Patriarchate, Metropolitan Nicholas and the ROCOR Synod, Archbishop Anastasios of Albania, Metropolitan Tikhon of America and the OCA Synod, Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou (Cyprus), who bravely defies his synod to continue embracing the UOC, and many more too numerous to mention; and

Whereas, the support of global Orthodoxy for the UOC is largely ignored in the Western media as the Patriarchate of Constantinople intentionally cultivates the lie that Patriarch Bartholomew, as the spiritual leader of Orthodoxy, has the inherent power to unilaterally intervene in Ukraine, and thereby justify the persecution resulting from that intervention; and

Whereas, the representative of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the United States, Archbishop Elpidophoros, has assisted in justifying and covering up the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, even to the point of chastising fellow bishops in America that continue to support the canonical church; and

Whereas, the actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople have had grave impact on the unity of world Orthodoxy.

Now, therefore, we the undersigned Orthodox Christians and allies do categorically condemn the actions of Patriarch Bartholomew and the Patriarchate of Constantinople for justifying and enabling Christian persecution in Ukraine, for standing silent in witness to the horror of it, and for actively covering up the facts of it. We call upon candidates for political office in the United States and throughout the West to learn the true facts of the suffering of the UOC, and for them to endorse an end to the persecution. We call upon the Western media to learn and accurately report the facts of the persecution of the UOC. We call upon all canonical Orthodox bishops to publicly support the UOC and an immediate end to this persecution.

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Petition Signatures
1,346
Fr. Stephan B.
Netherlands 
Orthodox
1,345
Mr. Ralph T.
Australia 
Christian Pentecostal
1,344
Mr. John P.
Australia 
ROCOR
1,343
Mr. seraphim z.
Brazil 
1,342
Mr. Juan J.
United States 
Seventh Day Adventist
1,341
Mr. Johann J.
United States 
Confessional Lutheran
1,340
Mr. Ephraim W.
United States 
Antioch
1,339
Mrs. anne h.
United Kingdom 
Lady
1,338
Mr. Joshua L.
?? 
ROCOR
1,337
Mr. Jamie W.
Canada 
GOARCH
1,336
Mrs. Stavroula G.
Indonesia 
Moscow Patriarchate
1,335
Miss. Alla B.
Ukraine 
1,334
Mr. Natalia T.
Ukraine 
1,333
Mr. Chitiba F.
Romania 
Orthodox Romanian
1,332
Teo P.
?? 
Romanian Orthodox Church
1,331
Herman W.
?? 
OCA
1,330
Mr. Viktoriia L.
Ukraine 
1,329
Mr. Oleg t.
Australia 
Orthodox Church
1,328
Marvin M.
?? 
Greek Orthodox Church of America
1,327
Miss. Khrystyna H.
Ukraine 
1,326
Paul J.
?? 
ROCOR
1,325
Mr. Volodymyr S.
Ukraine 
1,324
Ian C.
?? 
Orthodox
1,323
Jerald S.
?? 
OCA
1,322
Peter G.
?? 
Greek Orthodox
1,321
April C.
?? 
ROCOR
1,320
Mr. Matt C.
United States 
ROCOR
1,319
James M.
?? 
OCA
1,318
Mike D.
?? 
Antiochian Orthodox
1,317
Сергей .
?? 
1,316
Miss. Jennifer J.
United States 
1,315
Игорь .
?? 
1,314
Mr. Ilya Z.
United States 
Russian Orthodox
1,313
Mr. Austin W.
United States 
1,312
Miss. Irina K.
Germany 
1,311
Mr. Maximos H.
United States 
ROCOR
1,310
Mr. Karl S.
United States 
1,309
Tillman A.
?? 
1,308
Mary T.
?? 
OCA
1,307
Vicki G.
?? 
OCA
1,306
Mr. ,Ann K.
Ukraine 
1,305
Mrs. Connie G.
United States 
Orthodox Christian
1,304
Miss. Уляна .
Ukraine 
Зюбровська
1,303
Bishop Porphyrios OSA (.
?? 
Washington State USA
1,302
Agne T.
?? 
Romanian Orthodox Church
1,301
Larry D.
?? 
Melkite
1,300
David T.
?? 
The Episcopal Church
1,299
Miss. Lan Vy N.
Belgium 
1,298
Michael C.
?? 
Moscow Patriarchate
1,297
Elaine K.
?? 
USA
1,296
Mr. Олена .
Ukraine 
1,295
Mrs. Irina Z.
United States 
1,294
SERGEI K.
?? 
Antiochian Orthodox
1,293
Mr. Stephen Z.
Canada 
1,292
Mr. Juan V.
United States 
Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America
1,291
Mrs. Katherine C.
United States 
ROCOR
1,290
Mr. Alex Q.
United States 
Orthodox Church of America
1,289
Mr. Kevin K.
United States 
ACROD
1,288
Mr. Allen M.
Belgium 
m
1,287
Mr. Alex S.
United States 
ROCOR
1,286
Mr. Brian V.
United States 
Orthodox Church in America
1,285
JOHN C.
?? 
oca
1,284
Mrs. Nellia A.
United States 
1,283
Karl H.
?? 
Orthodox Christian
1,282
Mr. George A.
United States 
OCA
1,281
Mr. Thomas-Tikhon J.
United States 
OCA
1,280
Mr. Володимир .
Ukraine 
1,279
James S.
?? 
ROCOR
1,278
Mrs. Lidiya L.
United States 
ROCOR
1,277
Dr. Sophia L.
United States 
ROCOR
1,276
Mrs. Sophia V.
Russian Federation 
1,275
Mrs. Natalia F.
United States 
1,274
Mrs. Larissa L.
United States 
Russian Orthodox Cathedral
1,273
Mrs. Karina M.
United States 
1,272
Mr. Anna P.
United States 
1,271
Mr. Kenyon M.
United States 
ROCOR
1,270
Mr. Gabriel K.
Netherlands 
Ecumenical Patriarchate
1,269
Tamara D.
?? 
1,268
Mr. Dmitry Z.
United States 
1,267
xenia lynn teresa w.
?? 
ROCOR
1,266
Miss. Lauren G.
United States 
Antiochian Archdiocese of North America, Diocese of Miami and the Southeast
1,265
Mr. Sean C.
?? 
ROCOR
1,264
Mr. Tristan M.
Canada 
Orthodox Church of America
1,263
Mrs. Jessica C.
United Kingdom 
ROCOR
1,262
Mr. Theophan S.
United States 
OCA
1,261
Mr. Oleg Y.
United States 
1,260
Mrs. Zina Y.
?? 
1,259
Mr. Austin D.
United States 
GOARCH
1,258
Mr. David A.
?? 
ROCOR
1,257
Mr. Alexis W.
United States 
ROCOR
1,256
Mr. James B.
United States 
Orthodox Church in America
1,255
Mr. Izaac C.
United Kingdom 
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateria and Great Britain
1,254
Mr. Joshua S.
?? 
OCA
1,253
Mr. Coleman R.
United States 
Presbyterian
1,252
Mrs. Iryna S.
?? 
ROC
1,251
Mr. Paisios T.
Denmark 
ROCOR
1,250
Mr. Stanley W.
United Kingdom 
Converting to Orthodoxy - Russian Orthodox
1,249
Mr. John W.
United States 
ROCOR
1,248
Mr. Walt S.
United States 
1,247
Mrs. Natalia G.
United States 
1,246
Mr. Jean B.
France 
Orthodoxe
1,245
Mr. Zoya D.
United States 
1,244
Mrs. Lydia M.
United States 
Eastern Diocese
1,243
Mrs. Svetlana C.
United States 
1,242
Mrs. Marina K.
United States 
Orthodox Christian
1,241
Mr. Alexander Z.
United States 
Orthodox
1,240
Mr. John A.
United States 
OCA
1,239
Mrs. Irina O.
United States 
1,238
Mr. John T.
United States 
Ru
1,237
Mrs. Mary O.
United States 
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
1,236
Mrs. Natalia R.
United States 
ROCOR
1,235
Miss. SVETA J.
United States 
Rocor
1,234
Mr. Anna M.
United States 
1,233
Mrs. Svetlana M.
United States 
1,232
Mr. Henry P.
?? 
1,231
Mr. OLEG G.
United States 
Washington DC
1,230
Mr. nicholas o.
United States 
1,229
Mr. Michael D.
United States 
Eastern orthodox
1,228
Marina Z.
?? 
ROCOR
1,227
Mrs. Xenia S.
United States 
ROCOR
1,226
Mr. David L.
Puerto Rico 
1,225
Mr. David B.
Canada 
OCA
1,224
Mrs. Margaret L.
United States 
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
1,223
Mr. Olga N.
Ukraine 
1,222
Mr. George K.
United States 
GOA
1,221
Mr. Sergi K.
United States 
ROCOR
1,220
Mrs. Tanya S.
India 
Orthodox Christian
1,219
William K.
?? 
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
1,218
Mrs. Susan F.
United States 
Antiochian, Eastern Orthodox
1,217
james d.
?? 
1,216
Mr. John S.
United States 
1,215
Mr. Justin D.
United States 
ROCOR
1,214
Mr. Brandon R.
United States 
Antioch
1,213
Nazar P.
?? 
1,212
Mr. Michael A.
United States 
Antiochian
1,211
Mr. William S.
Canada 
GOARCH
1,210
Mr. Josiah M.
United States 
Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of America
1,209
Mr. Dan P.
Romania 
Romanian Orthodox Church
1,208
Mr. Ethan P.
United States 
ROCOR
1,207
Dave M.
?? 
1,206
Matthew R.
?? 
Antioch
1,205
Mr. Андрей .
United States 
1,204
Mrs. Marie H.
?? 
1,203
Mr. Gilles C.
France 
Patriarcat of Mosow
1,202
Bishop Jerome S.
?? 
ROCOR
1,201
Charles K.
?? 
1,200
Mr. Михаил .
Ukraine 
Украина
1,199
Miss. Erin G.
United States 
1,198
Miss. Oksana M.
Ukraine 
1,197
Mr. Artur I.
Ukraine 
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