Say No to American Funded Christian Persecution in Ukraine

To skip down and sign the petition, click here

Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, the United States has provided over $100 Billion in tax payer money to prop up the Zelensky government in Kiev. Without those funds, the Ukrainian Government would have collapsed long ago, and this war would be over. Regardless of how you feel about that, it is simply a fact. Ukraine is totally dependent on US aid to function.

American and Western money does not only fund military operations against Russia. It also funds Christian persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). As we noted in our initial article accompanying our petition drive:

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, headed by His Eminence Metropolitan Onuphry, is a self-governing, canonical Orthodox Church on the territory of Ukraine. His Eminence is a native born Ukrainian, the same as the vast majority of his fellow UOC hierarchs, clergy, monastics, and parishioners. The UOC is the canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine to which 70% of all Ukrainians belonged prior to the war.

 

The UOC, since the 2014 coup in Kiev, has faced severe and escalating persecution. This has included the forcible seizure of parishes, physical abuse of clergy and parishioners, arrest of clergy, desecration of icons and Churches, intentional targeting for military attacks, and more. Two laws have been proposed since 2016 that would outright ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church across the nation. Thanks be to God that neither of them has yet been enacted.

 

The Ukrainian government has organized searches of monasteries, churches, and diocesan administrations that have resulted in allegations of planting “pro-Russian” evidence. The Ukrainian Security Service has opened cases against hierarchs and clergy on the basis of trumped up charges. Local administrations continue to declare bans on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Worst of all, President Zelensky issued a decree on December 1st that ordered:

 

  1. The National Security and Defense Council to instruct the government to submit a bill to Parliament within two months that would ban religious organizations “affiliated with centers of influence in the Russian Federation.”

Recently, the situation has gotten even worse. On December 28, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine ruled that the bill calling for the forced renaming of religious organizations associated with organizations in Russia is constitutional. The way is now clear for the government to rename the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as the “Russian Orthodox Church” or whatever else is decided. This bill is happening to further the process of an outright legal ban. This is happening despite two very important facts – the UOC is self-governing and already adopted statutes in May 2022 that removed all connection to the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Ukrainian Government, with American aid, is persecuting a Ukrainian Church led by Ukrainian clergy and ministering to a Ukrainian population. Prior to the war, 70% of all Ukrainians belonged to the UOC. After years of Church seizures and persecution, no one knows what the exact numbers are at this point. However, it is clear that millions of Ukrainian believers, both inside and outside Ukraine, still cling to the canonical Church. To minister to the Ukrainian Christians who have fled the war, the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church has already established 32 parishes in 11 countries of Western Europe.

The view of the Ukrainian state that the UOC is “associated with Russia” is pure propaganda to justify legislative action that would enable the mass seizure of Churches, monasteries, and other Church property. This is already occurring and will accelerate. On December 27, the abbot of the Kiev Caves Lavra monastery, the heart of Ukrainian and Russian Orthodoxy, was informed that his lease was up beginning January 1, 2023. From that date, the canonical Orthodox Church would not be allowed to hold services in the main churches of the Lavra. Will an order to vacate be next? There are over 200 monks at the monastery. The government preferred “nationalist” and schismatic Church, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), has only a fraction of the monks needed to keep up the Lavra. The canonical Church held its last service in the Upper Lavra on New Year’s Eve 2022.

On January 4th, 2023 it was announced that the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” will celebrate Nativity in the Lavra’s Holy Dormition Cathedral for old calendar Orthodox Christmas. The canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the broader Orthodox Church worldwide believe the OCU, created by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and the Ukrainian and US governments in late 2018, to be graceless schismatics who trace their lineage back to the defrocked and anathematized “Patriarch” Philaret Denisenko and other unordained and schismatic “hierarchs.” This celebration of OCU clergy in the heart of Ukrainian Orthodoxy will be an affront to God, and will only foreshadow even greater persecution to come.

The UOC press service commented:

This event will be a major disgrace for Ukraine. Unlike other cases with the seizure of our churches by supporters of the OCU, in this case, the raiding takes place directly by order of the highest authorities. The Local Churches abroad would be surprised, to put it mildly, by the state of the freedom of conscience and right to religious confession in our country.

Many regular Ukrainians, including serving members of the Ukrainian armed forces, have recorded videos expressing their shock at the persecution of their Church.

Metropolitan Longin of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church put matters quite bluntly:

“Today our Ukrainian State has begun a war against God, against the Church of God, and against the Ukrainian people. This is not fighting evil, this is not fighting the enemy, brothers and sisters. This is a struggle against the Lord God Himself and His Church.”

If the Ukrainian State is at war with God, and NATO (particularly America) is the reason this government is still functioning, then are not we at war with God as well?

It is imperative that we in the West denounce this monstrous Christian persecution in the strongest possible terms. In the US, we are currently watching how a small number of Republican Congressmen have managed to bring the House of Representatives to a halt. A determined minority can make all the difference. Faithful Christians in the West should learn that lesson and stand up for Christ and His Church in Ukraine. To that end, we are offering the petition below.

Please keep the following in mind as you consider signing the petition:

  • The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is not Russian. At this point, it is not affiliated with Russia in any way.
  • Persecuting the UOC does not benefit the Ukrainian Government. It further divides the country and makes a long-term solution to the war even harder. This was done at the behest of the United States and a small, ultra-nationalist faction within the Ukrainian Government.
  • Persecuting the UOC does not benefit the Orthodox Church globally. The establishment of the OCU has splintered Orthodox unity since 2018. These new, aggressive moves with further inflame tensions and drive local Orthodox Churches further apart.
  • If our Western Governments can sponsor the oppression of Christians in Ukraine with impunity, why do we assume that the persecution will not be brought home to us?

This persecution must end. As Christians and believers in religious freedom, we in the West cannot stay silent.

The signatures collected, after the close of the petition on 1/15/2023, will be forwarded to the Assembly of Bishops and to each canonical jurisdiction in the US, Canada, and Western Europe. The totals by jurisdiction and country will be sent to secular media, human rights organizations, Roman Catholic media channels, and published on social media.

Non-Orthodox Christians are also welcome to sign and show their support. Please indicate your church affiliation in the field asking for Jurisdiction / Denomination.

This is your opportunity to stand up for fellow Orthodox Christians. Please do not let our fellow Christians suffer in silence. Sign the petition and share it as widely as you can.

Click the Read the Petition link below to read the text of the petition, or scroll to the very bottom where it is repeated, or click here to skip down to it.

Please Note: You will need to confirm your email address for your signature to count! After signing, please check your inbox. Go to the bottom of the page to see current signatures.

We Demand an End to Christian Persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Petition Text Below:

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the canonical church in Ukraine headed by Metropolitan Onuphry. Prior to the war, approximately 70% of the population of Ukraine belonged to the UOC. Ukrainians overwhelmingly supported their Church, despite having been subjected to politically motivated persecution for many years. The violations of human rights directed at Orthodox Christian in Ukraine have included: forcible seizure / closure of parishes, unlawful arrests, physical abuse, abusive searches of holy sites, desecrations of holy objects, intentional targeting of parishes and holy sites for military attack, and acts of physical intimidation. Recently, local governments have banned the Ukrainian Church from even operating in their areas. President Zelensky of Ukraine has threatened to make this ban nationwide. The main churches of Kiev Caves Lavra have been removed from UOC jurisdiction, and schismatics have been allowed to use them for services. We, the undersigned Orthodox Christians and allied Christians of good conscience, note three things. First, the situation in Ukraine is unjustified Christian persecution that violates all global norms. Second, the Ukrainian Government is wholly dependent on Western financial and military support for its continued existence. Therefore, Christians in the West bear a substantial responsibility to speak for the Ukrainian victims of persecution. Third, protests from official organizations matter more to those in power than collections of citizens. Therefore, we signers of this petition call upon the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, all Orthodox jurisdictions in the West, all official Orthodox Christian ministries and institutions of higher education, all human rights organizations, the Roman Catholic Church, all other Christian bodies of good will, and any other concerned organizations to immediately draft statements decrying the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and demanding its immediate cessation. We cannot be silent in the face of Christian persecution enabled by our own governments. Please join us in ending the persecution of the Body of Christ in Ukraine.

%%your signature%%

5,618 signatures = 70% of goal
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8,000

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We are gathering signatures for this petition on our Orthodox Reflections Website, rather than on Change.org or competing sites. This is for two reasons. First, petition sites have been using gathered email addresses for fundraising – both directly and via resales of email lists. Orthodox Reflections does not fund raise, accept donations, or sell/share email addresses with any organization. (Anyone wishing to thank us for our work is encouraged to donate to support Orthodox missions.) Your email addresses and other information are secure with us. We will only use it for this purpose only. If you want to hear from us on a regular basis, that is up to you as you can opt-in for future mailings. Second, the petition sites support many causes which we, as Orthodox Christians, find unacceptable and do not wish to be associated with.

Petition Text

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the canonical church in Ukraine headed by Metropolitan Onuphry. Prior to the war, approximately 70% of the population of Ukraine belonged to the UOC. Ukrainians overwhelmingly supported their Church, despite having been subjected to politically motivated persecution for many years. The violations of human rights directed at Orthodox Christian in Ukraine have included: forcible seizure / closure of parishes, unlawful arrests, physical abuse, abusive searches of holy sites, desecrations of holy objects, intentional targeting of parishes and holy sites for military attack, and acts of physical intimidation. Recently, local governments have banned the Ukrainian Church from even operating in their areas. President Zelensky of Ukraine has threatened to make this ban nationwide. The main churches of Kiev Caves Lavra have been removed from UOC jurisdiction, and schismatics have been allowed to use them for services.

We, the undersigned Orthodox Christians and allied Christians of good conscience, note three things. First, the situation in Ukraine is unjustified Christian persecution that violates all global norms. Second, the Ukrainian Government is wholly dependent on Western financial and military support for its continued existence. Therefore, Christians in the West bear a substantial responsibility to speak for the Ukrainian victims of persecution. Third, protests from official organizations matter more to those in power than collections of citizens. Therefore, we signers of this petition call upon the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, all Orthodox jurisdictions in the West, all official Orthodox Christian ministries and institutions of higher education, all human rights organizations, the Roman Catholic Church, all other Christian bodies of good will, and any other concerned organizations to immediately draft statements decrying the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and demanding its immediate cessation.

We cannot be silent in the face of Christian persecution enabled by our own governments. Please join us in ending the persecution of the Body of Christ in Ukraine.

Petition Signatures
5,618
Mr. Akshay B.
India 
The Holy Orthodox Christian Church
5,617
Mrs. Larysa B.
United Kingdom 
ROCOR
5,616
Mrs. Maria-Lynn K.
Canada 
ROCOR
5,615
Mr. Vladimir A.
United States 
Antioch
5,614
Mr. Peter D.
United States 
OCA
5,613
Miss. Lisa M.
United States 
Oregon
5,612
Miss. Danna H.
United States 
5,611
Mr. Edward A.
United States 
ROCOR
5,610
Miss. Jennifer J.
United States 
5,609
Mrs. Athena C.
United States 
Greek Orthodox
5,608
Mr. Jacinto S.
?? 
Antiochian Archdiocese of North America
5,607
Mr. Maximos H.
United States 
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
5,606
Mr. Tracey W.
United States 
Roman Catholic
5,605
Mr. Xavier G.
United States 
Greek Orthodox
5,604
Mr. Elias(Lewis) K.
United States 
5,603
Mr. Aaron P.
?? 
Antiochian
5,602
Mr. Michael K.
?? 
Orthodox Church of America
5,601
Mr. Vlada S.
Serbia 
5,600
Mr. Joseph D.
United States 
Antiochian
5,599
Mrs. Irina Z.
United States 
5,598
Mr. Eric R.
United States 
GOARCH
5,597
Mr. Jonathan B.
United States 
ROCOR
5,596
Mr. Randall A.
United States 
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
5,595
Mr. Dan P.
Romania 
5,594
Mr. Juan V.
?? 
Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America
5,593
Mr. Kevin K.
United States 
ACROD
5,592
Mr. Karl H.
United States 
Orthodox Christian
5,591
Miss. Dariya F.
United States 
DMV
5,590
Mr. James S.
United States 
ROCOR
5,589
Mrs. Lidiya L.
United States 
ROCOR
5,588
Dr. Sophia L.
United States 
5,587
Miss. Regina K.
United States 
5,586
Dr. Michael L.
United States 
5,585
Mrs. Larissa L.
United States 
Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St.John the Baptist
5,584
Mrs. Karina M.
United States 
5,583
Mr. Anna P.
Russian Federation 
5,582
Miss. xenia lynn teresa w.
United States 
ROCOR
5,581
Mrs. Louise D.
United States 
5,580
Mrs. Zina Y.
United States 
5,579
Mr. Alexis W.
United States 
ROCOR
5,578
Mrs. Iryna S.
United States 
ROC
5,577
Mr. Walt S.
United States 
Russian Orthodox
5,576
Mrs. Natalia G.
United States 
5,575
Mrs. Zoya D.
United States 
5,574
Mrs. Lydia M.
United States 
Eastern Diocese
5,573
Mr. Thomas D.
United States 
5,572
Mrs. Svetlana C.
United States 
5,571
Mrs. Darka R.
United States 
5,570
Mr. Marina K.
United States 
Orthodox Christian
5,569
Miss. Anne R.
United States 
OCA
5,568
Mrs. Cl B.
United States 
5,567
Mr. John T.
United States 
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
5,566
Miss. ELMIRA H.
United States 
Russian Orthodox
5,565
Mrs. Natalia R.
United States 
ROCOR
5,564
Mrs. Olga S.
?? 
Orthodox
5,563
Fr. John K.
United States 
ROCOR
5,562
Mrs. Evgenia A.
United States 
5,561
Mr. Theodore S.
United States 
OCA
5,560
Mr. Yakov Y.
United States 
5,559
Miss. Jennifer B.
United States 
Russian Orthodox Christian in Alabama
5,558
Mr. Vasily K.
United States 
5,557
Mr. Henry P.
United States 
5,556
Mrs. Svetlana M.
United States 
5,555
Mr. nicholas o.
United States 
Orthodox Christian
5,554
Mr. Michael D.
United States 
Eastern orthodox
5,553
Mr. William N.
United States 
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
5,552
Mr. Nikos G.
United Kingdom 
Greek archdiocese Thyateira
5,551
Mr. Kira S.
?? 
5,550
Mrs. Denise L.
United States 
5,549
Mr. Maria C.
Ukraine 
5,548
Mr. Christopher B.
United States 
Eastern Orthodox Christian
5,547
Mr. f d.
United States 
ROCOR
5,546
Miss. Linda L.
United States 
5,545
Mrs. SYLVIE C.
France 
5,544
Mr. Klaus K.
Switzerland 
Romanian Orthodox Church
5,543
Mr. Jerome B.
Canada 
OCA
5,542
Mr. Ryan D.
United States 
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
5,541
Ms. Olga B.
United States 
ROCOR
5,540
Ms. Elena G.
United States 
5,539
Mr. TONY A.
United States 
5,538
Ms. Menna J.
United Kingdom 
ROCOR
5,537
Mr. Arthur T.
United States 
Roman Catholic
5,536
Mr. Sergei L.
United States 
Orthodox
5,535
Mr. iLia A.
United States 
Orthodox
5,534
Mr. steven b.
United States 
goarch
5,533
Ms. Fotini B.
United States 
5,532
Ms. Eirini B.
Greece 
5,531
Mrs. Amber S.
?? 
5,530
Mr. Oleg G.
Ukraine 
UOC
5,529
Mr. John C.
Ukraine 
Ukraine
5,528
Ms. Diane S.
United States 
5,527
Mr. Jeremy K.
United States 
5,526
Mr. Bernie H.
United Kingdom 
Buddhist
5,525
Ms. Aleks T.
Ukraine 
5,524
Mr. Oleksandr T.
Ukraine 
5,523
Mr. Milton T.
United States 
5,522
Ms. Maksym P.
Italy 
Orthodox
5,521
Mrs. Olha S.
?? 
Ukraine
5,520
Ms. Kolykhan L.
Ukraine 
5,519
Mr. Ross H.
United States 
ROEA
5,518
Fr. David A L.
United States 
OCA
5,517
Mr. Antonio G.
Italy 
5,516
Mr. John Q.
Canada 
5,515
Mrs. Mary A.
Canada 
ROCOR
5,514
Miss. Dianne T.
United States 
GOA
5,513
Mr. Piran U.
United Kingdom 
5,512
Mr. Michael P.
United States 
GOAA
5,511
Mrs. Elizabeth U.
United Kingdom 
Antiochan
5,510
Dr. Eden E J.
United States 
Catholic
5,509
Mr. Lazarus U.
United Kingdom 
Antiochian
5,508
Mrs. Tessa D.
United States 
Greek Orthodox
5,507
Mrs. Karen K.
United States 
OCA
5,506
Mr. Ostoja V.
Australia 
5,505
Mr. Gilles C.
France 
Othodox
5,504
Mr. Лариса .
Ukraine 
5,503
Mr. Rebecca C.
United States 
Orthodox Church of America
5,502
Mr. Trudy S.
?? 
5,501
Mr. Василий .
Ukraine 
5,500
Mrs. DRUMARD T.
France 
ORTHODOX CHURCH
5,499
Miss. Tetyana Igorivna A.
Ukraine 
УПЦ
5,498
Mr. Igor I.
Ukraine 
УПЦ
5,497
Mrs. Татьяна .
Mexico 
ХРИСТИАНКА
5,496
Miss. Тятьяна .
Ukraine 
УПЦ
5,495
Mrs. Tatyana D.
Australia 
ORTHODOX CHURCH
5,494
Miss. Mary M.
United States 
ROCOR
5,493
Mr. Ирина .
Ukraine 
5,492
Mr. Joseph K.
United States 
OCA
5,491
Miss. Інна .
?? 
Київ
5,490
Mr. Роман .
Ukraine 
5,489
Mr. Sergej G.
Germany 
5,488
Miss. Connie D.
United States 
5,487
Mr. Dennis B.
United States 
Rocor
5,486
Mr. Steve R.
United States 
Traditionalist Roman Catholic
5,485
Mr. Michael C.
United States 
OCA
5,484
Mrs. Leeah O.
Australia 
Greek Orthodox
5,483
Christopher K.
?? 
ROCOR
5,482
Mr. Mike C.
United Kingdom 
5,481
Lillian H.
?? 
Greek Orthodox
5,480
Tyler s.
?? 
5,479
Mr. Nicholas R.
United States 
Orthodox Christian
5,478
Wagner N.
?? 
Brazil
5,477
Mr. John T.
Australia 
Greek Orthodox Church of Australia
5,476
Francisco P.
?? 
OCS
5,475
Mr. Pailhès Y.
France 
5,474
Peter H.
?? 
ROCOR
5,473
Mr. Judson W.
United States 
GOARCH
5,472
Mrs. Светлана .
Russian Federation 
РФ
5,471
Grant M.
?? 
ROCOR
5,470
Mr. Michal U.
Slovakia 
5,469
Mr. Grant D.
United States 
Roman Catholic

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