We Demand an End to the Silence Over the Persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

To sign the petition, click here. To read the petition verbiage, click here or scroll down. To see the list of signatures, please click here, or scroll down. To view organizations who have received the petition so far, click here, or scroll down. For media links to coverage of the petition effort (that we know of), click here.


To the Holy Hierarchs of the Orthodox Church Serving in the United States, all other Orthodox Christians, faithful Roman Catholics, concerned Protestants, and those who support Freedom of Christian Worship:

The war plaguing the Ukraine at this time is the business of politicians and generals. It is a symptom of our fallen world, and a great tragedy for humanity. It is the responsibility of the Orthodox Church to minister lovingly to all those afflicted in this terrible struggle on both sides. It is equally the business of the Orthodox Church, particularly in the United States and the West, to speak out in opposition to the ongoing persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The Ukrainian Government, which is wholly dependent on American (over 100 billion dollars) and Western support for its very survival, has engaged in a campaign of terror against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church headed by His Eminence Metropolitan Onuphry (who recently appealed to the UN and world community in desperation for help). This evil campaign has been endorsed by the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, which stands to be the primary beneficiary of the repression of the canonical Orthodox Church.

Our Orthodox hierarchs have been largely silent in the face of Christian persecution which we, as unfortunate tax payers of NATO nations, are actually funding. As Saint Gregory Palamas reminds us, the silence of the clergy is atheism. We demand an end to this silence.

Below is the text of the petition, signed by hundreds of concerned Christians and still growing, demanding that the Orthodox Christian hierarchy, the Roman Catholic hierarchy, human rights organizations, global institutions, Western politicians, and others speak up and demand a restoration of the freedom of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. If you are an official organization or government official, please email us to get a full list of signatures.

Special thanks to HE Archbishop Kyrill of the Western American Diocese of ROCOR and HE Metropolitan Jonah for signing the petition.

To sign the petition, click hereTo see the list of signatures, please click here, or scroll down. To view organizations who have received the petition so far, click here, or scroll down. For media links to coverage of the petition effort (that we know of), click here.


Petition to End the Silence on Christian Persecution in Ukraine

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 Christians 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


Organizations Receiving this Petition

Please feel free to forward the petition and a link to the signatures to appropriate organizations. If you do so, please drop us an email and let us know whom you contacted, date of contact, and any response. We will also contact recommended organizations on your behalf.

Organization / Person Name, Date Contacted, Response (If Any)

  1. Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, 2/13/2023
  2. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 2/13/2023
  3. American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, 2/13/2023
  4. Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, 2/13/2023
  5. Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, 2/13/2023
  6. Moscow Patriarchate in North America, 2/13/2023
  7. Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, 2/13/2023
  8. His Grace the Right Reverend LONGIN (Krco), Serbian Orthodox Bishop of New Gracanica-Midwestern America, 2/13/2023
  9. His Grace the Right Reverend MITROPHAN (Kodic) Bishop of Canada The Serbian Orthodox Church, 2/13/2023
  10. Leadership 100, 2/18/2023
  11. Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, 2/18/2023
  12. Patriarchate of Constantinople, 2/18/2023
  13. Patriarchate of Antioch, 2/18/2023
  14. Patriarchate of Jerusalem, 2/18/2023
  15. Patriarchate of Moscow, 2/18/2023
  16. Patriarchate of Serbia, 2/18/2023
  17. Patriarchate of Romania, 2/18/2023
  18. Patriarchate of Bulgaria, 2/18/2023
  19. Patriarchate of Georgia, 2/18/2023
  20. Church of Cyprus, 2/18/2023
  21. Church of Greece, 2/18/2023
  22. Church of Albania, 2/18/2023
  23. Orthodox Archdiocese of Nigeria, 2/18/2023
  24. Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, 2/20/2023
  25. The Joe Rogan Experience, 2/18/2023
  26. The Daily Wire, 2/18/2023
  27. Serbian Orthodox Bishop of Western America The Rt. Rev. Bishop Maxim (Vasiljevic), 2/13/2023
  28. His Grace the Right Reverend IRINEJ (Dobrijevic) Bishop of Eastern America The Serbian Orthodox Church, 2/13/2023
  29. The Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas, 2/13/2023
  30. Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia, 2/13/2023
  31. Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church in North America, 2/13/2023
  32. Orthodox Church in America, 2/13/2023
  33. Lifesite News, 2/13/2023
  34. Bishop J. Strickland of Tyler Texas – Roman Catholic, 2/13/2023
  35. Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò – Roman Catholic, 2/13/2023
  36. Rod Dreher, Journalist, 2/13/2023
  37. International Christian Concern, 2/13/2023
  38. Church Militant, 2/14/2023
  39. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2/14/2023
  40. Dr Ewelina U. Ochab, 02/14/2023
  41. Family Research Council, 02/14/2023
  42. Global Orthodox, 2/15/2023
  43. Rep Thomas Massie (R-KY), 2/15/2023
  44. Rep Daniel Webster (R-FL), 2/15/2023
  45. John Derbyshire (Journalist), 2/15/2023
  46. Orthochristian.com, 2/15/2023
  47. Unz.com, 2/15/2023
  48. The American Conservative, 2/15/2023
  49. United Nations – Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, 2/15/2023
  50. Tucker Carlson Tonight, 2/15/2023
  51. Anthony Sabatini (Former Republican House Member in Florida), 2/15/2023
  52. Pappas Post, 2/15/2023
  53. Lewrockwell.com, 2/15/2023
  54. Campaign for Liberty, 2/15/2023
  55. Revolver News, 2/15/2023
  56. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), 2/15/2023
  57. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tx), 2/15/2023
  58. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), 2/15/2023
  59. Patristic Faith, 2/15/2023
  60. Monomakhos, 2/15/2023
  61. Abbot Tryphon, 2/15/2023
  62. Metropolitan Jonah, 2/15/2023
  63. Blaze Media, 2/15/2023
  64. Christianpersecution.org, 2/15/2023
  65. Christianity Today, 2/15/2023
  66. Breitbart, 2/15/2023
  67. Taki’s Magazine, 2/15/2023
  68. The Christian Post, 2/15/2023
  69. Current Revolt, 3/6/2023
  70. Townhall, 3/6/2023
  71. Redstate, 3/6/2023
  72. Hot Air editorial staff, 3/6/2023
  73. Washington Examiner, 3/6/2023
  74. The Epoch Times, 3/6/2023
  75. Consortium News, 3/6/2023
  76. Conservative News Service, 3/6/2023
  77. WND, 3/6/2023

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
0
8,000

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Media Coverage of the Petition

Ukrainian Language – У США з’явилася петиція на підтримку УПЦUnion of Orthodox Journalists

French Language – Sur Orthodoxie.com: Une pétition pour la « fin du silence sur la persécution de l’Église orthodoxe ukrainienne »Orthodoxologie 

English Language – PETITION TO END SILENCE ON CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION IN UKRAINE SENT TO BISHOPS IN AMERICA, 1,200+ SIGNATURES Orthodox Christianity

English Language with Greek comments – Petition to End the Silence on Christian Persecution in UkraineHelleniscope

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