UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH LEADERS MEET US OFFICIALS OVER PERSECUTION AND FORCED MILITARY CONSCRIPTION

A pan Orthodox group recently met with US officials to discuss the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has seen priests taken by military recruiters and ongoing pressure from the Ukrainian government over its historical links to Russia.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, historically affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate, has faced increasing government harassment since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with authorities viewing the church as potential security threat due to past administrative connections to Russian religious leadership.

Orthodox priests have been forcibly conscripted into military service by Ukrainian recruitment officers, disrupting parish life and violating traditional exemptions for clergy from compulsory military service recognized in most nations.

The Ukrainian government has also banned the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from operating in some regions, seized church properties, and arrested clergy on accusations of supporting Russia, though many priests insist they are Ukrainian patriots who have publicly condemned the invasion.

The pan Orthodox delegation meeting with US officials sought American intervention to protect religious freedom in Ukraine, arguing that persecution of Orthodox Christians contradicts Western values that the United States claims to defend in supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Ukrainian Orthodox Church leaders emphasize they severed administrative ties with Moscow Patriarchate in May 2022 shortly after the invasion, declaring full independence and condemning Russian military actions, yet continue facing government persecution.

The situation is complicated by rivalry between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, a newer jurisdiction established in 2019 with Ukrainian government support and recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Religious freedom advocates warn that Ukrainian government pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church sets dangerous precedent for state interference in church affairs and violates international religious liberty standards that Ukraine claims to uphold.

THE CRUSADER'S OPINION

Ukrainian military recruiters are seizing Orthodox priests.

The Ukrainian government is persecuting Ukrainian Orthodox Christians.

This is happening while America sends billions to Ukraine to defend democracy and freedom.

Apparently freedom does not include religious liberty for Orthodox Christians with historical Moscow ties.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church condemned Russia's invasion.

They declared independence from Moscow Patriarchate.

They are ethnically Ukrainian, worship in Ukrainian, and oppose the war.

But because they were historically affiliated with Russian church leadership, Ukraine treats them as traitors.

This is collective punishment based on religious affiliation.

It is persecution.

And America funds it.

Every dollar sent to Ukraine enables a government that seizes church property, conscripts priests, and arrests clergy for practicing their faith.

Ukraine has legitimate security concerns about Russian infiltration.

Those concerns do not justify religious persecution.

If Ukraine can violate religious freedom while receiving Western support, what principle separates them from authoritarian regimes America opposes?

The West cannot champion religious liberty selectively.

Either we defend it for everyone or we defend it for no one.

TAKE ACTION

1. Contact the US State Department demanding protection for Ukrainian Orthodox Church religious freedom as condition of continued aid. Email via state.gov or call +1 (202) 647-4000 pressing for intervention against persecution of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians.
2. Support persecuted Ukrainian Orthodox believers through Orthodox Christian charities providing legal defense and humanitarian relief. Contact International Orthodox Christian Charities at iocc.org or +1 (877) 803-4622 to assist priests and parishes facing government harassment.
3. Raise awareness about Ukrainian Orthodox persecution by sharing documented cases with media outlets and government representatives. Tag officials on social media demanding accountability for religious freedom violations committed by Ukraine while receiving Western military aid.
4. Pray for Ukrainian Orthodox Church facing persecution from their own government amid ongoing war. Pray for priests forcibly conscripted, parishes stripped of property, and clergy imprisoned on false accusations of supporting Russian invasion.
5. Contact your representatives via congress.gov or parliament.uk/get-involved demanding religious freedom conditions on Ukraine aid packages. Press for guarantees protecting Ukrainian Orthodox Church from government harassment and seizure of religious properties.
6. Support religious liberty advocacy groups monitoring Ukraine's treatment of Orthodox Christians. Donate to organizations like ADF International at adfinternational.org documenting violations and pressuring Ukrainian authorities to respect international religious freedom standards.