ROCOR Primate comments on meetings in Washington dedicated to UOC protection

Metropolitan Nicholas, Primate of the ROCOR. Photo: UOJ in America

On November 21, 2025, Met. Nicholas, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), published a letter about recent meetings in Washington dedicated to the issue of religious freedom in Ukraine, reports UOJ in America.

His Eminence spent part of this week on Capitol Hill as part of a pan-Orthodox delegation advocating for religious freedom in Ukraine and recognition of the plight of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Clergy and laity from the Antiochian, Serbian, Orthodox Church in America (OCA), and Greek jurisdictions also joined the trip.

The inter-Orthodox delegation was received by Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, Congressman Darrell Issa, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, and former Congressman Mark Walker, the Trump nominee for Ambassador At-Large for International Religious Freedom. Another part of the delegation spoke with Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi.

"We were grateful that the actual reception we had by our political leaders in Washington was warm, filled with a desire for understanding and an awareness of our shared wish to work together for peace," noted the Metropolitan. He also expressed regret that the visits coincided with a media article that mischaracterized the Orthodox Churches, attempting to cast Orthodoxy in a negative light.

"We therefore seek to ease the pressures and hostile actions being directed against our brothers and sisters in Christ who belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, including the forced closure of their churches and violence directed against their clergy and people," stated Metropolitan Nicholas.

According to the First Hierarch of ROCOR, the Ukrainian government, in defending itself from external aggression, harms itself by allowing actions that contradict the free practice of religion, thereby weakening the country.

The Metropolitan emphasized that the clergy and believers of ROCOR are descendants of those who once fled the Soviet regime. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity America provides: "In our material weakness and lack of political standin, I am truly grateful for the freedom that America gives us to offer a voice for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which might otherwise not be heard amid all the clamor the war in Ukraine."

In the letter, the Metropolitan reminded of his family roots: "My own parents and grandparents fled the oppression of the Soviet Union and ultimately immigrated to the United States, where I was born. I treasure the gift of liberty that we enjoy as Americans." The First Hierarch expressed hope that as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, freedom as the heritage of all Americans will be widely embracede throughout the world.

Earlier, UOJ wrote that Archbishop Elpidophoros condemned the slander against US bishops defending the UOC.

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