ROCOR hierarch speaks about persecution of UOC at rally near Congress

Bishop Theodosy. Photo: synod.com

On December 16, 2025, a rally in defense of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church took place near the White House in Washington. During the event, Bishop Theodosy of Seattle, vicar of the Western American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), delivered a statement on the persecution of the UOC.

Bishop Theodosy urged American legislators to draw attention to violations of religious freedom in Ukraine and to defend the rights of believers.

In his address, the hierarch recalled the approaching feast of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara, especially venerated in Kyiv, and spoke of his personal connection with the city and the shrines of the Ukrainian Church. He stated that the current Ukrainian authorities, in his words, are repeating the practices of the godless past by seizing monasteries and churches, turning holy sites into museum exhibits, and restricting believers’ access to the relics of saints.

Bishop Theodosy emphasized that in the Kyiv Caves Lavra and other monasteries, holy relics are being declared “museum objects,” while the Lavra itself is effectively deprived of its monastic purpose. According to him, such actions constitute a direct encroachment on freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine.

The hierarch also addressed the issue of church schism, stating that, in his view, the intervention of the Patriarchate of Constantinople led to the legalization of schismatic structures that forcibly seize churches of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

He spoke of numerous cases of violence, beatings of clergy, arrests of hierarchs without trial or investigation, and the conversion of seized churches into concert and exhibition venues.

Bishop Theodosy recalled the persecution of the Church in Soviet times and stressed that, despite proclaimed freedom, contemporary methods of pressure on believers in many ways repeat the practices of the past. According to him, today believers may be barred from entering churches, locks may be changed, and force and threats may be used.

In conclusion, Bishop Theodosy called on residents of the United States to remember the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution – freedom of religion – and emphasized that the Church does not engage in politics but prays for peace and the salvation of people. He urged prayer for Ukraine, its people, and its leaders, asking that the Lord bring them to reason and halt the destruction of the country’s spiritual heritage.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a congresswoman had called on her colleagues not to remain silent when Christians are persecuted.

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