U.S. Congresswoman appeals to Vatican over UOC persecution

Anna Paulina Luna. Photo: rtvi.us

On January 9, 2026, U.S. Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna announced that she had appealed to the Vatican regarding the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, emphasizing the inadmissibility of financing such actions at the expense of American taxpayers. She wrote about this on social network X.

According to Luna, the reason for the appeal was information received from representatives of the UOC, as well as from members of the Ukrainian government. "In addition to the State Department, I will be reaching out to the Vatican tomorrow morning in response to the information that I’ve received in the last 24 hours from Ukrainian Orthodox members, as well as members of their own government, regarding the persecution of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians," she stated.

The Congresswoman emphasized that the US should not support authorities involved in the persecution of believers. "American tax dollars should not be going to a government that is responsible for persecuting and obstructing Christians trying to worship God," Luna wrote.

She also pointed to the Vatican's responsibility for informing the international community about the persecution of Christians, noting that such persecution in Ukraine is systematic and documented.

She added that she expects a reaction from the Holy See and intends to make public its position, noting that such actions should be condemned regardless of confessional affiliation.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the Congresswoman took control of a possible seizure attempt in Kuzmyn.

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