Phanar hierarch: Pastor Burns helps us disrupt pro-UOC meetings in USA

Dumenko and Burns. Photo: OCU

From a letter by Abp. Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, leaked to the Union of Orthodox Journalists of America, it follows that the author regards the activities of Pastor Mark Burns as support for the Phanar's efforts to disrupt meetings in Congress of an Orthodox delegation defending the UOC.

As Abp. Elpidophoros describes, in the fall of 2025, Orthodox hierarchs, clergy, and laypeople from several jurisdictions, united within the Society of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco, began meeting with congressmen and White House officials, seeking protection for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from persecution. The Archbishop, together with Grand Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne, Fr. Alex Karloutsos, personally traveled to Washington to "prevent developments," and achieve the cancellation of these meetings.

In this context, Abp. Elpidophoros reports to Patriarch Bartholomew that "support for our position was provided by the speech of Pastor Mark Burns," whom the hierarch calls "Trump's advisor."

The Archbishop places Burns' speech in the same category as his own actions to counter the delegation and Karloutsos' efforts to cancel the meetings. According to Abp. Elpidophoros, thanks to the "coordinated efforts" of Archpriest Alexander, the meetings with government officials were cancelled on November 19.

It is noteworthy that Abp. Elpidophoros consistently refers to all delegation participants as "representatives of Russian interests" and "pro-Russian agents," although it included representatives of the Antiochian, Serbian Orthodox Churches and the Orthodox Church in America – jurisdictions that have no relation to Russia. Similarly, Burns, whom Elpidophoros quotes, called them "a delegation connected to the ROC."

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Mark Burns, whom Rabbi Asman called "Trump's spiritual advisor," was received at the highest level in Ukraine. He met with the head of the Presidential Office Yermak, the head of the OCU Dumenko, as well as a delegation from the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. Zelensky awarded the pastor the Order "For Merit" of the third degree. After these meetings, Burns began saying that the authorities invited him to Ukraine "to refute religious fakes".

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