Archbishop Elpidophoros: Churches boycott meetings with Phanar representatives over recognition of OCU

In a letter to Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop Elpidophoros emphasized that a number of Local Churches are boycotting local episcopal assemblies in the diaspora because of the granting of autocephaly to the OCU, which they consider non-canonical. According to him, this complicates inter-church relations and cooperation of the Orthodox abroad. The text of the letter was published by the UOJ in the United States.

According to Archbishop Elpidophoros, in some countries, the Bishops’ Assembly cannot be convened because the bishops of the autocephalous churches have been instructed not to attend meetings chaired by the hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Similar pressure is being exerted in the United States, where attempts are also being made to undermine the work of the Bishops’ Assembly.

“The ongoing church situation in Ukraine complicates, in addition to interchurch relations at the highest level, the cooperation of the Orthodox in the diaspora, especially in local episcopal assemblies. It is known that in a number of countries, the Bishops’ Assembly cannot even be convened, as the local bishops of a number of autocephalous churches from the so-called “mother churches” have been given a clear instruction not to attend the assembly, which is chaired by the hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, since it granted autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, allegedly “non-canonical and schismatic” in their estimation,” Elpidophoros noted.

As reported, on December 16, 2025, a rally in defense of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was held in Washington, DC, not far from the White House. During the event, Bishop Theodosius of Seattle, vicar of the Western American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, made a statement about the ongoing persecution of the UOC, calling on American lawmakers to pay attention to violations of religious freedom in Ukraine.