ROCOR hierarch outside the White House in Washington, D.C., said the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is being persecuted

on December 16, 2025, a rally in defense of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was held in Washington, D.C., near the White House. During the event, Bishop Theodosius of Seattle, vicar of the Western American diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), made a statement on the ongoing persecution of the UOC, calling on U.S. lawmakers to pay attention to violations of religious freedom in Ukraine.

According to the press service of the ROCOR, he emphasized the need to protect the rights of believers and condemned the actions of the Ukrainian authorities, which, according to him, repeat the practices of the theological past. Bishop Theodosius noted that the upcoming feast of St. Great Martyr Barbara, especially honored in Kiev, serves as a reminder of the deep historical and spiritual ties, which he believes are now being destroyed.

The bishop stated that monasteries and temples of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are being seized, and shrines, including relics of saints in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, are being declared «museum objects,» depriving the Lavra of its monastic purpose. This, in his opinion, is a direct encroachment on the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Ukrainian constitution.

Bishop Theodosius also touched on the topic of church schism, stressing that the intervention of the Patriarchate of Constantinople has led to the legalization of schismatic structures, which, in turn, are forcibly seizing the churches of the canonical UOC. He cited numerous examples of violence, beatings of clergy, arrests of bishops without trial, as well as turning seized churches into concert and exhibition venues.

Recalling the persecution of the Church in Soviet times, the ROCOR hierarch drew parallels with modern methods of pressure on the faithful: not being allowed into churches, changing locks, using force and threats.

At the end of his speech, Bishop Theodosius appealed to the people of the United States to remember the first clause of the American Constitution — freedom of religion. He emphasized that the Church is not engaged in politics, but prays for peace and salvation of people, and called for prayers for Ukraine, its people and rulers, so that «the Lord will enlighten them and stop the destruction of the spiritual heritage of the country».

We shall remind you that earlier American Congressman Eli Crane from Arizona on December 16, 2025 made a call to stop persecution of Christians and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in Ukraine. In the congressman’s opinion, the country is displaying alarming authoritarian tendencies, which are in sharp contrast to the fundamental principles of Western civilization and are of particular concern.