Open Letter: War in Ukraine and the Russian Church

20/02/2024 | Na stronie od 15/03/2024

*Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces. Image Credit: Odintsovo-Info*

Source: The Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University, PUBLIC ORTHODOXY

To:

His Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, the New Rome, and Oecumenical Patriarch
The Holy Father Francis, Pope of the Catholic Church
His Holiness Garegin, Primate and Catholicos of All Armenians
His Grace Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Head of the Anglican Communion
Rev Dr. Panti Filibus Musa, Archbishop of the Lutheran Church in Nigeria, Chairman of the Lutheran World Federation
Mrs. Najla Kassab Abousawan, President of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC)
Rev Dr Jerry Pillay, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches

We address your Excellencies, leaders of the major Christian Churches and confessions, to plead with you.

We address your Excellencies, leaders of the major Christian Churches and confessions, to plead with you. We ask that you publicly address four acute problems that large-scale military conflicts in the modern world pose to all Christians:

Using religion to justify violence
Injustice
Religious nationalism
Outright lies emanating from church pulpits

These pressing issues are amplified within the context of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. From the very beginning, this conflict took on a distinctive character, in which Russia, a nation primarily identifying itself as Orthodox Christian, invaded Ukraine, another predominantly Christian nation, without any immediate provocation from the side of the latter. Ironically, citizens of both countries were, until recently, affiliated with one and the same Orthodox Church.

We refrain from challenging the propaganda clichés that posit Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as proxy war with the West. Such assertions conveniently align with the perspectives of armchair analysts, but greatly oversimplify the situation. The oversimplification becomes apparent when one examines the frontlines from a human perspective, in which Ukrainian and Russian soldiers are the ones sacrificing their lives, rather than from a geopolitical one—especially a Western geopolitical one.

Russia’s aggression set Orthodox Christians against neighboring Orthodox Christians, divided families, and disrupted the peaceful lives of tens of millions of people in both countries. Many have lost families and friends; have become exiled or internally displaced as refugees; or have become wounded or traumatized, not only physically and psychologically, but also spiritually.

Christians across the world have not stood idly by. Instead, they have joined with hundreds of millions of non-Christian people who also value the sacredness of life and the dignity of the human person. Together, these ordinary people have freely chosen to stand in solidarity with the victims of this invasion. Communities and organizations worldwide, including those rooted in Christian traditions, continue to offer practical care and assistance in response to these challenges.

Today, it is crucial for all Christians to undertake another pressing task: to diligently explore compelling responses to questions regarding human dignity and our divine responsibility to safeguard life and steward creation. This exploration must include considerations of the permissibility and justification of violence, the right to immediate self-defense, and the engagement in combat against evil—particularly when viewed through the lens of the Gospel. The presence of war at our doorstep indicates that we are still in search of answers.

The Russian Orthodox Church and Russia’s Aggression against Ukraine

Our shared concern and plea to you are chiefly tied to the stance articulated by the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). Patriarch Kirill has declared full support for Russian aggression. He has ensured that the institutional church assumes patronage of the Russian army occupying part of Ukraine. In so doing, the ROC demonstrated an unambiguous lack of interest in peacemaking and compassion. And yet, even given its entanglement with nationalist militarism, the ROC still claims to be the major Church of the Eastern Christian tradition, and the ROC claims to speak as the principal guardian of “traditional values.”

During much of the last century, the Orthodox Church in Russia endured harsh persecutions under atheistic Soviet regimes. After the collapse of the USSR, the ROC seemed to have entered a renaissance. Old churches and cathedrals were restored, and new ones were built. The Bible and theological texts were once more in print. Monasteries and convents were re-opened, along with Orthodox schools and theological seminaries. These events were welcomed and encouraged by the greater Christian world.

Simultaneously, despite specific disquieting indicators (often overlooked by the broader Christian community), the Russian Orthodox Church reasserted its alignment with the State, positioning itself as closely as the authorities permitted. Those in power treated the Church as an integral component of the neo-imperial regime. The ROC actively engaged in the Kremlin’s apparatus of propaganda and violence. The most striking manifestation of the ROC’s collaboration is evident in its religious and even pseudo-theological justification for the unbridled aggression of Russia’s regime against a rightfully sovereign Ukraine, coupled with the continued blessing of the invasion and all its participants.

The sins of justification and benediction are not solitary deeds of individual bishops or idiosyncratic priests but institutional transgressions. These sins manifest the overarching, unified ideological stance of the entire Russian Orthodox Church, overseen and upheld by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Public anti-war opinions within the Church are infrequent, with clergy who voice opposition to the war often subjected to sham trials in ecclesiastical or secular tribunals. They face repercussions ranging from suspension to defrocking. In some cases, they are compelled to leave the country.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has become the bloodiest European war since the Nazis started World War II by invading Poland. In the aftermath of that world war, such horror was not ever supposed to happen again. Not only is the horror happening again, but this time, the horror has been initiated by one of the countries that had itself suffered heavily from Nazi aggression, suffered great losses, came out victorious, and later gave firm international commitments to promote peace in every possible way.

Over the past two years, Christian charitable organizations in Europe and America have been fervently involved in supporting Ukraine. Their efforts extend beyond providing tangible assistance. They also stand as vocal critics, morally condemning Russia’s aggression. This steadfast support serves as a profound testament to the enduring historical legacy of Christian mercy and solidarity.

It is of utmost importance to emphasize that President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, alongside Russia’s politicians and soldiers, has not only violated their international obligations. More profoundly, he has committed a blasphemy against God. This pertains to individuals who identify themselves as Christians and who often criticize the West for deviating from Christian values. Despite engaging in the construction of new churches and monasteries, lighting candles, fervent prayer, participation in sacraments, and partaking of Holy Communion, these individuals paradoxically compound their sins by issuing orders for murders, personally engaging in war crimes, and publicly justifying actions that run contrary to humanity and the Creator.

The Gospel and the Moral Responsibility of Christians

For us Christians who received the gift of the Holy Spirit, our moral responsibility to life and the flourishing of God’s creation is part of baptismal vows and is closely bound to the Gospel teaching and to our confessing faith in the Lord Jesus as God-Man and the Savior of the world. We are compelled to strive to be holy as our Father in Heaven is holy (Mt: 5:43-48).

Regrettably, however, unscrupulousness and immorality have become commonplace among numerous ostensibly Christian politicians and senior government officials, with Russia being no exception. Realpolitik often takes precedence over ethical and moral considerations. The situation takes on an added dimension of moral reprehensibility when the Patriarch of a Church, along with bishops and many parish priests, not only justifies an aggressive war but actively encourages Christians to engage in conflict with neighboring nations, even those considered brethren. Such transgressions represent a double sin, a blatant departure from the imitatio Christi, a blasphemous desecration carried out with conscious intent, openly and devoid of any hint of contrition. It has reached a point where silence can no longer be maintained in the face of such egregious acts.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled” (Mt. 5:6). For us, these words are a call not only to seek truth and righteousness but also to reject all lies, omissions, and manipulations of facts. The perpetrators have forgotten the all-seeing eye of the Creator (Ps. 139:7-12). In the new era of smartphones and instant connectivity, this lying has become a constitutive part of launching any “hybrid war,” a war that weaves together state and non-state actors, and strategies of conventional and irregular warfare, including the dissemination of fake news. In a hybrid war, anyone who participates in the lie directly participates in such a war.

It is not enough to condemn the war in Ukraine. It is not enough to call for a ceasefire and, more generally, to call for peace. There is now a need to shine light on the true cause of the war; there is a need to call out who unleashed it to evaluate the criminal actions for what they are.

Not a single bishop in the Russian Federation has preached peace during the past two years of this war, but many of them pray and preach about the victory of Russia over Ukraine. What a shame for the most prominent Orthodox Church in the modern world. And the rest of the institutional Christian world is remaining silent. Shall we say that we are at the point when silence becomes acceptance?

We strongly believe that Christian leaders are called to recognize their ministry first and foremost as a prophetic ministry, and this assumes that they are capable of confronting evil, demonstrating wisdom, justice, and courage.

Personal Responsibility of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God” (Mt 5:9). Patriarch Kirill has not once conveyed sympathy or expressed condolences for the Ukrainians who have endured loss, injury, or displacement. His stance remains unbowed by the heartbreaking reality of children’s deaths and suffering. The patriarch has shown no lament for those subjected to torture and torment by Russian soldiers. On numerous occasions, he and his clergy have actively encouraged young men from Russia to participate in this devastating conflict. Rather than acknowledging the human toll, he consistently reiterates his proclamation that Russia stands on the side of light, engaging in a delusional great war against the forces of darkness.

This lack speaks of the deep spiritual and moral fall of the Russian Orthodox Church and its spiritual leaders. Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev) himself has for many years neglected his pastoral duty with respect to Ukrainians, while belittling their dignity and supporting a deeper division within Ukrainian Orthodoxy. He has closed his eyes to political repression and multiple violations of civic freedoms and human rights in Russia and has justified these violations by his silence and occasions of explicit support. He has supported the Russian regime’s aggressive, anti-Christian tendencies promoted under the guise of such manipulative formulations as “Russian world” or “traditional values.” He has supported the State’s lies about the “internecine war” in Ukraine by composing prayers and demanding that they be included in liturgical practice. Finally, he has supported and justified aggression against Ukraine through his pastoral praxis and theological discourse.

This use of liturgy, theological discourse, and pastoral influence has given multiple examples of how Patriarch Kirill, together with his bishops and many priests, have violated the sixth commandment to the Decalogue: “Thou shall not kill.” They have repeatedly twisted the sacrament of Christian benediction into a sanctioning of murder of the citizens of a neighboring Christian country. Occasions of such violations have become too numerous, and too well-documented on YouTube, X, and elsewhere, to be considered an accident.

The support of this “hybrid war” of unprovoked aggression, the justification of its violence, and the persecution of any priest and believer who speaks the truth against the war—all these committed acts demonstrate a conscious and deliberately-argued position. All these testify to the extent that the Russian Orthodox Church has deviated from the Gospel and preaches something alternative to the Word of God. All Christians must critically ask whether the teaching preached publicly and unabashedly by the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church is indeed the true message of the Christ event.

Wishing and praying for peace while failing to identify the aggressor, without distinguishing between perpetrators and victims, and without acknowledging the right of a country that faces war of aggression to defend itself, does not promote true and just peace.

Prophetic Ministry and Standing in Truth

This contemporary moment of suffering and dread demands that the words of pastors, Church leaders, and prophets be firmly rooted in the Holy Scriptures and the loving example of Jesus the Christ and be proclaimed clearly and strongly throughout the world.

During times of conflict, the pursuit of diplomatic and political objectives can obfuscate the prophetic voice bestowed upon the Church through its divine mission. Often the Church places value on peacemaking and involves itself in negotiations with the warring parties to achieve a quick détente or ceasefire. However, it must be honestly recognized, by Church officials and the faithful alike, that these efforts have so far failed to bring about any lasting results. Church diplomats too often neglect at least the Gospel ethic in their pursuit of political goals and careerist aspirations.

Recognizing that everything possible must be done to end the war and establish a just peace, we are awaiting from you the word that is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12).

It is disheartening that, even two years into the conflict, there is no official Church document condemning the war comprehensively. More disappointingly, there is a lack of consistent and unequivocal denunciation of Russia’s aggression while characterizing the total support for this war from high-ranking church officials in the Russian Orthodox Church as a scandal.

We express our support for those few Christian leaders who have personally made public statements on this matter. Their steadfast stance demonstrates a commitment to truth and justice, and we commend their efforts in upholding the values of our faith. It is our sincere hope that such expressions of moral clarity will serve as inspiration for further collective action within the broader Christian community.

We beseech you to actively and immediately engage with the appropriate international institutions to facilitate the establishment of an international task force dedicated to holding accountable, through sincere and impartial analysis, those bishops, priests, and laity within the Russian Orthodox Church whose statements, testimonials, sermons, communications, and fabrications have sanctioned and bestowed divine approval upon violence, war, and aggression against the people of Ukraine.

Numerous publications have meticulously analyzed these distressing facts, underscoring the urgency for a formalized initiative that compels the attention of Churches and cannot be disregarded. Your active engagement in establishing such an entity will be a significant step toward addressing these critical issues at an institutional level.

A Church that only outwardly remains “Christian” but has lost its evangelical spirit cannot be a sister to those Churches and communities that follow the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The endeavors elucidated above transcend a mere conflict with the Russian Orthodox Church. Rather, they embody a dedicated striving on its behalf—for the Church, for the community of believers guided by the Holy Spirit and the Gospel, liberated from deceptive political theology and detrimental religious ideology. Progressing resolutely toward genuine peace requires the fearless proclamation of truth, regardless of the inherent challenges it may pose.

You are summoned to denounce injustices, advocate for repentance and atonement, and actively seek transformative change within the temporal realm. We ask you, our pastors, to courageously proclaim the inconvenient yet profound truth.

Sergei Chapnin, Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University, USA
Aristotle Papanikolaou, Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University, USA
George Demacopoulos, Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University, USA
Nathaniel Wood, Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University, USA

Marcello Neri, Catholic University of Milan, Italy
Korinna Zamfir, Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology, Babes-Bolyai University
Paul Ladouceur, University of Toronto, Canada
Regina Elsner, Münster Universität, Germany
Jose Casanova, Georgetown University
Daniel F. Stramara, Jr., Rockhurst University, USA
Steven Harmon, Professor of Historical Theology, Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (USA)
Andrii Smyrnov, National University of Ostroh Academy, Ukraine
Josef Gulka, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Charles Lock, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Dr. Nicolae Roddy, PhD, Creighton University
Rev. Brandon Gallaher, University of Exeter, UK
Dr. Lori Peterson Branch, The University of Iowa
Dr W.Paula Nicholson, Orthodox Christian, former co-founder and warden of a Russian Orthodox Parish with the UK
The Rev. H. Ashley Hall, Creighton University
Radu Bordeianu, Duquesne University
Dr. Serhii Shumylo, Director of the International Institute of the Athonite Legacy, Visiting Research Fellow in the University of Exeter
Costis Drygianakis, Volos Academy for Theological Studies, Greece
Alla Skyrda, Donetsk National Technical University, Ukraine
Bradford Hinze, Roman Catholic, Fordham University
Dr. Simon Podmore, Liverpool Hope University
Prof. Steven Shakespeare, Liverpool Hope University
Dr Yazid Said, Liverpool Hope University
Roman Vershynin, University of California, Irvine
Vera Tolz, University of Manchester, UK
Alexei Bodrov, Nijmegen University
Kostadin Nushev, Faculty of Theology, Sofia university, Bulgaria
Hieronim Grala, Professor, Warsaw University, Poland
Dr. Giorgi Khuroshvili, Professor, New Georgian University, Georgia
William Hood, Jay Professor Emeritus, Oberlin College (OH)
Dr. Alexander Rusakov, Asst. Professor, Oakland University, USA
Barry Harvey, Baylor University, USA
Matthew Pauly, Michigan State University
Ioannis Kaminis, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Bulgaria
Reimund Bieringer, Catholic University of Louvain (Leuven), Belgium
Oleksandr Sagan, Institute of Philosophy NAS of Ukraine
Heorhii Papakin, M.S.Hrushevsky Institute of Ukrainian Archeografy, NAS of Ukraine
Grégoire Sommer, Laboratoire d'études sur les rhétoriques, Suisse
Tornike Metreveli, Lund University
Taras Khomych, Liverpool Hope University, Ukrainian Catholic Church, Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (Liverpool Branch)
Curtis Freeman, Research Professor of Theology and Ruth D. Duncan Director of the Baptist House of Studies at Duke University Divinity School
Ihor Teslenko, National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy
Chrysostom Koutloumousianos, Cambridge Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Abbot of Faneromeni Monastery, Naxos.
Alla Boiko, Professor, Kyiv
Oksana Horkusha, Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, senior researcher
Dr. Natalia Kochan , National Academy of Sciences, Kyiv, Ukraine
Alla Boiko, Professor Taras Shevchenko national university of Kyev n
Liudmyla Fylypovych, Ukrainian Association of Researchers of Religion, president
Warren Woodfin, Queens College, CUNY / CUNY Graduate Center
Myroslav Marynovych, Ukrainian Catholic University
Marcus Zervos, Henry Ford Hospital, Wayne state University School of Medicine
Andrew Summerson, Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies at the University of St. Michael's College, Toronto
Anatolii Babynskyi, Ukrainian Catholic University, University of Notre Dame
Svetlana Panich, University of Toronto, Canada
Lisa Holsberg, Fordham University and Sacred Heart University, USA
Philip Dorroll, Wofford College
Ivan Christov, Sofia university, BG
Rachel Contos, Fordham University
Elizabeth Johnson, Fordham University
Metropolitan Elia (Wallgrén), Orthodox diocese of Oulu , Ortodox church of Finland
Prof. Archpriest John A. McGuckin, Theology Faculty, Oxford University
Archimandrite Nicanor, Abbot, Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Archimandrite Romanos Anastasiadis, Church of Crete, Ecumenical Patriarchate
Very Rev. Demetre Tetruashvili, Archimandrite
Very Rev. John A. Jillions, Orthodox Church in America
Very Rev. Robert M. Arida, Retired Dean, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Boston
Very Rev. Harry Pappas, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Very Rev. James S. Dutko, ACROD
Very Rev. Steven C. Kostoff, Orthodox Church in America
Very Rev. Christopher Calin, Orthodox Church in America
Very Rev. Andrey Kordochkin , University of Göttingen, Germany
Very Rev. Marc Dunaway, Antiochian Orthodox
Very Rev. Georgy Roi, Lithuanian Exarchate of Ecumenical Patriarchate
Very Rev. Igor Tarasov, Ecumenical Patruarchate, USA
Very Rev. Alexis Struve, Vicariat Sainte-Marie de Paris, patriarcat Œcuménique
Very Rev. Peter Sonntag, Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Germany
Very Rev. Vladimiras Seliavko , Orthodox Ecumenical exarchate in Lithuania
Very Rev. Oleksandr Trofymliuk, Rector of Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy
Very Rev. George Kovalenko, Orthodox Church of Ukraine
Very Rev. Vitalijus Mockus Mockus, Exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Lithuania
Very Rev. Віталій Кузьмич, Православна Церква України
Very Rev. John (Ivan) Lyszyk, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of USA
Very Rev. Jean Jean Drancourt, Vicariat/Metropole de France
Very Rev. Wilfred Sophrony Royer, Orthodox Church in America
Very Rev. Peter Baktis, Orthodox Church in America
Rev. Dr Athanasius McVay, Ukrainian Catholic Church
Rev Prof Dr Harold Hunter, IPHC Ecumenical Officer
Rev. Trayan Goranov, Bulgarian priest in the UK
Rev. Volodymyr Melnychuk, Ecumenical Patriarchate, Italy
Rev. Mychajlo Dymyd, Ukrainian Catholic University
Rev. Stephen Karcher, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Rev. Mihail Trifonov, Orthodox Priest, Bulgaria
f.Andreas (Roger) Robberstad, Munk
Rev. Wasyl Makarenko, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada - Patriarchate of Constantinople
Rev. Bohdan Hladio, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
Rev. Oleksandr Sorokin, Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Rev. Deacon Lawrence Hendricks, Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma
Rev. Dr. Emanuel S. Chris, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Rev. Dr. Stephen V. Sprinkle, Theologian-in-Residence, Episcopal Church of St. Thomas the Apostle, Dallas, Texas
Rev. Vladimir Rinkevic, Russian Orthodox Church
Rev. Rauno Pietarinen, Orthodox Church of Finland
Rev. Kristjan Otsmann, Orthodox Church of Estonia
Rev. Dr. David Miller, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Rev. Maksim Filippov, Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
Rev. Dr. Walter Slaven, Retired Eastern Orthodox Deacon
Rev. Bohdan Statkevych, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
Rev. Gintaras Sungaila, Exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Lithuania
Rev. Jaakko Vainio, Orthodox Church of Finland
Rev. Dr. Vasily Maksymyshynenets , Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Rev. Dr. Andriy Dudchenko , Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy
Rev. Basil Bush, Moscow Patriarchate
Rev. Konstantin Tkachenko, Orthodox Church
Hiéromoine Michel Evelson , Vicariat Orthodoxe St Marie et St Alexis France
Monk-deacon Jaakob, Valamo Monastery of Transfiguration of Christ, the Orthodox Church of Finland
Hieromonk Job Olshanskyi, Lviv Theological seminary
Hieromonk Alexis (Lisenko), Orthodox Church in America
Hermit Priest-Monk Silouan , Romanian Orthodox Church
Rev. Raymond A Bucko, S.J., Jesuit priest
Deacon Nerijus Čapas OFS, Catholic Church
Friar Robert Lentz, OFM, Order of Friars Minor
Rev. Peter Galadza, Ukrainian Greek-Catholic
Rev. Frank Avant, Ukrainian Greek-Catholic
Dcn. Justin Coyle , Ukrainian Greek-Catholic
Rev. J. Michael Wheeler , Associate Rector, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Kerrville TX
Lawrence A Kreh, Presbyterian (Elder)
Rev. J.M. Perry, United Church of Сanada
Lyle Mook, Chaplain, South County Hospital, ordained in the Evangelical Covenant Church
Curtis Rohland, Retired Pastor Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Johan Maurer, Recorded minister, Friends (Quakers)
Colin Justin, Orthodox Peace Fellowship, Archdiocese of Canada - Orthodox Church in America
Nicholas Sluchevsky, RBR Inc.
Inga Leonova, "The Wheel", USA
Michael Clark, Editor, The Wheel, Canada
Gillian Crow, Orthodox writer, UK
Nikita et Xenia Krivocheine, Moderators of the site "Parlons d'orthodoxie", France
Giacomo Sanfilippo, Editor, Orthodoxy in Dialogue, Canada
Malou Ibita, Catholic Biblical Association of the Philippines
Clarence Hammond, Episcopal Religious Solitary
Alexandra Irini, Parishioner Greek Orthodox Church Australia
Anastasios Gounaris, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Andreja Bogdanovski, Author - Divine Diplomacy
Anne H Soukhanov, Retired dictionary executive editor & columnist
Charles Compston, Interested Party
Cristina Cicognani , Catholic, Italy
Dmitry Stepanov, Medical Doctor, Germany
Edith Reyntiens Reyntiens, Orthodox parish of Sts Nicholas and Blane, Dunblane, Scotland
George Kontanis, Parishioner St George Grerk Orthodox Church Dartmouth Mass and former Graduate student Fordham under Late Dr Meyendorff
Jacqueline de Mestral, Anglican Church of Canada
Judith Emery, St. Francis of Assisi Church, New York, NY
Kevin A. Demetroff, Roman Catholic Director of Music Ministries and Liturgy, retiref
Olena Polich, Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America
Inna Baranovska, Orthodox Church of Ukraine
Martin Arnold, UGCC, Brisbane, Queensland
Mary Mondello, OCSC Supporter
Michael Craig Rhodes, Independent scholar
Theodore NIkolis, Esq., Greek Orthodox Church
Arthur KATSAROS, Greek Orthodox
Athena Tarsinos, Greek Orthodox Christian
John Ioannoou, Greek Orthodox
Nancy H. Weres, MD, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Isaac Johnson, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Frank Zaveral, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Michael Pickel, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Lewiston, Maine
Dale Simison, Orthodox Christian, Antiochain
Andrew Frishman, Orthodox Christian, Antiochain, USA
Richard Mohr, Orthodox Christian, Antiochain
Ellene Zervos, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Orthodox Church in America
Olga Kudrina, Russian Orthodox Church
Alex Krymskiy, Russian Orthodox
Alexey Golub, Эстонская Православная Церковь Московского Патриархата
Shota Kurua, Patriarchate of Georgia
Andrei Tarasiuk, Polish Orthodox Church
Jan Křipač , Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia
Antoine Arjakovsky , Patriarcat œcuménique, France
Yustina Panina, Vicariat Orthodoxe Ste Marie et St Alexis, France
Monique DRANCOURT, métropole de France/vicarait Ste Marie et St Alexis
Didier Vilanova, Vicariat Ste Marie et St Alexis, Patriarcat OEcuménique, France
Didier Vilanova , Vicariat orthodoxe Ste Marie-Saint Alexis (Pat. Œcuménique) France
Père Yannick Provost, Métropole de France du Patriarcat œcuménique
Anastasia Provost-Leconte, Métropole de France du Patriarcat œcuménique
Gabriel Behr, Orthodox Ecumenical Vicariate in France
Jesse Wiebe, Orthodox Church in America
Kevin Rains, Orthodox Church in America
Mary James, Orthodox Church in America
David N. Thomas, Orthodox Church in America
Mark Galperin, Orthodox Church in America
Presvytera Deborah Kostoff, Orthodox Church in America
Marianne Livezey, Orthodox Church in America
Ted Bobosh, Orthodox Church in America
Joseph F Foster, Orthodox Church in America
Yuri Kyrpach, Orthodox Church in America
James A Bouse, Orthodox Church in America
Julie Furman Stodolka, Orthodox Church in America
Svetlana Pantenkova , Orthodox Church in America
Carol Fox, Orthodox Church in America
H Jeffrey Robinson, JD MDiv ThM, Orthodox Church in America
Margaret Scott, Orthodox Church in America
Nadine Ondera, Orthodox Church in America
Dr. Mara Livezey, Orthodox Church in America
Svitlana Chaykivska, Orthodox Church in America
Boris Piterl, Orthodox Church in America
Aleksei Samoilov, Orthodox Church in America, citizen of the Russian Federation
Vladimir Grygorenko , Subdeacon, Orthodox Church in America
Rebecca Harris Hunt, Former choir director, Orthodox Church in America
Luben Stoilov, Diocese of San Francisco and the West, OCA
Sarah Bartmann, Carpatho-Russian Orthodox
Rev. Victor Poliarny, Orthodox Church of Ukraine in the USA
Roman Fedyk, Ukraine Orthodox Church
Siarhei Tupikau, Ukraine Orthodox Church
Roman Vyskub, Ukraine Orthodox Church
Alexey Krasnov, Ukraine Orthodox Church
Natalie Sobchak , Ukrainian Orthodox Christian
Galyna Kiriienko, Orthodox Church of Ukraine
Tatjana Djatshenko, Orthodox Christian, Finland
Petteri Lalu, Orthodox Church of Finland
Jana Freundlich , Orthodox Church of Finland
Mauri Liukkonen, Journalist, Orthodox Church of Finland
Sergey Furmanov, ROCOR, Chicago, IL USA
Steven Lacey, former parish councilor ROCOR UK
Stanislav Dobrolyubov, Orthodox Christian, ROCOR
Stanislav Dobrolyubov, Orthodox Christian, ROCOR
Mariya Nekipelov , Orthodox Christian, ROCOR
Ruslan Kassabov, Orthodox Christian, ROCOR
Irina Voinkova, Orthodox Christian, ROCOR
Anna Frost, Orthodox Christian, ROCOR
Richard Ruusmann, Orthodox church of Estonia
Chris Papadinoff, Macedonian Orthodox
Todd Garvin , Orthodox Christian (Antiochian)
Валерий Авдасьов, Orthodox Christian (UOC), Ukraine
Valeriu-Cristian Hadji-Culea, National Theatre Iasi, Romania, Orthodox
Tatiana Nikolova-Houston, Orthodox Christian, artist and scholar, USA-Bulgaria
Иеромонах Иаков (Воронцов), Orthodox Christian, Kazakhstan
Claudia Dobrina, Orthodox Christian, Stockholm
Olga Bukhina, Orthodox Christian, USA
Maria Dorman, Orthodox Christian, New York
Snezhana Dimitrova, Orthodox Christian, Bulgaria
Reneta Trifonova, Orthodox Christian, Bulgaria
Lyuboslava Ivanova , Orthodox Christian, Bulgaria
Nina Atanasova, Orthodox christian, Bulgaria
Lina Cerguta, Orthodox Christian, Greece
Grigorii Stepanov, Mathematician, Orthodox Christian
Antoni Giwojna, Orthodox Christian, Polish Orthodox Parish in Brussels
Teodora Pogonat, Romanian Orthodox
Maria Mayofis, Orthodox Christian , USA
Ilya Lyudogovskiy, Orthodox Christian, Reader
Ilya Kukulin, Orthodox Christian
Basil Lvoff, Orthodox Christian
Andre Piddoubny, Orthodox Christian
Noah Jefferson, Orthodox Christian
Alexander Girard, Orthodox Christian
David Short, Orthodox Christian
Michel Vasquez, Orthodox Christian
Kateryna Fechtel, Orthodox Christian
Оксана Зайко, Orthodox Christian
Evangelos Kostoulas, Orthodox Christian
Diana Carter, Orthodox Christian
Athanasius Bukin, Orthodox Christian
Elena Lyudogovskaya, Orthodox Christian
Leon Nicholson, Orthodox Christian
Johnny Haataja, Orthodox Christian
Kevin Wells, Orthodox Christian
Alexander Manotskov, Orthodox Christian
Vlad Mischevca , Orthodox Christian
Pauline Costianes, Orthodox Christian
Graham Speake, Orthodox Christian
Igor Prososov, Orthodox Christian
Oleksandr Vinnytskyi, Orthodox Christian
Nadia Pchenko, Orthodox Christian
Michael Steele, Orthodox Christian
Ekaterina Belova, Orthodox Christian
Oleksii Miroshnyk, Orthodox Christian
Ty Gale, Orthodox Christian
Denys Clement, Orthodox Christian
Richard Power, Orthodox Christian
Egor Soloviev, Orthodox Christian
Ivo Bratanov, Orthodox Christian
Mia Lastra, Orthodox Christian
Olga Avdieieva, Orthodox Christian
Tatiana Gubenko, Orthodox Christian
Illya Bey, Orthodox Christian
Melania Jackson, Orthodox Christian
James Haines, Orthodox Christian
Mykola Kikkas, Orthodox Christian
Ioana Patuleanu, Orthodox Christian, Mercer County Community College
Orest Kowalsky, Orthodox Christian
Mykhailo Kalchenko, Ukrainian Orthodox Christian
Irina Sukhaya, Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Serhii Shteinikov , Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Nina Garmash, Orthodox Christian
Oleh Iwanusiw, Ukrainian Catholic Church
Katsaros Bilinsky, MD , Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Louisiana
Gerald Kent, Catholic
Santo Colosi, Cattolico, Italy
Oldřich Šimek, Magister of Catholic Theology
Nicholas Roddis, Ascension Alliance, Independent Catholic
Vadim Amelin, Christian
Nataly Vinogradova, Christian
Laurence Geoffroy , Christian
Mikhail Agafonov, Refugee
Robert Haddad, AOC
Patrick Woolsey, PCUSA
Кирилл Харатьян, Редактор
Simonas Bendžius, journalist
Vladimir Paperny, UCLA
Hanna Nikolaienko, Odess, Ukraine (Warsaw)
Denis Bazanov, Chior Director
Anna Dymovska, Municipal establishment “Balta pedagogical professional college”
Dimitar Petrov, Bulgaria
Marina Buvailo , Dr
Fedor Lyudogovskiy, Former priest of the Russian Orthodox Church
Ioannis Fotiadis , Athens, Greece
Denis Pedyash, Dr
Margarita Gencheva , Student, Bulgaria
Ruslan Khalikov, Head of the "Religion on Fire" project
Николай Платонов, Defrocked Priest of the Russian Orthodox Church
Andrew Fedosov, Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church (ROCOR), Toronto
Tatiana Valdez, Lawer
Vladyslav Havrylov , Scientific researcher
Yevgen Luniak, Nizhyn Gogol State University
Dmytro Hordiienko, National Academy of Science of Ukraine
Žana Kraujalienė, Lietuva, Vilnius
Dr. Hermina Nedelescu , Scripps Research & Graduate Theological Union
Lars Ahlbäck, Mr.
Olena Zelenina, Gromada Group - a network of local media in Kharkiv region
Olga Lossky, France
Ioannis Orfanoudakis -Foskolos , OFS
Jennifer Speake, Freelance writer
Iulian Ucraineț, Moldova
Yaroslava Myslyva, Parishioner of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine
James Haney , E. Lutheran Church in America
Jurij Mojsiak, UA Greek Catholic
Stella Torrez, Greek Catholic
Mykola Bunii, Theologian
Oleksandr Hryhoryshyn, Dentist, UOC
Christopher Scott Roby, Theologian
Margot VanEtten VanEtten, Roman Catholic
George Hnatiw, Roman Catholic
James Hess, Roman Catholic
Anita Prati, cattolica
Luis Martins, Católico Romano
Archimandrit Andreas-Abraham Dr. Thiermeyer, Katholische Kirche
Pawel Przeciszewski, Warsaw Roman Catholic Church
Rimantas Misevicius, Lithuania, Catholic
James Deshotels, UGCC
The Rev. Melissa Chappell, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Douglas Dales, Church of England
Yossi Lopez-Hineynu , The Episcopal Church
Rev. Dr. George A. Mason, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Very Rev. Dr David Bruce, The Presbyterian Church in Ireland
Madalasa Mobili, Christian
Vicky Bartholomew, ELCA
Andrew Taylor, Ecumenical Patriarchate
Tim Bullard, Greek Orthodox parishioner, Chicago, IL
Truța Eugen Adrian, Romanian Orthodox Church
Peter Von Berg, Actor, Orthodox Christian
Mark Lerner, St. Gregory's Chapel, Orthodox Church in America
Yury Olshansky, Christ the Savior Orthodox Church, New York, actor , author
Tetiana Derkach, Orthodox Church of Ukraine, religious publicist
Seraphim Alton Honeywell, Orthodox Parish of the Annunciation in Oxford
Oleksandr Kot, Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Serhiy Kovalchuk, St. Nicholas Eparchy, Ukrainian Catholic Church
Kristjan Mänd, Estonian Apostolic-Orthodox Church
Reader John Malov, Ex ROC
Robert Cox, OFWB Church
Tom Terentiew, ODUM Toronto
Tamara Grdzelidze, Tbilisi, Georgia
Brigitte Vilanova, ACAT-France
Dominika Kurek-Chomycz, Liverpool Hope University
Iannis Carras, historian, Germany
Prof. Ivan Christov Christov, Bulgaria
Prof. Dr. Giorgi Khuroshvili Khuroshvili, New Georgian University
Lev Burov, Non-denominational Christian
Ana-Maria Sîrghi, Non-affiliated
Vera Sokolowski , Ukrainian
Paul Amann, Berlin
Natalie Tillman, Ohio
Lily Tischenko, Retired teacher
Yuliya Orlova, follower