The bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA condemned the Orthodox Church of America bishop for greeting the Russian ruler in Alaska, calling it a betrayal of Christian witness.
During his visit to Alaska for talks with the US president, Vladimir Putin met with Archbishop Alexei (Trader) of Sitka and Alaska of the Orthodox Church in America, as reported by the Russian Orthodox Church.
The bishop presented the head of the Russian Federation with an icon of St. Herman of Alaska, which was painted on Mount Athos. He mentioned that he tries to visit Russia every year.
"For me, as well as for my clergy and seminarians, it is always a great gift. Every time we are there (in Russia), we say, ‘We are home,’" he added.
In contrast, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the United States condemned the bishop’s greeting to the Russian leader, labeling it a betrayal of Christ's Gospel and a scandal to the faithful.
"It is with deep sorrow and righteous indignation that we respond to the recent words of a hierarch of the Orthodox Church in America, who publicly welcomed and complimented the President of the Russian Federation during his visit to this continent," reads the statement by the episcopate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the United States.
"Such gestures are not merely unfortunate; they are a betrayal of the Gospel of Christ and a scandal to the faithful. At a moment when the Russian regime is responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands, for the disappearance of countless innocents, for the tearing of families apart, and for the deliberate destruction of Ukraine, to extend words of welcome and admiration to its leader is nothing less than the embrace of falsehood.
Yes, the Church preaches love and forgiveness - but such love can never be divorced from truth, and such forgiveness can never excuse or whitewash evil. When Christ confronted hypocrisy, He denounced it with holy fire. When His apostles stood before rulers, they declared with courage: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Today, the Church must show the same boldness, not the cowardice of appeasement.
History remembers with shame those who once smiled at tyrants, who spoke softly to mass murderers, who flattered oppressors in the name of diplomacy or false peace. To repeat such failures today is to stain the witness of the Church, to betray the very martyrs who shed their blood for truth, and to scandalize the faithful who expect their shepherds to speak light into darkness."
The UOC of the United States firmly asserts that Putin is not a peacemaker, but a source of death and destruction.
"We declare without hesitation: the Russian president is not a peacemaker, but the author of death and destruction. To call him otherwise is to lie before God and before humanity.
The Church of Christ must stand not with dictators, but with the oppressed. Not with murderers, but with the innocent slain. Not with the powerful who destroy, but with the powerless who cry for help. Anything less is a betrayal of Christian witness.
May the Lord strengthen His people to resist the lies of tyrants and the temptations of false peace. May He grant us courage to stand firm for truth and justice, until the day when His righteousness prevails, and His mercy heals the brokenhearted.
With grief for this betrayal, and with unwavering hope in Christ,
Metropolitan Antony and Archbishop Daniel."
It should be noted that the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) was granted autocephalous status in 1970 by the Moscow Patriarchate, a recognition that has only been acknowledged by a few other Orthodox Churches. The majority continue to view the OCA as a self-governing entity within the Moscow Patriarchate.
The origins of the OCA trace back to the Russian Orthodox Church mission in Alaska, established in the late 18th century. This mission evolved into a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, which expanded its outreach throughout North America. As a result, from the late 19th century onward, many immigrants — primarily from Central and Eastern Europe, including some Greek Catholics — began to join this diocese.
In 1924, after Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow granted autonomy to Russian Orthodox communities outside of Russia, the diocese in North America declared itself a metropolis and adopted the name Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America. In 1970, it was granted autocephaly from the Russian Orthodox Church and officially became the Orthodox Church in America. The hierarchy of the OCA consists of members of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America.