Ukraine is sending its largest-ever delegation to a gathering of politically influential Christian leaders in Washington this week, in search of to put out an argument that defending non secular freedom is a powerful cause for persevering with U.S. help to withstand Russian aggression.
The Ukrainian pastors, members of Parliament and army chaplains who might be attending the Nationwide Prayer Breakfast say they hope the message of combating non secular persecution will resonate with the Trump administration officers and members of Congress who’re positive to even be there.
The prayer breakfast, a serious occasion on Washington’s social calendar since 1953, presents a possibility for enterprise executives, non secular leaders and diplomats to jockey for entry to influential coreligionists in authorities to sway insurance policies. Whereas the assembly is open to all faiths, its objective, in accordance with its web site, is ”gathering collectively within the Spirit of Jesus of Nazareth.”
The Ukrainians will argue to these gathered that additional Russian advances would develop a zone of repression of a number of Christian denominations, in addition to the destruction and looting of church buildings and the arrests of pastors and clergymen — actions that rights teams have documented in areas already beneath Russian occupation.
“Russia doesn’t simply kill folks, doesn’t simply destroy our cities — Russia additionally destroys and bans non secular communities” in areas beneath its management, mentioned Roman Lozynskyi, a member of Parliament with the opposition Holos Celebration.
Mr. Lozynskyi is a member of the Greek Catholic Church, a part of a department generally known as Japanese Ceremony Catholicism that follows the Vatican, that’s persecuted in Russian-held components of Ukraine. He recalled the deportation of a buddy and Greek Catholic priest within the Russian-held metropolis of Melitopol for example of the suppression of Catholic congregations beneath occupation.
Greater than 100 Ukrainian pastors, politicians, army chaplains and clergymen, together with the pinnacle of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Epiphanius I, are in Washington for the prayer breakfast on Thursday and associated occasions via the week, mentioned Pavlo Unguryan, a former Parliament member organizing the Ukrainian effort.
Ukrainian Orthodox clergymen and parishes are among the many targets in japanese Ukraine. An estimated 50 clergymen in Russian-occupied territories — together with probably the most senior church official in Kherson, who refused to affix the Russian Orthodox Church — have been killed during the last three years, Metropolitan Epiphanius I mentioned in an interview. Different clergymen have been compelled to go away or to have a good time Mass in secret.
The Ukrainians additionally intend to spotlight the plight of evangelicals, mentioned Mr. Unguryan, who’s Baptist. Inside its borders, Russia has focused evangelical Christians with investigations and has arrested Jehovah Witnesses. The repression extends to occupied Ukraine.
“Ukraine is the middle of the Bible Belt of Europe,” mentioned Mr. Unguryan, and expressions of evangelical religion there at the moment are beneath menace. About a million Ukrainians attend evangelical companies weekly, he mentioned.
Russia occupies about 19 p.c of Ukrainian territory and is making gradual however regular positive factors. Ukraine is defending itself in fierce trench combating alongside an about 600-mile entrance.
“Part of this warfare is religious,” Mr. Unguryan mentioned. “It will be important for America to find out about this.”
The Ukrainians attending the prayer breakfast need to showcase the vitality of Christian church buildings within the nation, the place about 70 p.c of the inhabitants say in surveys they’re non secular.
The hassle is aimed toward swaying supporters of Mr. Trump, who has voiced skepticism concerning the Biden administration’s heavy army and monetary help to Ukraine. This week Mr. Trump mentioned continued help might be exchanged for U.S. entry to Ukrainian minerals.
Earlier non secular outreaches in the US have already yielded outcomes for Ukraine.
Final summer season, the speaker of the Home, Mike Johnson, gave a video deal with to a Christian gathering in Ukraine. Ukrainian Baptists have appealed to him for army and diplomatic help for his or her nation. Mr. Johnson is a Southern Baptist who has put his conservative Christian religion on the middle of his political profession.
Ukrainian church buildings and the nation’s Parliament have despatched delegations to the breakfast because the early 2000s, however in recent times have ramped up attendance, calling the annual go to “Ukraine Week” in Washington. In previous years, a number of dozen non secular and political leaders turned up. The bigger delegation this yr, Mr. Unguryan mentioned, is in recognition of the significance of Christianity for a lot of supporters of Mr. Trump.
“These are completely vital points which may unite Ukraine, a really conservative, Christian nation, with a really conservative, Christian America,” mentioned Mr. Unguryan, who has promoted conservative social insurance policies in Ukraine.
Ukrainian protestant pastors have volunteered extensively as army chaplains throughout the warfare, Liudmyla Filipovych, a Ukrainian scholar of faith, mentioned in an interview. Ukrainian evangelicals have opened about 100 church buildings in different European nations to offer Ukrainian-language companies to the nation’s refugees, she mentioned.
Russia beneath President Vladimir V. Putin has sidelined or banned church buildings exterior what the Kremlin has referred to as the 4 “conventional” religions — Orthodox Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. Russia is on a U.S. authorities listing of “nations of explicit concern” for limiting freedom of faith.
In occupied territory in Ukraine’s east and south, Catholic and Protestant church buildings face “threats, interrogations and arbitrary arrests,” in accordance with a report launched in January by Mission Eurasia, a gaggle selling evangelical Christianity in former Soviet States.
“The Russian occupation authorities have additionally extensively engaged in unlawful imprisonment and convictions on fabricated fees of extremism, torture and even homicide,” the report mentioned. It described cases of closing and looting church buildings, and eradicating their crosses. General, Russia’s invasion has destroyed, broken or led to the looting of a minimum of 630 non secular websites, the report mentioned.
Metropolitan Epiphanius’s go to to Washington is a part of his efforts to win worldwide recognition of his church and help from non secular leaders for its stand towards Russia. His church gained independence in 2019 from the Russian Orthodox Church, however some congregations continued to comply with the hierarchy in Moscow.
Final yr, Ukraine banned the Orthodox department aligned with the Russian Church, drawing criticism from the Kremlin and from Pope Francis. Ukrainian officers have mentioned the restrictions had been obligatory, as some clergymen served as Russian spies or inspired congregants to wish for the pinnacle of the Russian church, which has blessed the invasion.
“The Russian church has tried to dam our exercise overseas, and we try to unblock it, as a result of the church is among the most vital components for the way forward for the existence of the Ukrainian state,” Metropolitan Epiphanius, the Ukrainian church chief, mentioned in an interview in December in Rome. “We try to destroy these blocks, talking the reality, as a result of fact destroys the partitions.”
Not too long ago, he has preached that message to as many non secular leaders as he can attain. He says he talks recurrently to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the religious chief of the world’s Orthodox Christians.
With discussions swirling amongst Western officers over how you can negotiate an finish to the warfare, Metropolitan Epiphanius mentioned the result for Ukraine was unpredictable, however he left little doubt of his hopes for Ukraine’s future.
“We consider that God might create the miracle, the identical as he created a miracle for Syria, and Assad left Syria,” he mentioned. “We ask all people for the religious weapons, the prayers.”
