Society of St. John Responds to Archon Accusations of Foreign Allegiance
Pan-Orthodox coalition calls for retraction, apology, and dialogue after allegations of foreign influence.
NOV. 20, 2025 — A coalition of Orthodox Christians has issued a strong rebuttal to a recent statement from the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, calling the group’s accusations against clergy and faithful from multiple U.S. Orthodox jurisdictions “grave,” “unfounded,” and damaging to Orthodox unity in America.
The response, written by Catherine Whiteford of the Society of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco, rejects the Archons’ claim that participants in recent Washington, D.C., meetings acted as “lobbyists” or “agents” of the Russian state. The organizers insist the meetings were undertaken independently by American citizens advocating for religious freedom and human rights amid escalating pressure on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).
"The organizers of this event, including myself, organized and executed this event on our own dime, solely in pursuit of upholding the human rights we all hold dear," the statement reads.
The statement faults the Archons for factual errors, including conflating the canonical UOC with the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), and for repeating unsupported allegations about violence in Ukraine. It further warns that branding fellow Orthodox Christians as foreign agents harms both individuals and the broader credibility of Orthodoxy in the United States. From the Society's release:
Furthermore, the statement repeats demonstrably false allegations concerning events in Ukraine, including claims that the UOC—whose churches and clergy have been subjected to police raids, mass arrests, physical violence, and expropriation—has been “targeting and killing” members of the OCU. No credible evidence supports this assertion, and it contradicts the findings of independent human-rights monitors, journalists, and even officials in the U.S. government.
Saying that this rhetoric against fellow Orthodox Christians in America inflicts real damage on the unity and credibility of the Church here in the U.S., the statement points out that the Archons' statement — which was also reposted and publicized by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Orthodox Observer — also slanders Greek Orthodox Christians themselves who "participated honorably in these meetings as American citizens concerned for religious liberty and peace — not as representatives of any government."
To close the statement, the Society requested three particular items of action:
- That the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate immediately withdraw their statement
and correct its factual inaccuracies. - That His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros issue a public apology to the canonical
Orthodox Churches of America whose clergy and faithful were unjustly maligned. - That the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America commit to multilateral dialogue with her sister
jurisdictions, grounded in mutual respect rather than coercion, public denouncement, or political
slander.
"Our goal is not polemic but healing," the statement concludes. "The Orthodox faithful in America — Greek, Antiochian, Serbian, Russian, Romanian, OCA, and others — must stand together in truth, charity, and integrity. The path forward lies not in accusation, but in honesty, repentance, and open cooperation."
Previously, UOJ reported that the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate published a shocking statement on Wednesday, accusing members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of "killing" members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).
