The Primate of the Orthodox Church of America, Archbishop Tikhon of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, has called on the Ukrainian government to respect religious freedom. The First Hierarch noted that this request is dictated by his love and support for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He said this during his sermon after a prayer service at the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra.

“I would like to once again emphasize my fraternal love and support for his Beatitude, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the entire Ukrainian people. In this regard, while we certainly support the right and duty of your country to defend itself against the unjustified aggression of the Russian Federation, we also make a request to the civil authorities of this country to respect the freedom of religion, to comply with legitimate procedures and norms of international law. We express this request out of love for His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry, for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as well as out of love for all the Ukrainian people who are fighting to preserve their land and their freedom,” – His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon said.

We shall remind you that on June 2, 2024, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of America, Archbishop Tikhon, Metropolitan of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, held a working meeting with the permanent members of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.