The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America stands with all people of goodwill in condemning the hateful violence and lamenting the loss of life that resulted from the shameful efforts to promote racial bigotry and white supremacist ideology in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Orthodox Church emphatically declares that it does not promote, protect or sanction participation in such reprehensible acts of hatred, racism, and discrimination, and proclaims that such beliefs and behaviors have no place in any community based in respect for the law and faith in a loving God.
The essence of the Christian Gospel and the spirit of the Orthodox Tradition are entirely and self-evidently incompatible with ideologies that declare the superiority of any race over another. Our God shows no partiality or favoritism (Deuteronomy 10:17, Romans 2:11). Our Lord Jesus Christ broke down the dividing wall of hostility that had separated God from humans and humans from each other (Ephesians 2:14). In Christ Jesus, the Church proclaims, there can be neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, but all are one (Galatians 3:28). Furthermore, we call on one another to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather to expose them (Ephesians 5:11). And what is darkness if not hatred? The one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness (1 John 2:11)!
Furthermore, in 1872, Hierarchs from around the world assembled in Constantinople and denounced all forms of xenophobia and phyletism. They agreed that the promotion of racial or national supremacy and ethnic bias or dissension in the Church of Christ is to be censured as contrary to the sacred teachings of the Christian Gospel and the holy canons of the Church. It is formally condemned as heresy, the strongest category of false teaching.
Finally, such actions as we have witnessed in recent days, by self-proclaimed white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and various racists and fascists, betray the core human values of love and solidarity. In this, we pray wholeheartedly for the families of those who lost their lives or suffered in these tragic events. In like manner, we cannot condone any form of revenge or retaliation by any group or individual. Therefore, we fervently appeal to every person of good will, and especially the leaders of our great nation, to consider and adopt ways of reconciling differences in order to rise above any and all discrimination in our history, our present, and our future.
The bishops of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America includes:
- Geron Archbishop Demetrios of America
- Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta
- Metropolitan Antony of the East
- Metropolitan Athenagoras of Mexico
- Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey
- Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco
- Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York
- Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver
- Metropolitan Joseph of North America
- Metropolitan Joseph of the USA, Canada, and Australia
- Metropolitan Methodios of Boston
- Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit
- Metropolitan Nikitas of Berkeley
- Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh
- Metropolitan Tikhon of America
- Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco
- Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America
- Archbishop Mark of Philadelphia
- Archbishop Melchisedek of Pittsburgh
- Archbishop Michael of New York and New Jersey
- Archbishop Nathaniel of America
- Archbishop Nicolae of the Americas
- Archbishop Nikon of New England
- Archbishop Peter of Chicago and Mid-America
- Bishop Alexander of Dallas and the South
- Bishop Alexander of Ottawa, Eastern Canada and Upstate New York
- Bishop Anthony of Toledo and the Midwest
- Bishop Antoun of Miami and the Southeast
- Bishop Basil of Wichita and Mid-America
- Bishop Daniel of the West
- Bishop David of Alaska
- Bishop Demetrios of Chicago
- Bishop Irinej of Eastern America
- Bishop John of Caracas and South Americaa
- Bishop John of Worcester and New England
- Bishop Longin of New Gracanica-Midwestern America
- Bishop Maxim of Western America
- Bishop Nicholas of Brooklyn
- Bishop Pankratij of Mexico
- Bishop Paul of Chicago and the Midwest
- Bishop Saba of North America
- Bishop Thomas of Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic
Here are some of the Bible verses in context from the Assembly's statement (Old Testament quotes are from The Orthodox Study Bible and New Testament quotes are from The Orthodox New Testament, Volume Two):
Deuteronomy 10:17-19: For the Lord your God is the God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the resident aliens, for you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt.
Galatians 3:26-29: For all are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many as were baptized into Christ, ye put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male and female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Ephesians 5:11-12: And cease having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.
1 John 2:9-11: The one who saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in the darkness until now. The one loving his brother abideth in the light, and there is not an occasion of stumbling in him. But the one hating his brother is in darkness, and walketh in the darkness, and knoweth not where he goeth, because the darkness blinded his eyes.
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