Bishop Gerasim (Popović) of Gornji Karlovac of the Serbian Orthodox Church has published a letter in support of the persecuted Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

“Our thoughts and prayers are directed to the Lord regarding the sufferings and irrational persecutions of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, where our Holy Church daily endures blows from persecutors of the true faith and those who even identify with dark forces from the depths of hell,” stated Bishop Gerasim in his letter, as reported by the Synodal Department for External Church Relations.

Bishop Gerasim referred to the persecuted hierarchs of the UOC as "new confessors of the Orthodox faith," highlighting several key figures: Metropolitans Jonathan of Tulchin and Bratslav, Pavel of Vyshgorod (abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra), Luka of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol, Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv, Arseny of Sviatohirsk, and Longin of Banche. These hierarchs are currently imprisoned or under house arrest.

“All our mentioned brothers suffer for the truth in fictitious and primarily false judicial processes and accusations, subjected to imprisonment, physical assaults, deprivation of places of prayer, and other violations of fundamental human rights,” noted Bishop Gerasim.

He called for the restoration of justice concerning the UOC and intensified prayers for the suffering Orthodox Christians in Ukraine.

“Calling for justice and love, we ask the Lord to turn the unwise persecutors of Christ and His flock, to grant peace to our Holy Church in those places where you, sparing no effort, serve God, to establish the fullness of the Church of Christ on His path, and to strengthen you, giving you the power to endure the struggle for the preservation and affirmation of faith in your ancestral lands. What is being done against you now is a systematic destruction of Orthodoxy and shameless persecution of Christ, whom you witness, confess, and love with all your heart, soul, and deeds!” Bishop Gerasim wrote in his message.