American Christians demand that Russian bishops be banned from participating in the National Prayer Breakfast in the United States
American Christians have appealed to the US Congress to cancel the participation of Russian bishops and pastors in the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, which will be held on 6 February 2024 with the participation of US President Donald Trump and representatives of the country’s political and religious elite.
Source: slavicsac
Slavic Sacramento received an appeal from Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking activists from Washington and other US states, in which they call on American politicians to ban a group of Russian religious leaders from entering the United States.
According to the initiator of the appeal, Yelena Skornyakova, bishops of the Russian United Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith (ROCEF) have been invited to participate in the prayer breakfast. In particular, it is known that Bishop Dmitry Shatrov, Deputy Superintending Bishop of the Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith in the North-Western Federal District of Russia, will participate.
Bishop Sergei Ryakhovsky, who heads the ROCA, is under Ukrainian sanctions for supporting Vladimir Putin’s policies. Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, and other religious leaders who have publicly supported Russia’s war against Ukraine are also under sanctions.
American believers demand that the US government take measures to restrict the activities of Russian church leaders who support Russian aggression:
‘The leaders of Russian Protestant churches not only openly support Putin’s actions in the war against Ukraine, but also actively promote the ideas of the ‘Russian world’ outside of Russia. We ask you to help stop their activities in the United States, deny them visas and ban their entry.’
The National Prayer Breakfast: Impact and History
The National Prayer Breakfast has been held in Washington since 1953. Its goal is to unite political and religious leaders in the spirit of the teachings of Jesus Christ. The event is attended by senators, congressmen, businessmen and religious leaders from different countries.
Russia also has its own analogue of the event, launched by the Evangelical Unions in 1995. Initially, it had the same name as in the United States – the National Prayer Breakfast – but was later renamed the National Spiritual Meal.
During the last such gathering in November 2023, Russian politicians spoke on the topic of ‘Uniting by Common Traditional and Moral Values’, including State Duma deputy Maria Butina, who was convicted in the United States for espionage and later deported to Russia.
American Christians are outraged by US-Russian cooperation in the religious sphere
American believers were also outraged by the fact that some US congressmen, as well as the well-known evangelist Franklin Graham (son of Billy Graham), sent video messages to the participants of the Russian Prayer Meal.
Yelena Skorniakova notes:
‘Russia officially separates the US and Russian prayer breakfasts to create the illusion of independence. At the same time, Russian politicians who support the war and propaganda take part in the events.’
This further strengthens the calls of American Christians to the authorities to reconsider relations with Russian religious organisations and prevent their participation in the US Prayer Breakfast.
The calls by American believers to the US Congress reflected growing concerns about the participation of Russian religious leaders in international events where they could promote the Kremlin’s political narratives. Despite the stated apolitical nature of the Prayer Breakfast, the participation of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Evangelical Faith, who openly support Russian aggression, has caused serious outrage among American Christians.
