Those wishing to sign this letter may send their name and city/state/province/country of residence to editors@orthodoxyindialogue.com. Names will be added as quickly as possible as we receive them.

Dear Metropolitans, Archbishops, and Bishops, Member Hierarchs of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America:

[Addenda of January 24 – 1). The gravity of the situation described below is underscored all the more by the heartbreaking fact that we have begun to hear from American families of colour who have converted to the Orthodox Faith and no longer feel safe or welcome in their own Church. 2). See today’s letter to the editors here. 3). A few people who signed below have asked to have their name removed for fear of retaliation.]

[Addendum of January 25 – An SPLC-designated hate group has responded here to our Open Letter.]

Masters, bless.

At approximately 7:50 a.m. today, January 22, Arthur Hatton of St. Anne Orthodox Church (OCA) in Oak Ridge TN took the above photograph on the Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee. “The Rock” is available to students as a medium of free expression.

Mr. Hatton has given Orthodoxy in Dialogue permission to publish his photograph and his name. As a new convert to Orthodoxy he has asked the following question: “Why is a symbol of my faith being used alongside Nazi and White Nationalist symbols, and what is American Orthodoxy going to do about it?”

In various pockets of the Orthodox Church in the United States white supremacy has raised its ugly head in highly visible ways. Images of the 3-barred cross used as a weapon in physical altercations make the rounds of the news media and social media and sear themselves into the public memory. Some of our priests openly display Confederate symbols on their Facebook timelines. At least one individual studying for the priesthood in one of our Orthodox seminaries in the US posts white supremacist materials and messages under an alias on Facebook.

We, the undersigned Orthodox Christians and friends of Orthodoxy, feel that the time has come for our Church to issue a clear, unambiguous, public condemnation of white supremacy, racism, and xenophobia in all its forms as absolutely incompatible with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, with membership in the Holy Orthodox Church, and especially with membership in the sacred ranks of the clergy.

With deep respect for each of you and for your archpastoral ministries, we urge you with all our heart to issue a unified statement from the Assembly of Bishops, and to disseminate it as widely as possible in the news and social media.

Orthodoxy in Dialogue will do its part to distribute your statement to our tens of thousands of readers living in 140 nations around the planet.

Sincerely in Christ,