Without Pompeo: The beginning of ending world support for "OCU project"?

Michael Pompeo, Serhiy Dumenko, Petro Poroshenko. Photo: UOJ

On November 5, 2024, the world learned that Donald Trump had won the U.S. presidential race. According to many experts, this news was a cold shower for the Ukrainian authorities, as well as for representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). The reason is clear – Donald Trump’s inner circle has not only been dissatisfied with Ukraine's religious policies but has also subjected them to harsh and relentless criticism.

Trump and the UOC

For example, Senator J.D. Vance, who has already been appointed Vice President of the United States, stated that if the war leads to the destruction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), it would be a shame for the U.S. He also strongly criticized the proposed law to ban the Church.

Here’s what he said: “What about the attacks on traditional Christian communities in Ukraine? The Ukrainian parliament is considering enacting a law that would dispossess a large number of Christian churches and Christian communities in Ukraine. The U.S. is the largest Christian nation in the world. But what are the fruits of our policy? I believe, standing here, that this war will eventually lead to the displacement of a massive Christians community in Ukraine. And that will be our shame.”

Vance wasn’t the only one making such statements. For instance, Catherine Whiteford, co-chairwoman of the National Youth Republican Federation, said that the Ukrainian government had launched an attack on the UOC.

“Church seizures, arbitrary arrests, and attacks on believers have become everyday occurrences. Religious freedom is a fundamental human right. And the fact that an allied government is banning the largest religious organization on its territory should concern Americans,” Whiteford said.

Even more strongly about the persecution of the UOC spoke journalist Tucker Carlson, who is very close to Trump. In mid-March 2023, when Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture had already announced the expulsion of the UOC from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Carlson aired a whole story about the UOC.

“It’s pretty surprising because when you look at the situation, they (authorities – Ed.) are ejecting monks from the 11-century monastery, in whose caves saints are buried. You don’t see this type of behavior in liberal democracies. And so you think – those who held Zelensky out as a particular hero, who cheered him, who assured this is someone that we need to support, we need to throw our support behind, as Christians would now be questioning his particular actions, and we really don’t see that. There has been a total silence as he has begun what can in many ways be called persecution of members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Faith. So why is that silence there?” Carlson wondered.

Naturally, because of these and similar statements, the leadership of the OCU is well aware that Trump's rise to power does not bode well for Dumenko’s followers. The same goes for the Ukrainian authorities, who have launched persecutions against the Church.

Pompeo and the OCU

For this reason, former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko decided to announce that his brainchild, the OCU, was created with the direct involvement of Donald Trump: “It was with Trump – and now I can reveal this secret – that we discussed the necessity of obtaining autocephaly for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. And I want to thank him, because whenever we approached the diplomatic institutions of the United States, we always found very important support there,” said the former president.

As for Trump, Poroshenko likely made that up – this is clearly shown by the current position of the new U.S. President regarding Pompeo. But when it comes to the U.S. diplomatic institutions, which indeed played a role in the creation of the OCU, he was telling the truth. They assisted. In this context, Poroshenko’s mention of cooperation with diplomatic institutions cannot be considered a coincidence – he and his "partners" were desperately hoping that Pompeo would return to Trump’s administration (this time as U.S. Secretary of Defense), and that they wouldn’t have to answer for their actions regarding the UOC.

Recall that the OCU was created in December 2018 with the active involvement of the United States. The U.S. State Department openly and actively supported the creation of a new religious denomination in Ukraine.

Several months before the OCU received its Tomos of autocephaly, UOC-KP leader Filaret and Epifaniy Dumenko met with Joe Biden (not Trump) in the U.S., where Biden emphasized the importance of creating the future church structure. U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom Samuel Brownback and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo repeatedly expressed their support for the project.

Moreover, the first official congratulations after the OCU’s creation came from the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy. At the same time, State Department representatives Samuel Brownback and Geoffrey Pyatt visited Mount Athos and Local Churches, where they spoke to primates and hierarchs about the importance of recognizing the new Ukrainian denomination.

It is noteworthy that Mike Pompeo, before working at the State Department, was the head of the CIA. As the CIA director, he made his first visit to Turkey to discuss with Turkish intelligence services the case of Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who was then residing in the U.S., according to journalists.

Gülen was accused of orchestrating an attempt to overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. At the same time, Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) suspected that the failed coup might have also involved Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. Therefore, Pompeo’s visit to Turkey could possibly be seen as an effort to "rescue" the head of the Phanar.

It is difficult to say what the relationship between Pompeo and Patriarch Bartholomew was thereafter, but it is clear that they acted in concert on the "OCU project", which was launched in 2018. At the same time, all the details of this project were prepared long before that time. This is confirmed by archival footage from 2001, in which "Patriarch" Filaret Denysenko discusses how this "special operation" would be carried out. And since 2018 (when Pompeo became the head of the U.S. State Department), everything Filaret spoke about has become a reality.

The U.S. State Department and the OCU

The U.S. State Department openly supported the creation of the OCU, seeing it as a political tool to weaken Russia’s influence in Ukraine. On January 10, just four days after the OCU received its Tomos of autocephaly, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote that “the announcement on January 6 of autocephaly for the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine is a historic achievement at a time when Ukraine seeks to define the outlines of its own future. On this occasion, the United States once again expresses its firm support for a sovereign and independent Ukraine.”

In November 2020, Pompeo met with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in Istanbul. Pompeo's visit was seen as a clear sign of U.S. support for the OCU’s “autocephaly” and also confirmed that support for the OCU was part of U.S. strategic policy. The situation even reached the point where newspapers in Turkey began referring to the Phanar as the “U.S. Patriarchate”.

In other words, this was purely political. The State Department under Pompeo was not concerned with guaranteeing the “right” of some Ukrainians to pray in this “church” (in principle, no one was depriving them of that right), but rather with weakening the Russian Church at the pan-Orthodox level and forcing it, as well as other Churches, to be more compliant on issues that served U.S. interests. The fact that the UOC had long lived autonomously and independently from the ROC was of no interest to the State Department.

Moreover, although this is not openly stated, we can assume that the U.S. allocated significant financial resources to support organizations and programs linked to the OCU. The State Department, through USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development), provided assistance to public and religious institutions in Ukraine, likely including those that supported the “independent church structure”. These efforts included funding projects aimed at promoting “religious freedom”, which, in practice, meant promoting the OCU (as Pompeo had repeatedly stated).

Similarly, U.S.-backed platforms, such as the Voice of America, regularly published materials supporting the OCU, which influenced the international perception of this structure as a “democratic” and “progressive project” promoting the interests of an independent Ukraine.

The State Department also conducted active diplomatic work with other Orthodox countries to pressure them into recognizing the OCU. This process included contacts (read: pressure) with the governments of Greece and Cyprus, which later did, in fact, recognize the OCU.

For this reason, supporters of the “OCU project” in Ukraine understand very well that if Mike Pompeo does not enter the new administration, it could pose a serious problem for all those involved in creating the “new Ukrainian Church”, as Pompeo was the key figure in this effort. In other words, without U.S. support, the Dumenko-led structure has no future either in Ukraine or internationally.

And, it seems, this support may no longer be forthcoming.

Trump and the OCU

On November 11, Donald Trump announced that there would be no place for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley in his future administration. What does this mean for the OCU?

Firstly, a weakening of international support. Pompeo was the initiator of many diplomatic contacts with the Patriarchate of Constantinople and other Orthodox Churches, urging them to recognize Dumenko's structure. Under the new leadership, the State Department is unlikely to be interested in promoting the OCU, especially given the scandals associated with it. Dumenko himself may also be seen as too toxic for American politicians to support.

Secondly, we can assert that U.S. policy (including in relation to the OCU) may undergo significant changes. The new administration is most likely to at least adhere to a policy of non-interference in Ukraine's religious affairs. At most, it may seek to hold accountable those involved in the persecution of the UOC. We can recall the words of UOC attorney Bob Amsterdam, who warned Ukrainian authorities and legislators of potential sanctions for passing anti-church laws. Given that Amsterdam doesn't make idle threats, it’s reasonable to say that the OCU may lose external support aimed at strengthening Dumenko's position within Ukraine.

Thirdly, direct U.S. support for Dumenko's structure sent a signal to Ukrainian society (especially in the media and the Verkhovna Rada) that the OCU was a “pro-European” and “independent church” while, according to Pompeo, the UOC should be driven out of Ukraine. Now, Dumenko may need to prepare for a significant rise in opposition within Ukraine – both in the media and in government.

Fourthly, one of the key forms of U.S. support was the uncritical positive portrayal of the OCU in international media. Without the State Department’s interest in promoting Dumenko, the media support will dissipate, and we can expect the appearance of very unflattering information in the Western press about the lawlessness committed by OCU representatives and Ukrainian authorities toward the UOC.

Thus, Pompeo’s absence from the Trump administration is a signal that the OCU will face serious problems both within global Orthodoxy and within Ukraine. In any case, the situation is unlikely to improve for Serhiy Dumenko. We may soon witness a shift in rhetoric concerning the UOC from both Dumenko himself and his associates. And it will happen quickly. Because the OCU knows how to pivot. Literally, on the fly.

Read also