Eastern Orthodox Bishops Witness to the Sanctity of Life

This past Wednesday bishops from the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and the Self-Ruled Antiochian Archdiocese in North America gathered to speak and march in Washington, D.C. for the annual March for Life. The march brings tens of thousands of mostly young people to the National Mall on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that swept aside state prohibitions on abortion. Participating bishops included His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington, D.C. and Metropolitan of All America and Canada, Archbishop Nathaniel, Bishop Melchisedek, Bishop Michael, and Bishop Mark from the OCA and Bishop John representing the Antiochians. The Orthodox marchers also included students from St. Vladimir’s and St. Tikhon’s Orthodox seminaries, notable Orthodox public speaker and writer Frederica Mathewes-Green and other Orthodox Christians. That evening, Met. Tikhon gave the benediction for the annual March for Life Rose Dinner.

On January 19th, Sanctity of Life Sunday, Met. Tikhon issued a letter calling all Orthodox Christians to the cause of protecting the unborn. He writes:

Proclaiming and upholding the sanctity and miracle of life is a sacred calling, one that lies at the heart of who we are as Orthodox Christians. Indeed, it is our ability to feed, clothe, visit, and minister to all of human life which will provide our defense at the dreadful and awesome second coming of our Lord. It is a calling that involves obligations and responsibilities for the common good of all mankind, beginning with the lowest, least and weakest amongst us. And, at the very heart of this calling is the challenge to share, in “truth and love,” the reality that human beings—in the womb, beyond the tomb, and at every point in between—reflect the glory of God. Hence, we strive not only to work to change laws that are contrary to the teaching of our Lord, or that treat life as just another “expendable commodity,” but to purify hearts and minds to embrace the God Who is Love, Life and Existence Itself and Who invites us to become partakers of His divine nature.