A priest from the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) has been suspended from all priestly functions after it was revealed that he attended the pro-Trump rally in Washington DC on January 6 that turned into a violent insurrection-attempt against the U.S. Capitol.
Fr. Mark Hodges, a priest who was serving a parish in Dayton, Ohio, had been sharing numerous pro-Trump and anti-Biden messages on his personal social media pages and encouraging his faithful to attend the rally. He has since deleted most of the messages as a backlash unfolds in the OCA.
In one post, he suggested that the rally would be a “Second American Revolution.”
Numerous videos, including this one, show the priest taking part in the march. Faithful concerned with the priest’s rhetoric reported the matter to church authorities.
One parishioner from the parish, speaking to The Pappas Post on the condition we do not reveal her name for fear of retribution to her family, said “Yes, it was about attending this violent insurrection that took place against our democracy, but more so what bothered a lot of us was his rhetoric on his Facebook page. He worshipped Trump more than he did our Savior. It was alarming.”
A post from December 31, 2020 on Hodges’ Facebook page which hasn’t been deleted yet, encourages faithful to attend the march and contains strong language against President-elect Joe Biden and his incoming administration, while praising the Trump as “the most pro-life President in American history.”
The suspended priest also quoted a Tweet from President Trump that told supporters “Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!”
Suggesting, perhaps, that God was on his side, Hodges also stated in his post that “I would also note that January 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany. I never count The Holy Trinity or Our Lady out.”
A 12/31 Facebook post by the now-suspended priest encouraging his followers to attend the January 6 rally
The Orthodox Church in America, which evolved from Russian roots, has strict guidelines prohibiting clergy from taking political positions on social media. According to OCA’s Social Media Guidelines “Clergy should refrain from making political statements, joining political groups, or ‘becoming fans’ of particular political candidates or political causes on social network sites.”
According to an official statement from the OCA’s Diocese of the Midwest, Hodges, who had a rank of an archpriest in the church, was “suspended from all priestly functions, effective January 12, 2021.”
Metropolitan Tikhon, head of the Orthodox Church in America, had issued a statement condemning the events on January 6.
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16 comments
“Faithful concerned with the priest’s rhetoric”? You spelled “Butthurt democrat wusses” wrong, Pappas press. The rhetoric of the unidentified parishioner in and of itself indicates this. I don’t know of anyone but Democrats who talk about people “worshipping” Trump as her quote in this article indicates.
There are plenty of conservatives who are vocal about the dangers of “worshipping” any politician, including Donald Trump. Read Rod Dreher’s article about the Jericho march. To reduce the Church to any ideology is blasphemous. And for a priest to participate in insurrection and weaponize social media in this fashion (while brandishing his status as priest) violates the purpose of the priesthood. May God have mercy on us all.
There wa no insurrection talk and no calls for it by the president. That is a Leftist lie.
Of course you dont know anyone but democrats who claim that your kind worship trump. Because you’re too brainwashed and can’t see yourselves. You are all trump ass kissers. sleep on it
I am a Libertarian Monarchist who hasn’t voted Redemopublicratican since 1996. Thee is dismissed.
There is no crime in attending a presidential rally as there is no crime attending a BLM march as archbishop Elpidoforos did. Pappas we all know that you are a leftist and hate Trump but you should at least be fair.
Perhaps you should direct your ire and anger to the Diocese that sacked him. I don’t make the news, I only publish it. Get a life, loser.
Mike, you are a loser, as Gregory says. There is crime attending a rally that perpetuates a lie, such as the “election was stolen”. The archbishop, a very good man, who makes us proud, did the right thing in participating in a peaceful march for justice.
Mike, you are a loser, as Gregory says. There is crime attending a rally that perpetuates a lie, such as the “election was stolen”. The archbishop, a very good man, who makes us proud, did the right thing in participating in a peaceful march for justice.
Dont let these Trump minions stop you from publishing the truth. They are brainwashed morons and losers. They are cultists. And there are plenty of them in Greek Orthodox churches also. I’ve had it with my church. But, I use the email lists of members to expose pro-Trump doings in my church. Even from our priest, who, even though never mentioned trump’s name, he gave sermons and said “all lives matter”, he called the protesters against police abuse “un-Christian”, he parroted trump’s sermon on statues and he never said anything against the Capitol rioters. Christians forget what Christ taught. If Christ was around today, they would deride him as a socialist.
Mike Karp: are you 14 years old?
Do you know anything about American history ?
Are you another stupid Greek from the old village who never reads books?
No – you’re typical brainwashed liberal who lets the
lying CNN leftist media and Zuckerberg dictate your beliefs. That’s who you worship hypocrite
Mike, you are a loser, as Gregory says. There is crime attending a rally that perpetuates a lie, such as the “election was stolen”. The archbishop, a very good man, who makes us proud, did the right thing in participating in a peaceful march for justice.
The church should not be involved in politics whatsoever. If a priest can be removed from his duties the Archbishop should also for voicing political affiliations and beliefs. Religious leaders should keep their comments to themselves and lead the faithful only.
God bless ARI here for speaking truth!
Yes indeed, Archbishop Elps should also be
removed as AB for his slobbering Leftism which
is his true religion, not Jesus Gospel!
He is seriously Anathema to Orthodoxy.
Never have we seen an AB taking sides politically,
especially to side with Anti Christian Democrat platform?? Unbelievable stupidity.
AB Elpidoforos a non stop embarrassment,
a total lightweight who knows nothing of USA,
a Judas Betrayer who needs to step down ASAP
Nonetheless, I and my fellow Marines
fought for America’s right to Free Speech,
the First Amendment.
How dare the EGL (Evil Godless Left)
contaminate and censor its people for a
corrupt agenda!
The core reason priests are not allowed to express political opinions and differences is the threat of having their religious organization tax exemption revoked. This deeply compromises their ability to lead their “flock.” Mark Hodges was within his rights and following the dictates of his conscience (Russian DO believe that your conscience is the Voice of God). Dismissing him sets a poor example for any seminarian and for that matter any Orthodox worshipper. How does OCA and ROCOR expect any meaningful growth of its mission when it stifles its leadership and membership? The Covid hoax has emptied the Churches because there was no protest or clarification of all the falsehoods connected to this co-called pandemic. Persecution is from within as well as without. When the government bailouts stop the Church will likely also close its doors – permanently. History confirms this to us since the pattern is similar to the ROC under Soviet Russia.
Archbishop Elpidophoros should also be removed, as he attended a BLM gathering in the midst of a pandemic in which we are supposed to be socially distancing. The hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance must make these Leftists unable to sleep at night!