PHOTO: Artistic rendition of the atmosphere in the Oval Office…
ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ
Bartholomew was forced to admit at the end of his press briefing (the first such press briefing in six visits in the U.S.): “I make mistakes, Ι am not infallible – even the Pope who says he is infallible makes mistakes!!.” (minute 31:10 of this video, which we posted before).
By Helleniscope’s Editorial Team
It is becoming increasingly clear that the story first reported by the Union of Orthodox Journalists (spzh.eu) about J.D. Vance’s clash with Patriarch Bartholomew in the Oval Office (in our report two days ago – link here) is true. Why? Because it fits perfectly with Vance’s long-standing support for religious freedom, one of the several issues where the Ohio senator has broken ranks with the Washington establishment.
Vance has spoken repeatedly about the persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC – under Metropolitan Onufriy). He was also one of the very few American leaders who took seriously the warnings of attorney Robert Amsterdam, counsel to Metropolitan Onufriy’s Church, when he appeared in Washington.
PHOTO: Lawyer Robert Amsterdam was interviewed by Tucker (link here).
Robert Amsterdam: The Lawyer Who Brought the UOC to Washington
Robert Amsterdam is no lightweight. A Canadian-born international lawyer, he has defended political dissidents in Russia, Turkey, Latin America, and Africa. Since 2023, he has been the lead counsel for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under Metropolitan Onufriy. In that role, Amsterdam launched the #SaveTheUOC campaign, blanketing Washington and European capitals with documentation of church seizures, intimidation of clergy, and discriminatory laws passed by the Zelensky government.
He formally testified before Congress and met lawmakers in private, warning that Ukraine was “trampling religious liberty in the name of security.” While most of official Washington looked the other way, J.D. Vance listened. Among the few to support Amsterdam, Vance highlighted that religious freedom is a fundamental human right—and a cornerstone of America’s global message. That connection explains why, when Bartholomew entered the Oval Office, Vance was armed with the arguments and the evidence to pin him down.
Amsterdam’s voice has also reached the broader American public through appearances on Tucker Carlson’s show and other media. His blunt advocacy has made him a marked man in Kyiv, but a respected ally for the embattled UOC faithful.
PHOTO: Artistic rendition of the atmosphere in the Oval Office…
The Oval Office Showdown
So when Patriarch Bartholomew arrived in Washington for his sixth official visit to the United States, the stage was already set. He first had a short audience with President Trump. But the fireworks began in the follow-up with J.D. Vance.
According to Ukrainian analyst Konstantin Bondarenko, broadcast in Kyiv and picked up by spzh.eu, the exchange was direct and brutal:
Verbatim from Bondarenko (19:00–20:40 minute mark – here is the full interview, it has English subtitles):
“J.D. Vance is a well-known supporter of religious freedom. And Patriarch Bartholomew was clearly informed that Ukraine exists, the Ukrainian issue exists, there is persecution of the Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. He [Bartholomew] tried to somehow protest and talk about… he found nothing better than to appeal to the Holodomor and Stalin’s repressions. But allegedly, according to my information, they asked Bartholomew for a report on his relationship with Mike Pompeo, on Pompeo’s involvement in the creation of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine and the taming of the Tomos. And they named a specific amount, which the Tomos cost and which the Ecumenical Patriarch received.”
The Patriarch, caught off guard, had no real answer. Invoking the Holodomor (Ukrainian Holocaust) and Stalin’s crimes against Ukrainians was tone-deaf, irrelevant to the brutal reality facing believers today. Meanwhile, the Americans wanted specifics: Pompeo’s fingerprints, the backroom arrangements, and even the financial price tag of the Tomos.
No wonder that after the Oval Office confrontation, as Bondarenko described, there was panic in Kyiv.
The panic is even more understandable: It is clear that Putin and Lavrov, in the meeting in Alaska, explained to Trump and J.D.Vance that their first and foremost conditions for any peace or ceasefire deal in Ukraine would be the protection of religious rights and of the Russian language – understandably so. Without guarantees for human rights, why would they agree to anything else when their military is bound to overrun the Ukrainian forces before long? Russian leadership has been consistently explaining the same about human rights for a very long time – at least since 2014.
PHOTO: At the press briefing….
Why This Visit Was Different
This was the sixth time Bartholomew had traveled to America. But, as far as we remember (and we asked many), never before did he hold a formal press briefing. Never before did he feel the need to spend over half an hour with handpicked Greek journalists to justify every step of his Ukrainian policy. Why now? Because the confrontation with Vance had left him exposed. And he was very likely advised by Karloutsos to do so, to perform “damage control”.
And in his desperate effort to soften the blow, Bartholomew let slip an astonishing admission: “I make mistakes, Ι am not infallible – even the Pope who says he is infallible makes mistakes!!.” (minute 31:10 of this video, which we posted before). This, from the very Patriarch whose lieutenants have been trumpeting the doctrine of Primus sine paribus—a papal claim to supremacy cloaked in Orthodox vestments.
The irony deepens: back in New York, the Archons under Karloutsos are preparing to honor Mike Pompeo on October 12. The same Pompeo, whose intrigues in Ukraine are now in the spotlight. This is not diplomacy; it is open defiance of Trump, just as he maneuvers after Alaska to impose peace in Ukraine.
And yet the Greek press corps remains silent. Not a word about the Oval Office clash. They pretend they did not hear anything… One of them stated without shame that “Bartholomew came out of the meeting unharmed” when it is known that Bartholomew was clearly “body-slammed” by JD Vance, who also did the same to Zelesnky last February!! But in general, the so-called “journalists” remain silent – and their silence itself is proof. They know the meeting was a humiliation for Bartholomew, a moment when the real, human costs of his Ukrainian adventure were dragged into the light.
At Helleniscope, we have long warned: Bartholomew’s reckless entanglement in Ukraine would end in disaster. We were not alone in warning him. A top Greek diplomat with detailed knowledge of the Ukrainian situation had warned him in IN WRITING about the likelihood of violence!! Bartolomew ignored the warnings, got the money, and went ahead!! This is why we repeat that “He has blood in his hands”!! When history is written, he will be damned forever… A preview of this came in the Oval Office, when a senator from Ohio and now the V.P., J.D. Vance, plainspoken and unflinching, dared to speak of the persecuted faithful, the deep state machinations of Mike Pompeo, and the corrupt bargains behind the Tomos.
September 20, 2025, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
I do not believe anything they say anymore. The reality show… who gets what behind closed doors. He says, she says…yeah.
So, the supposed leader of Orthodox Christian across the globe, needed to be informed that there was a major persecution taking place in his own Orthodox Church. Furthermore. the Patriarch was asked if he received money from Mike Pompeo to create the schismatic Ukranian faith organization. JD Vance sees this as the reason why there is a persecution of Metropolitan Onuphrius’ canonical Orthodox Church. The schismatic entity is being used as a battering ram against the Canonical Ukranian Church which represents Russian influence to the globalists. So the religious leader of all us Orthodox was put in the uncomfortable position of having to defend the indefensible. How could the First among equals(or the first without equals as some believe) publicly admit it was commendable to attack the Orthodox Church? You would need humility to admit that you gave the Tomos supposedly legalizing the schismatics who are conducting the persecution of God’s canonical Church. Humility is in short supply at the Phanar.
Post Script
I’m wondering if Vice President Vance knows that Patriarch Bartholomew is going to give an award to Mike Pompeo.
The opening statement at the awards ceremony might be: “We gather here this evening to thank Mr. Pompeo for the immeasurable help he has given us in our project to destroy the Orthodox Church We have come a long way to achieving that goal, thanks to the tireless efforts of Mr. Pompeo. And to my dear Orthodox children, don’t fret dear ones, there are many other ways to get to heaven. The Orthodox Church is only one of many. We are all equal to one another. Trust me. I am your first without equals”.
Well stated!