EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). Yesterday’s “unbelievable” post, regarding the “law” signed by Gov. Hochul in NY giving unconstitutional and unlawful privileges to the GOARCH and its Archbishop, already exposed the arrogance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s hierarchs. Today, we see it in one more outrageous form: the plan to sell and demolish the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Somerset, New Jersey, a place built with the love, labor, and sacrifice of the diaspora, is nothing short of betrayal. This property includes a school and a musum!! But Bartholomew wants to sell it!!
These so-called “Orthodox” hierarchs are not concerned at all with doing Christ’s work or strengthening the Orthodox communities. They ignore the living needs of the faithful, they shun dialogue, and they disdain the people who have built this heritage. Their only focus is money, money, money — a $20–70 million land deal dangled before them like thirty pieces of silver.
The cries of “Shame!” from the Ukrainian community were not just emotional — they were prophetic. This is not leadership; it is outright exploitation.
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Church of Constantinople plans to sell Ukrainian cultural center in USA
The church leadership plans to sell and demolish the center in Somerset, built with community funds. The land is valued between $20 and $70 million.
The Ukrainian Cultural Center in Somerset, New Jersey, one of the most important symbols of Ukrainian presence in teh USA, is under threat of sale and demolition. The cultural complex belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the United States (under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate). However, the center and the museum themselves were built with funds from the diaspora community, Ukrainians in the USA.
On September 18, 2025, a zoning hearing was held in Franklin Township, where the Ukrainian Cultural Center is located. Hundreds of Ukrainians actively participated in the process, and due to the large number of their questions, the hearing did not even reach the end of the first stage. The meeting was postponed to November 6, at 7:00 PM, in a larger venue.
The head of the UOC in the USA, Archbishop Antony Scherba, and Archbishop Daniel Zelinsky of Pamphylia were present at the hearing. The church leadership hastily left the meeting, avoiding dialogue with the community, which demanded explanations. The departing hierarchs were seen off with cries “Shame!” According to activists, the land under the center is valued at between $20 and $70 million.
The church leadership claims plans to sell and demolish the center, citing a lack of resources and community absence. However, activists note that this is not true. The center hosts a Ukrainian school, operates community organizations, and has patrons and volunteers ready to provide financial and organizational support.
A petition to preserve the center has gathered over 2,600 signatures, and video campaigns have been viewed by at least 300,000 people.
Recall, in January 2019, Bishop Daniel Zelinsky stated that Local Churches would recognize the OCU within a month or a month and a half.
I wonder if the recent visit of the “one without equals” has something to do with the decision to sell the center. Is this why he came? To eye real estate from OCs under his jurisdiction to be sold, without even bother to meet those people?
It is quite likely that some private meetings between old Bart and Ukrainian-American leaders took place and this explains partly the “Slava Ukraini” shouts at the Zelensky-Bartholomew meeting. Bartholomew worships only one God: money.
What is interesting to me is that this looks very similar to the stealing of the churches in Ukraine. The majority of Ukrainians do not want their churches transferred to a different “church”. I have been reading that over there, some of the churches are transferred to the state and they are talking about selling them. Furthermore, even before they succeed in banning UOC, they are already talking about selling UOC properties. “Shame” is the right word for it. Greeks and everyone else, really need to up their game and greet Barto with the word “Shame” in greek, everywhere he goes, and chase him away, just like these people in the video did.
The Ukrainians have nobody but themselves to blame. Im their hatred for Mother Russia, they thought that by hitching their wagon to the EP, it would all work out to their advantage.
Boy, were they wrong.
You hit the nail on the head, George! (Next will be the Carpatho-Russians under the EPC…they’ll get the rug pulled out from under them, too.)
Very likely.
More on the schismatics OCU visit on Mt. Athos:
https://uoj.news/en/news/85313-pat-bartholomew-asks-mt-athos-to-receive-ocu-primate