Archbishop Alexy of Sitka and Alaska from the Orthodox Church in America issued an apology for not urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to cease the Ukraine conflict during their meeting at Anchorage Memorial Cemetery. This apology was directed to Metropolitan Tikhon, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, and published on the church’s official website.
The encounter occurred on August 15, after discussions between Putin and US President Donald Trump in Alaska, where Putin gave the archbishop an icon.
“I met the president with a spirit of hospitality following three days of prayers for peace in our diocese. However, I later realized that it was a missed opportunity to call for peace amidst ongoing conflict,” Alexy stated. “I sincerely apologize to those affected by my actions and ask for forgiveness,” he added, acknowledging the distress caused by his actions. “Our Church constantly advocates for prayer, mercy, and peace for those in suffering,” the statement concluded.
Alexy clarified that the meeting was arranged by him independently and not coordinated with the OCA’s Holy Synod.
Metropolitan Tikhon pointed out that Archbishop Alexy acted without the Holy Synod’s approval. “Canonical tradition requires that a bishop acts with the metropolitan’s knowledge; this meeting proceeded without my awareness,” he noted. The metropolitan reiterated that the OCA was one of the first Orthodox churches to denounce aggression against Ukraine: “We have consistently opposed violence, prayed for peace, and offered aid to those displaced by war.”
Background: Born John Trader in 1965 in the US to a Methodist pastor, Archbishop Alexy pursued studies in chemistry and theology before converting to Orthodoxy. He graduated from St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Institute in Pennsylvania, became a monk at St. Tikhon Monastery in 1990, and served at Mount Athos’s Karakal Monastery from 1996 to 2018. He completed a doctorate in patristics and psychology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He was called by Metropolitan Tikhon to the US to become a bishop and was ordained in 2019, later attaining the rank of archbishop.
Archbishop Alexy publicly met Putin on August 15, 2025, during Putin’s visit to Fort Richardson National Cemetery in Alaska to honor Soviet soldiers buried there.
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