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American Pastor Faces Deportation From Russia After Calling for Prayer for Trump
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A municipal court in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, has ordered the deportation of American pastor Paul Gione. Authorities claim he violated regulations governing missionary activity after he called on worshippers to pray for US President Donald Trump.
The ruling was reported by the Siberia.Realities project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on June 18.
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According to the case materials, police drew up an administrative protocol against Gione on May 30 under legislation regulating freedom of conscience, religion, and religious organizations.
Authorities said the case stemmed from an event held on May 23 in a church building in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, where Gione delivered a lecture on religion and urged attendees to pray for Donald Trump in the presence of individuals not affiliated with the church.
The court said evidence in the case included an audio recording secretly made by two attendees, which was later handed over to Russia’s Center for Countering Extremism . The ruling also stated that the pastor’s lecture drew the attention of visitors who were not members of the congregation and who later showed interest in the teachings.
Gione, however, said he had traveled to the Russian city as a tourist and attended the church service at the invitation of another pastor. He stated that during the service he spoke about the practice in the United States of praying for political leaders and suggested that congregants pray for Trump.
His defense argued that the deportation order should be overturned, noting that Gione has visited the region for nearly 30 years on charitable missions, including work with orphanages. The defense also said he has raised eight children, five of whom were adopted in Russia.
Gione is currently being held in a temporary detention center for migrants and is expected to be deported after August 27. The court also imposed a fine of around $400.
Earlier, Bulgaria has expressed reservations about elements of the European Union’s proposed 21st sanctions package against Russia, Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported.
According to the report, Sofia is specifically opposed to the inclusion of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill on the EU sanctions list.
The European Commission unveiled the 21st sanctions package on June 9, with adoption expected by the end of July, BNR correspondent Angelina Piskova reported from Brussels.
The Commission has proposed sanctioning Patriarch Kirill over his continued backing of Russia’s war against Ukraine. However, BNR said Bulgaria intends to block or prevent the Russian Orthodox leader from being added to the blacklist.
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