Trump-loving Ohio priest suspended from holy duties for attending ‘Stop the Steal’ rally before Capitol siege: report
A Trump-supporting priest in Ohio was suspended from his holy duties for attending the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the U.S. Capitol siege, according to a report.
The Rev. Mark Hodges, who has been a priest at St. Stephen the First Martyr Orthodox Church in Lima, Ohio, for two decades, was suspended on Jan. 12 for three months, according to The Lima News.
“The reason was that I went on the sixth and Archbishop Paul (Gassios), whom I love dearly, and respect said in his suspension letter that I was ‘guilty by association.’ And I disagree, you know, I think it’s an unjust suspension,” Hodges told the newspaper.
In a letter to his followers, Hodges described the rally as “joyful, positive and orderly,” and compared it to anti-abortion events he’d attended.
The political priest claimed he didn’t realize the event had turned bloody until he approached the Capitol with throngs of pro-Trump rioters.
“When I finally realized these guys were intending to violently antagonize the police, I went up to the police, shushed one of the yellers and thanked the police for protecting the people of Washington, D.C., and for showing restraint, and I apologized for the handful of screaming young men not showing restraint or self-control,” Hodges said in a letter partly published by The Lima News.
The holy man said he attempted to leave as cops tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas.
“The spray immediately became a white cloud in the air and we were only about 20-25 feet from it and I told Mary we should go. We left and went to Union Station,” he said.
Hodges could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
Archbishop Paul Gassios of the Diocese of the Midwest Orthodox Church in America confirmed the suspension to The Lima News.
“I will not comment on the details of the suspension as that is between myself and Father Mark to address,” Gassios said in a statement.
