/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/6009b969fc76eae93c745058/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=6720&cropY1=73&cropY2=3853&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "Ohio Priest Suspended After Attending Pro-Trump Rally Before Capitol Siege")
Topline
An Orthodox priest from Ohio has been suspended from “all priestly functions” for attending the protest that preceded the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, as those linked to the violent events face legal and professional consequences.
Pro-Trump protestors climb scaffolding outside of the U.S. Capitol during a clash with police in … [+]
The Washington Post via Getty Images
Key Facts
Rev. Mark Hodges, who is an archpriest attached to St. Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church in Greene County, Ohio, was issued a three-month suspension from his role on Jan. 12, local Ohio newspaper Journal-News reported Thursday.
Hodges told the newspaper that the suspension was a direct result of his participation in the rally, whose participants later stormed the Capitol complex in an effort to stop Congress’ certification of President Biden’s win, though Hodges said he did not go inside the Capitol building.
“All I wanted to do was yell, ‘Stop the Steal!’ outside where Congress was meeting,” Hodges wrote in a message to friends that he shared with the newspaper.
The priest had called for others to be “on the front lines in the Second American Revolution, where you fought to save the Republic” in a December Facebook post.
Hodges told the Journal-News that the leader of the Diocese of the Midwest, which encompasses 21 parishes in Ohio, directly notified him of his suspension, which he deemed “unjust.”
Hodges could not immediately be reached by Forbes and the Diocese of the Midwest did not respond to a request for comment.
Crucial Quote
“My beloved bishop had questioned the wisdom of a priest attending,” said Hodges. “I think part of the problem is I viewed that Stop the Steal rally as expressing extreme concern over voter fraud allegations in the 2020 election.”
Key Background
Hodges is not alone in suffering professional repercussions for his involvement in pro-Trump demonstrations that day. Multiple rioters were fired by their employers in the days following the attack, including the 52-year-old chief executive of Illinois-based data analytics firm Cognesia, who was terminated after charging the Capitol, and a Maryland printing company employee, who was fired after photos of the siege showed he was wearing his work ID badge. Federal authorities have charged roughly 100 people so far in connection to the riots.
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