Orthodox Christian TV
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OPAC founders describe direct aid to persecuted Christians worldwide
9:17
What the video says
Nick explains how he, Andrew Veniopoulos, and George Gigicos founded the Orthodox Public Affairs Committee (OPEC) after the Turkish government converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque. They wanted to make noise about daily Christian persecution worldwide.
OPEC assists persecuted communities directly, such as helping a Middle Eastern priest build a wall around his church and educate both Christian and Muslim children, and smuggling Bibles into restricted countries. They have documented atrocities including a woman in Africa beaten and beheaded for refusing to renounce Christ, and a Catholic priest in Nigeria tied to a tree, beaten, and beheaded with his collar left on his body in 2025.
The organization never solicits funds but receives unsolicited donations, including large checks from anonymous trusts. Nick emphasizes defending religious freedom for all faiths and recalls Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew telling Pope Francis at the Holy Sepulchre that martyrs' blood in the Middle East makes no distinction between Catholic and Orthodox.
Key moments
- Founding of OPEC triggered by Turkish government converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque
- Formation of nonprofit to make noise about daily Christian persecution worldwide
- Direct assistance to persecuted communities including Middle Eastern priest needing church wall and education for Christian and Muslim children
- Smuggling Bibles into restricted countries and protecting identities of those helped
- Video evidence of woman in Africa beaten and beheaded for refusing to renounce Christ
- Unsolicited donations received including $100,000 checks from anonymous trusts
- Catholic priest in Nigeria tied to tree, beaten, and beheaded with collar left on body in 2025
- Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew tells Pope Francis at Holy Sepulchre that martyrs' blood makes no distinction between Catholic and Orthodox
Nick Furris explains how he, Andrew Veniopoulos, and George Gigicos founded the Orthodox Public Affairs Committee after the Turkish government converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque. The organization was created to make noise about daily Christian persecution worldwide. OPAC assists persecuted communities directly. One example involved helping a Middle Eastern priest build a wall around his church and educate both Christian and Muslim children.
The group also smuggles Bibles into restricted countries and protects the identities of those they help. Furris describes documented atrocities including a woman in Africa beaten and beheaded for refusing to renounce Christ, and a Catholic priest in Nigeria tied to a tree, beaten, and beheaded with his collar left on his body in 2025.
The organization never solicits funds but receives unsolicited donations, including checks for $100,000 from anonymous trusts. Furris emphasizes defending religious freedom for all faiths, not only Christians. He recalls Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew telling Pope Francis at the Holy Sepulchre that martyrs' blood in the Middle East makes no distinction between Catholic and Orthodox.
Main points
- Founding triggered by Turkish conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque
- Direct assistance includes church construction, education, and Bible smuggling
- Documented atrocities include beheadings in Africa and Nigeria in 2025
- Unsolicited donations received including $100,000 checks from anonymous trusts
- Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew stated martyrs' blood makes no Catholic-Orthodox distinction