Lithuania wants to secede from Moscow Patriarchate

The Prime Minister of Lithuania, Ingrida Šimonytė, wrote a letter to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I calling for the support of Lithuanian Orthodox Christians who wish to separate from Moscow Patriarchate, said PM spokeswoman Rasa Yakilaitene.

She said that public support of the war against Ukraine by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, is unacceptable to some Lithuanian Orthodox Christians. Therefore, they have the right to profess their faith "without conflict of conscience."

According to the spokeswoman, in a letter to Ecumenical Patriarch, the Lithuanian Prime Minister reaffirmed her readiness to discuss the possible role of the Lithuanian government in resuming the activity of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the country, "both, if possible, at a meeting with Patriarch I, and at the working level through the Deputy Foreign Minister."

The Prime Minister's letter was handed over to Patriarch Bartholomew on May 18.

Earlier, Lithuanian media reported that some Lithuanian Orthodox priests were preparing a separate appeal of the clergy and national communities to Patriarch Bartholomew and an appeal to the authorities to support the request.

Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine

The Church of the Moscow Patriarchate has already been banned in Konotop (Sumy Oblast) and Brovary (Kyiv Oblast). The same restriction will be considered in Ternopil Oblast. Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast calls on the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada to ban the activities of the Moscow Patriarchate Church across Ukraine.

After the Russian invasion, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, supported Russia's aggression, later gifted an icon to Rosguard Commander Viktor Zolotov, and blessed the Russian military for the war in Ukraine. In April, Patriarch Kirill delivered a speech at the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, praising Russian soldiers and questioning Ukraine's independence.

At the same time, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Onufriy, condemned the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. He expressed support for the Ukrainian military and called on Vladimir Putin to "immediately end the fratricidal war." Many UOC-MP priests stopped mentioning Patriarch Kirill as their patriarch during services.

On March 22, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine called on bishops, clergy, monasteries, and religious communities of the UOC-MC to join the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.