The Lithuanian Prime Minister supported her compatriots who want to secede from the Moscow Patriarchate.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte wrote a letter to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. She expressed support to the government for the desire of part of the Orthodox in Lithuania to secede from the ROC.
This is reported by Delfi with reference to the press secretary of the Prime Minister Ras Jakilaitene.
“Public support of the Moscow Patriarch Kirill of Russia's war against Ukraine is unacceptable for a part of the Orthodox in Lithuania, therefore, in the opinion of the Prime Minister, it is natural that the Orthodox in Lithuania have the right to profess their faith without a conflict of conscience,” the message says.
Simonyte announced her readiness to discuss the possible role of the Lithuanian government in the resumption of the activities of the Patriarchate of Constantinople on the territory of Lithuania, as well as “if possible” to meet with Bartholomew.
In the letter, the Prime Minister notes that Orthodoxy is the second largest traditional religious denomination in Lithuania. In addition, the Orthodox community in the country is growing rapidly, as more than 50,000 refugees from Ukraine have settled in the country.
Earlier, the head of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church, subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Innokenty fired several Orthodox priests when they decided to convert to the Patriarchate of Constantinople with a request to join it.
Earlier it was reported that in the Kyiv region, servants of the Moscow Patriarchate helped the enemy during the occupation.
