Archbishop Elia of Helsinki and All Finland arrived in Vilnius on Wednesday, September 16, as part of a visit to Lithuania, where he met with Bishop Panaretos of Tamisos, Patriarchal Exarch of Lithuania, and Finland’s Ambassador to Lithuania, Jaakko Lehtovirta.
In a social media post, Archbishop Elia said Vilnius was the main destination of his journey and noted that his delegation met with Bishop Panaretos shortly after arriving in the Lithuanian capital.
The Archbishop said that he presented the Exarch with an icon of Christ Pantocrator, as well as icons with stands intended for Orthodox communities that do not have their own churches and celebrate services in other premises.
Later in the day, Archbishop Elia met with Ambassador Lehtovirta. According to the Archbishop, their discussions focused on the current situation of the Churches in Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania and Finland, as well as the impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine on those countries.
Archbishop Elia said that the participants also discussed what he described as Russian influence activities in their respective countries.
He added that Fr Sergei from Kyiv briefed those present on recent developments in the war. According to Archbishop Elia’s account, Fr Sergei expressed concern over what he described as a new phase of Russia’s military actions and its movement increasingly closer to Poland and Lithuania.
Archbishop Elia characterized the information discussed during the meeting as “deeply concerning.”
The visit is set to continue on Thursday, September 17, when Archbishop Elia and Bishop Panaretos will concelebrate the Divine Liturgy in Vilnius. The Patriarchal Exarchate of Lithuania has announced that the service will take place at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Trinapolis at 9 a.m.
According to Archbishop Elia, representatives of the Roman Catholic Church in Lithuania, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and state authorities are also expected to attend.
Photos: Secretary of the Exarchate and Deacon Andreas Salminen
