The Orthodox Church of Lithuania appears determined to seek more independence from Moscow as it condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
As Metropolitan Innokentiy of Vilnius and Lithuania said in a statement which was published by lrt.lt, “the position of the Orthodox Church in Lithuania remains unchanged: we strongly condemn Russia’s war against Ukraine and pray to the Lord to end it as soon as possible.”
“As you have probably already noticed, Patriarch Kirill and I have a different political view and perception of the current events. His political statements about the war in Ukraine are his personal views. We in Lithuania do not agree with that,” he said.
“I sincerely want to say that we, the Orthodox Christians in Lithuania, have the opportunity to decide freely on the internal affairs of the Church, and we will fight for even greater independence, believing that the Lord will give it to us in due course,” said the Metropolitan of Vilnius and Lithuania.
“We live in a free, democratic country. Lithuania is not Russia. It is a different country, a different society, with its own spiritual and moral identity,” he added.
“Although we are a minority, with just over 3,000 active parishioners throughout Lithuania, Orthodox Christians are an integral part of society, citizens of their country, who freely practice their religion,” he continued.
The parishioners of the Church, the Metropolitan of Vilnius and Lithuania said in his announcement, are honest and humble people who have worked diligently for many years for the good of the country of Lithuania, and have contributed to the creation of a free Lithuania.
The Metropolitan of Vilnius stressed that the Lithuanian Orthodox Church supported the people of the country when they defended the independence of their country.
“I wonder if those who write and speak about us if they know anything about Orthodox Christians. They have attended the liturgies in the Lithuanian Orthodox Churches, they have heard how and for what the Orthodox pray?”, he noted.
“At every service, Orthodox Christians pray for our country, Lithuania, its government, its army, and its people. And today we are also praying for an end to this bloody war, for the dead soldiers, for peace to reign in Ukraine, for the suffering people of Ukraine. We pray and empathize with them.”
He concluded that the Orthodox Christians would remain faithful to Lithuania, would preserve the unity of the people regardless of their ethnic or religious identity, would pray for the people of Ukraine, and would help the refugees.
