Patriarch Bartholomew will soon visit Lithuania to introduce the new exarch

Patriarch Bartholomew will make an official visit to Lithuania on June 6-7, 2026, during which he will present to the faithful the newly elected exarch, Bishop Panaretos of Tamis. The trip is aimed at strengthening ties with the local Orthodox community under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

According to the VEMA information resource, on May 26, the Holy Synod elected Panaretos Psaraftis, who held the office of the Great Preacher of the Great Church of Christ, as Bishop of Tamis. He was officially appointed Exarch of His Holiness the Patriarch of Constantinople in Lithuania. The solemn consecration of the new bishop was celebrated by Patriarch Bartholomew at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George in Phanar on Pentecost Sunday, May 31, 2026.

The central event of the visit will be the joint celebration of the Divine Liturgy by Patriarch Bartholomew and Bishop Panaretos on Sunday, June 7, at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Vilnius. After the service, His Holiness is scheduled to meet with representatives of the Lithuanian Orthodox community to discuss current issues of church life.

We should remind you that earlier we reported that the Lithuanian government plans to restrict the activities of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church under the pretext of combating Russian influence.