A Hierarch of the Lithuanian Church: Ukraine’s experience regarding the rights of believers is not a model for Lithuania

Bishop Ambrose of Trakai, vicar of the Vilnius Diocese of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church, sharply criticized attempts to use Ukraine’s experience in the religious sphere as a model for Lithuanian legislation. The bishop emphasized that the situation in Ukraine cannot be considered a model of respect for the rights of believers.

During a press conference held at the Cathedral of the Purification in Vilnius, Bishop Ambrose expressed deep concern that some Lithuanian politicians are seeking to transplant the experience of the Ukrainian religious conflict onto Lithuanian soil. He noted that anti-church legislative initiatives in Lithuania are often justified by references to threats to national security; however, these accusations are not supported by any real facts.

The clergy’s urgent appeal was prompted by two bills introduced in the Lithuanian Seimas. The bills would strip the Lithuanian Orthodox Church of its status as a traditional religious community and seize a number of its properties, including ancient churches and the Holy Spirit Monastery.

As a reminder, we previously reported that representatives of the diocese of the Patriarchate of Constantinople operating in Lithuania had once again complained about the activities of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. In the Phanar’s Lithuanian Exarchate, officials claim that the Lithuanian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate is misleading believers from Ukraine who “do not understand ideological affiliations.”