Believers of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church are protesting against legislative initiatives by the Seimas aimed at confiscating church property

Orthodox believers in Lithuania have strongly protested against bills currently under consideration in the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, which could lead to the confiscation of church property and a change in the status of religious organizations. According to the Vilnius-Lithuanian Diocese, on November 8, 2026, meetings were held in a number of parishes, and participants sent official appeals to lawmakers and the country’s leadership.

The registration of two bills providing for the transfer of the Holy Spirit Monastery and a number of ancient churches to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople has become a cause for serious concern among the faithful. Furthermore, the initiatives suggest the possibility of removing the Lithuanian Orthodox Church (LOC) from the list of traditional religious communities in Lithuania, which parishioners view as a gross violation of their rights.

In the adopted documents, the faithful emphasized their firm intention to remain within the LOC and categorically rejected the possibility of transferring to another ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Participants in the meetings also expressed their full support for Metropolitan Innokenty of Vilnius and Lithuania, reaffirming their trust in the Primate regarding the preservation of the Church’s unity and canonical order. Previously, similar appeals had already been sent to the Seimas by the monastic community of the Holy Spirit Monastery and nine parishes in the republic.

It should be recalled that earlier, Vitalius Mokus, Chancellor of the Exarchate of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, complained to the media about competition from the Lithuanian Orthodox Church (the Vilnius-Lithuanian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church). He believes that the LPC is misleading Ukrainian refugees by presenting itself as the “Lithuanian Orthodox Church.”