Another 30 parishes of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church have protested against the bills to transfer churches to Constantinople

Dozens of parishes and monastic communities of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church (LOC) have appealed to the Lithuanian Seimas with a strong protest against legislative initiatives that could lead to the expropriation of historic churches and their transfer to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. As of November 10, thirty communities had already sent appeals to parliamentary leadership, emphasizing that it is unacceptable to change the legal status of a church or restrict the rights of the faithful without taking their wishes into account.

In their letters, parishioners from various churches, including the Church of Saints Constantine and Michael in Vilnius, emphasize that their canonical allegiance to the Lithuanian Orthodox Church and the Moscow Patriarchate in no way diminishes their civic loyalty to the Lithuanian state. Believers assert that religious affiliations should not be interpreted as a sign of political unreliability, and that the churches themselves are an integral part of the country’s civil society.

The believers are particularly concerned about the attempt to enshrine in law the exclusive right of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to represent the Orthodox community in Lithuania. “‘We do not intend to change our jurisdiction or transfer to other patriarchates,’ — note parishioners of St. Michael the Archangel Church, insisting that external political pressure should not determine their religious choice. Believers from Panevėžys and Visaginas, as well as the monks of the Holy Spirit Monastery and the nuns of the St. Mary Magdalene Convent, share this position.

Earlier, the Legal Department of the Seimas Chancellery had already presented an assessment of these draft laws, noting that several of their provisions contradict the Constitution of Lithuania. Believers are calling on lawmakers to ensure freedom of religion and not to turn the legislative process into a tool for achieving political goals at the expense of a single religious community.