Lithuanian Exarchate of Phanar complains about competition from Lithuanian Orthodox Church

The Chancellor of the Exarchate of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Vitalijus Mokus, complained in the media about competition from the Lithuanian Orthodox Church (the Vilnius-Lithuanian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church). He believes that the LOC is misleading Ukrainian refugees by presenting itself as the “Lithuanian Orthodox Church.” This is reported by LRT.lt.

“The Orthodox churches in Lithuania (of the Vilnius-Lithuanian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church — ed.), where services are held, belong to the Moscow Patriarchate. Ukrainians ask whether this church belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate. They are answered: “We are the Lithuanian Orthodox Church.” But during the services, Kirill is mentioned, and people either leave or stay, not understanding what is happening,” — Mokus explained.

Mokus added that “Putin’s ideology” is being promoted through the Lithuanian Orthodox Church, and the Church’s believers “would be waiting for the Russian army with flowers.” He refuses to consider himself a schismatic, although he had previously left the LOC and accepted the post of chancellor of the Phanar’s Exarchate in the country.

“The ideology of Putin and Patriarch Kirill is being promoted through the diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate in Lithuania. 70-80% of the clergy and parishioners of the Moscow Patriarchate in Lithuania would be waiting for the ‘liberators’ with red carnations if a war broke out here. We are not schismatics, we came out of the schism that Moscow organized. They call themselves the Lithuanian Orthodox Church, although canonically it is a form of the name of an autocephalous church, which they are not,” — he added.

Earlier, the head of the Vilnius-Lithuanian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (LOC MP), Metropolitan Innocent of Vilnius and Lithuania, declared his fundamental disagreement with the content of the final document adopted at the XXV Congress of the World Russian People’s Council, which called the war in Ukraine “sacred” and added that after its end Ukraine should “enter the zone of Russia’s exclusive influence.”