Vilnius, November 11, 2026
A parish meeting at the Church of Sts. Constantine and Michael in Vilnius. Photo: orthodoxy.lt
Dozens of parishes and monastic communities of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate have told the Seimas they won’t stand for bills that would take away their churches and hand them to the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The appeals come after the Church Council met last month to protest the bills. It described them as not simply another attack on the Church, but part of far-reaching plans to take away its historic churches.
As of November 10, thirty communities have written to Seimas leadership and deputies, objecting to proposals that would change the Church’s legal status, limit its rights, and transfer a number of Orthodox churches to Constantinople, the Lithuanian Church reports.
Constantinople established a rival jurisdiction in Lithuania in 2023 that began as a haven for defrocked and suspended clerics from the Lithuanian Church and quickly found favor with the state.
In their letters, the faithful stress that decisions about Church jurisdiction, the internal life of religious communities, and the fate of their churches can’t be made without taking the believers’ own will into account.
The parishioners of the Church of Sts. Constantine and Michael in Vilnius write: “Our church and canonical ties in no way diminish our civic loyalty to the Lithuanian state. Religious and canonical ties shouldn’t automatically be seen as proof of political subordination or disloyalty to the Lithuanian state.”
They add that their parish has long been involved in social, charitable, educational, and cultural work. “Our parish isn’t a source of danger to society. It’s part of Lithuania’s civil society,” the letter says.
The faithful of the Church of the Archangel Michael in Vilnius object in particular to enshrining in law an exclusive right for the Patriarchate of Constantinople to represent Lithuania’s Orthodox community. “We don’t intend to change jurisdiction or move to other Patriarchates. We’re staying faithful to our spiritual tradition and our Mother Church. Outside political pressure can’t determine our religious choice,” they write. They also ask the Seimas to assess whether the bills comply with the Lithuanian Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Many of the appeals express full trust in His Eminence Metropolitan Innokenty of Vilnius and Lithuania and a desire to preserve unity and canonical order within the Lithuanian Orthodox Church he leads.
Parishioners of the Church of the Resurrection in Panevezys call on deputies to ensure freedom of religion and conscience and equality of religious communities. “The legislative process shouldn’t become a tool for achieving political goals at the expense of one religious community,” they write.
In Visaginas, believers of the Church of the Presentation and St. Panteleimon reject accusations that the Lithuanian Orthodox Church is disloyal to the Lithuanian state. “We categorically refuse to change our canonical affiliation or move to the jurisdiction of another patriarchate,” they write.
Two monastic communities also signed on: the brethren of the Holy Spirit Monastery and the sisters of the Monastery of St. Mary Magdalene. More parishes plan to send appeals soon.
The appeals come as the Seimas continues to consider the bills. The Seimas Chancellery’s Legal Department has already issued its assessment, finding that a number of provisions in the bills contradict the Lithuanian Constitution.
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