Orthodox Christians under Moscow Patriarchate must choose sides – Lithuanian president

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said he had no reason to doubt the loyalty of the country's Orthodox community, but said believers under the Moscow Patriarchate had to "decide who they stand with".

"We have a situation where, you could say, the Orthodox Church is split into two parts. One belongs to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the other to the Moscow Patriarchate,” Nausėda told reporters on Wednesday.

“Our position is this: we currently have no reason to doubt the loyalty of the Orthodox community. The Orthodox community in Lithuania proved that loyalty both when Lithuania declared its independence in 1990 and during the bloody events of January. I want to believe that the Orthodox community consists first and foremost of citizens of the Republic of Lithuania and only then believers," he said.

"So far, there are no imperative decisions from the state's side, but first of all, I repeat, what in my opinion is important: the Orthodox community has to decide who they stand with," he stressed.

Nausėda also recalled that Lithuania was seeking EU sanctions against Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Moscow Patriarchate, although previous attempts had failed due to opposition from some countries. The president called the patriarch a tool of Russia's imperial policy.

A national security threat assessment compiled by intelligence agencies previously stated that the Orthodox Church plays a significant role in shaping and maintaining the ideological narratives of the Russian regime.

The leadership of the Lithuanian Orthodox Archdiocese has publicly condemned Russia's war against Ukraine and repeatedly stated its ambition to achieve independence from the Moscow Patriarchate.

Conservative lawmakers Audronius Ažubalis and Arvydas Anušauskas are seeking to designate the Exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople as the representative of Lithuania's traditional Orthodox community.

This would involve the transfer of six religious properties currently managed by the Moscow Patriarchate to the exarchate.