Sociologists Gražina Bielousova and Deividas Zaicevas published a study on how the Russian Orthodox Church in Lithuania has adapted its image to new realities since the start of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine.
In an interview with the Russian service of LRT, Deividas Zaicevas, one of the authors of a study on the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in Lithuania, discussed the crisis of legitimacy the church faced after 2022 and how it began to alter its public rhetoric.
“On the surface, the diocese distanced itself from Moscow, but institutionally it remained aligned with the Moscow Patriarchate,” he noted.
Since 2014 and even earlier, there has been increasing scrutiny of the ROC in Europe, particularly in the Baltic states and Ukraine. Following Russia's aggression against Ukraine in 2022, attention to the ROC intensified.
“Why?” D. Zaicevas asks. “Because officials of the ROC, notably Patriarch Kirill — the head of the Russian Church — openly supported the war. His authority extends to various dioceses and parishes located worldwide, including Europe.”
The representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Lithuania, Metropolitan Innokenty of the Vilnius-Lithuanian Diocese, publicly stated that his views did not align with those of Patriarch Kirill. However, he also made clear that he would not sever ties with him.
"We see this statement as a turning point,” said Zaicevas. “What transpired afterward is unclear. Following this statement, several priests who publicly condemned the war were defrocked. A so-called court was established, where the judge also acted as the prosecutor. According to various church protocols, they were defrocked. Although the press release claimed this had nothing to do with the war or their stance, the connection is evident. We can conclude that this was a repressive action against dissent within this diocese."
In the spring and summer of 2022, a petition appeared on the website peticijos.lt. It called for Orthodox Christians in Lithuania to come under the jurisdiction of Constantinople. The petition emphasized that it was unacceptable to refer to Patriarch Kirill as “our Great Lord,” a title still used in Russian Orthodox churches throughout Lithuania.
“They appealed to the Ecumenical Patriarchate with a request to establish a new jurisdiction here, which was supported by the Lithuanian government. By 2024, a new Patriarchate was officially registered,” D. Zaicevas explained.
Meanwhile, the removal of priests continued.
According to Zaicevas, there are no indications that the rhetoric of the Russian Orthodox Church will change in the future.