Lithuania’s Eastern Orthodox Christians under Constantinople elect new leader

The Eastern Orthodox Christian community in Lithuania loyal to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has elected a new leader, Archimandrite Panaretos Psaravtis, who will arrive in the country in early June, state news agency BNS reported Monday.

Psaravtis was selected as the new exarch—a senior ecclesiastical representative—of Lithuania’s Orthodox Church during a meeting of the Holy Synod in Istanbul on May 26. He succeeds Father Justin Kiviloo, who previously held the position.

The incoming exarch is expected to arrive on June 7, coinciding with a visit by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who will attend the Congress of Mercy in Lithuania at the invitation of Archbishop Gintaras Grušas. Bartholomew will preside over Orthodox Christian services at Vilnius’ Holy Trinity (Trinapolis) Church and meet with the local congregation.

Born in Chania, Crete, Psaravtis became a monk in 2002 and was ordained a priest the following year. He began his service in the Metropolis of Rethymno and Avlopotamos before relocating to Istanbul in 2014, where he has ministered to Slavic and Turkish Christian communities under the Patriarchate.

The Constantinople-aligned Orthodox structure in Lithuania was re-established in 2023 after nearly 300 years, receiving state financial support and unused premises in Vilnius. Its formation followed internal disputes within Lithuania’s Moscow Patriarchate-affiliated Orthodox Church over its stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Lithuanian intelligence agencies have noted in threat assessments that the Orthodox Church plays a significant role in promoting ideological narratives aligned with the Russian regime. While the local Orthodox leadership has publicly condemned the war in Ukraine and expressed a desire for independence from the Moscow Patriarchate, intelligence reports suggest no substantial changes have occurred.

In response to the latest intelligence findings, the governing council of Lithuania’s Orthodox Church reaffirmed its pursuit of autonomy from Moscow, emphasizing that such a move must comply with canonical law. The council maintains that its current canonical ties to the Moscow Patriarchate—symbolized by the mention of the patriarch’s name in liturgical services—do not prevent the Constantinople-aligned community from adhering to Lithuanian laws or demonstrating patriotism.