Lithuania rejects ban on Moscow Patriarchate ties

Researchers say the Kremlin uses Moscow Patriarchate communities in Europe for propaganda and espionage, but Lithuania has no plans to ban religious ties to Moscow, LRT reports. The country’s justice minister and opposition say offering believers an alternative is more important than imposing a ban.

Serhiy Shumylo, executive director of the Libertas Fidei Centre for Religious Freedom Research, said Russia exploits religion for propaganda. He said Russian Orthodox parishes abroad have been described as bases for preparing activists to support Russia’s occupying forces in Ukraine.

Vytautas Bruveris, chair of the centre’s board, called the communities “units of the Russian dictatorship” that are not only ideological in nature.

A church in Sweden has also drawn the attention of the country’s intelligence services. Its construction was funded by Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom, and it stands near strategic facilities, including an airport used by the military. Shumylo said it was built about five kilometres from a nuclear fuel plant. After an intelligence warning, Sweden’s authorities stopped subsidies to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Shumylo also said several clergymen had been expelled from Bulgaria after security services identified them as working for Russian intelligence.

About 700 parishes belonging to the Moscow Patriarchate operate in the European Union, including more than 200 in the Baltic states and about 50 in Lithuania. They are not subject to sanctions, which experts say benefits Russia.

Security expert Patrik Oksanen said the Moscow Patriarchate should not be mistaken for churches that promote peace. He noted that Patriarch Kirill has spoken of a holy war in Ukraine and said that dying in it washes away sins.

Marija Jakubovskaja-Rogalski, a representative of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church, said mentioning the patriarch during services is required by the church’s canons and religious rites. Four years ago, some clergy left the church, which is canonically subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate, and established a community under the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Vitalijus Mockus, chancellor of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Exarchate in Lithuania, said mentioning the patriarch in services is viewed positively by believers.

In Estonia, religious organisations cannot be subordinate to a foreign religious centre if it poses a threat to national security. A community belonging to the Moscow Patriarchate has challenged the law in a human rights court. Shumylo said requiring an end to ties with Moscow’s influence does not violate religious freedom.

Lithuania’s State Security Department has also warned that the Kremlin spreads its ideology through the diocese in the country. The Orthodox Church’s representative said the church’s life is governed by the Moscow Patriarchate, but that its canonical affiliation does not prevent members from being law-abiding Lithuanian citizens.

Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė said Lithuania would not follow Estonia’s example. “We see two paths: not only bans, but also offering an alternative, as well as talking with people and the church,” she said.