Three priests of the Russian Orthodox Church have been dismissed in Lithuania after criticising Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. They have also been suspended from active work, the bernardinai.lt news website reported on Friday.
Sources told bernardinai.lt that Metropolitan Inokentiy, head of the Lithuanian Orthodox Archdiocese, dismissed Vitalijus Mockus, while the other two priests, Gintaras Jurgis Sungaila and Vitalis Dauparas, were not only dismissed but also suspended from any active ministry within the Church.
The priests themselves are yet to comment on the situation, and the website says it is trying to contact a representative of the Lithuanian Orthodox Archdiocese for comment.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mockus, who was also a spokesman of the Archdiocese, has repeatedly condemned the aggression and the Kremlin’s decision to invade Ukraine.
Dauparas was the first member of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church to condemn Patriarch Kirill, who supported the Russian government’s actions. The priest had already withdrawn from active duty in the Lithuanian Orthodox Archdiocese because of the “Russian world” the patriarch was promoting.
Sungaila, who has also actively condemned the Russian aggression and criticised the patriarch, has until recently served as vicar in Vilnius.
Read more: Lithuanian Orthodox Church faces backlash from Moscow after criticizing Ukraine war
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
