Clergy from the Lithuanian Orthodox Archdiocese, which is subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate, were not invited to President Gitanas Nausėda’s inauguration events on Friday.
Representatives from all other traditional and state-recognised religious communities were present, including the leaders of the Orthodox community in Lithuania, which is subordinate to the Constantinople Patriarchate and was granted official legal recognition last February.
The state authorities’ decision not to invite the clergy of the Lithuanian Orthodox Archdiocese was a protest against the Moscow Patriarchate’s stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The leaders of all traditional and state-recognised religious communities and associations in Lithuania were invited to the Seimas sitting for President Gitanas Nausėda’s oath of office ceremony, except for Metropolitan Innokentiy of the Orthodox Archdiocese of Vilnius and Lithuania,” Lukas Kornelijus Vaičiakas, head of the Seimas speaker’s secretariat, told BNS.
He added that Metropolitan Innokentiy was not invited “for reasons obvious to everyone: his attitude towards the war in Ukraine”.
Nausėda’s spokesman Ridas Jasiulionis also confirmed to BNS that it was decided not to invite clergy under the Moscow Patriarchate to the inauguration events but did not comment further on the decision.
Orthodox Christians in Lithuania are considered one of nine traditional religious communities.
Nausėda was sworn in for his second term as president of Lithuania on Friday.
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