Metropolitan Innokenty, Primate of the Lithuanian Church, commented on the persecution of the UOC in Ukraine. In an interview with the Orthodox Lithuanian newspaper, he said that “great injustice” is being done to the UOC in Ukraine.

“Churches belonging to the UOC are seized en masse and lawlessly, processions are banned, criminal cases are brought against church hierarchs under dubious pretexts. Metropolitan Onufry has been expelled from his residence in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Steps are being taken to legislatively ban the UOC,” the hierarch emphasized.

The Metropolitan also added that “the believers and clergy are being pressured to convert to the non-canonical Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), a structure that is recognized by only four of the fifteen local Orthodox Churches”.

The head of the Lithuanian Church said that the number of Ukrainian refugees in the churches of his country has significantly increased, who have now become their parishioners.

According to Metropolitan Innokenty, “many parishes provide refugees with all kinds of assistance, including material aid. This is also done at the level of the Archdiocese. The Holy Spirit Monastery in Vilnius has been providing shelter and food for many months to people fleeing the horrors of war in Lithuania.