A ranar 8 ga Fabrairu, Ma'aikatar Shari'a ta Lithuania ta yi rajistar sabon tsarin addini - wani abin tashin hankali, wanda za a yi ƙarƙashin Patriarchate na Constantinople. Don haka, za a amince da majami'un Orthodox guda biyu a hukumance a cikin ƙasar: ɗayan na Ecumenical Patriarchate da diocese na Patriarchate na Moscow a Lithuania.
Sabuwar kungiyar addini tana da malamai goma kuma tana shirin kafa hukumomin gwamnati nan gaba kadan. A yanzu ne babban limamin Estoniya Justinus Kiviloo, wanda ya gudanar da hidimarsa ta farko a Lithuania a farkon watan Janairun 2024. Sauran firistoci a baya sun yi hidima a Cocin Orthodox na Rasha (ROC): shida a Lithuania, biyu a Belarus kuma ɗaya a Rasha. .
Taimakon sarki Kirill ga yakin da Rasha ke yi da Ukraine shi ne dalilin da ya haifar da sabon tashin hankali. Wannan matsayi ya haifar da rikici tsakanin limamai tara da shugabancin Cocin Orthodox na Rasha. A cikin 2022, Vilnius da Lithuania Metropolitan Innocent sun cire biyar daga cikinsu daga hidima, kuma Patriarch Bartholomew ya maido da su kuma ya karbe su a ƙarƙashin ikonsa. A cikin Maris 2023, sarki Bartholomew ya ziyarci Vilnius kuma ya sanya hannu kan wata yarjejeniya tare da gwamnatin Lithuania don kafa Exarchate na Patriarchate na Constantinople a cikin ƙasar.
Diocese na ROC a Lithuania ya mayar da martani cikin nutsuwa game da bayyanar sabon cocin. Metropolitan Innocent ya ce dole ne a yarda da sabuwar al'ummar addini a matsayin "gaskiya na zamaninmu".
Kafofin yada labarai na cikin gida sun lura cewa tun lokacin da Rasha ta fara mamaye da Ukraine gaba daya, majami'ar ROC a Lithuania ta nemi 'yancin kai daga fadar sarauta ta Moscow.
Akwai masu bi na Orthodox 105,000 a Lithuania, yawancinsu suna jin Rashanci. Ana ɗaukar Kiristocin Orthodox ɗaya daga cikin al'ummomin addini na gargajiya guda tara a ƙasar.
