Baltic precedent
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The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) will consider “in accordance with the charter” the request of the Latvian Orthodox Church (LPC) for independence. This was reported to “Kommersant” in the Moscow Patriarchate, specifying that they have not yet received an official petition. Earlier, the Latvian Parliament adopted a law on the independence of the national Orthodox Church, which caused statements from the Russian Orthodox Church about the state’s violation of the principle of religious freedom. The expert believes that the ROC can allow the LOC “to become de jure autocephalous in the sense of secular law, but not ecclesiastical law.” But even in this case, the LOC’s petition in itself creates a precedent for other Orthodox churches dependent on the ROC.
Last week, the Latvian Orthodox Church held a cathedral in strict confidentiality, if not secrecy. The meeting of the highest church authority became known only on Friday from a number of media reports. It also stated that at the council, which was chaired by Metropolitan Alexander (Kudryashov) of Riga and All Latvia, it was decided to ask Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia for autocephaly. Officials of the LPTs, to whom Kommersant turned for clarification, remained silent. Only late in the evening on the official website of the Latvian Church appeared the confirmation of the request for independence.
The history of the Latvian Orthodox Church begins with the establishment in 1836 of the Riga Vicariate of the Pskov Diocese. In 1850, an independent Riga diocese was formed. In 1992, the Latvian Orthodox Church, in accordance with the tomos of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, was granted autonomy. Now the LOC includes two eparchies – Riga and Daugavpils, there is the Riga Theological Seminary. In September 2022, the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, took the initiative to legally separate the LOC from the Moscow Patriarchate. He stated that this “will restore the historical status of the LOC and exclude any power of the Moscow Patriarchate over the Latvian Church.” The Parliament of Latvia has adopted a presidential bill. Then the Moscow Patriarchate said that this decision “completely destroys the notions of religious freedom in Europe that have evolved over the past few centuries” and “calls the very concept of religious freedom into question.”
A recent message from the Church of Latvia states that “according to the amendments to the law on the LOC, initiated by the President of the Republic of Latvia, Egils Levits, and adopted by the Saeima on September 8, 2022,” the church charter must be amended by October 31 of this year. It was for this that the members of the cathedral voted by an “absolute majority” (160 votes for and 1 against). “In connection with the adoption of fundamental changes in the law on the LOC about its autocephalous status and in connection with the appeal of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia to Patriarch Kirill, the delegates of the cathedral signed an appeal to Patriarch Kirill on the canonical decision of the status of the LOC,” the message says.
Recall that each new autocephalous church, in fact, becomes one of the local Orthodox churches (there are now 15 of them in the world). Its status rises sharply: it becomes independent, like, for example, the Constantinople, Jerusalem or Russian Orthodox churches.
The ROC has not yet officially commented on the situation. “At the moment, there have been no official appeals from Riga to the office of the Moscow Patriarchate,” Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, adviser to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, told Kommersant. churches”.
“It cannot be said that the Latvian Church had previously fought for autocephaly and this was a vital issue for it. The appeal to Patriarch Kirill is primarily of political significance,” says Roman Lunkin, head of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He clarifies that the autocephaly mentioned in the Latvian law is not canonical, but legal in nature: “The decision of the council can only mean receiving autocephaly de jure, so that the Seimas and the president feel in “national security”. In practice, the relationship of the churches will remain the same.” Therefore, the expert predicts that the ROC will take the council’s decision into consideration and allow the LOC to re-register under the new law. However, Mr. Lunkin does not rule out that the precedent in Lithuania may cause a chain reaction in the Baltic countries: “The speed of the decision of the LOC Council, on the one hand, speaks of a certain formal approach in order to satisfy the officials, on the other hand, shows the rest what to do not difficult”.
According to the charter of the ROC, the status of autocephaly is approved by the Local Council of the ROC. There is no order for its regular convocation. “The body meets, for example, if a new patriarch is elected,” says Mr. Lunkin. “In this regard, the final decision on the autocephaly of the LOC may be made in the not-too-distant future by another patriarch.”
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