The Latvian Orthodox Church has submitted a request to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to grant it the status of an independent church, Interfax reports.
The decision was made at the Synod of the Orthodox Church in Riga. One of the Russian state news agencies, Interfax, notes that the Russian Church, led by Patriarch Kirill, may grant the request, in which case the Latvians may turn to the Patriarchate of Constantinople with a request to settle the dispute and grant them autocephaly.
“This, of course, will mean a break in relations and some kind of conflict with Moscow. Therefore, it seems unlikely, because it is not only a canonical relationship, but also a relationship between people,” Nikita Andreev, a researcher at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Latvia, told Interfax.
The request sent by the Latvian Orthodox Church to Patriarch Kirill comes after the Riga parliament voted on September 8 to approve its complete separation from the Moscow Patriarchate.
Latvia wants the separation of the Orthodox Church from Russia
The legislative initiative was submitted to the parliament by Latvian President Egils Levits on September 5, and the legislative power adopted the document in an emergency manner.
“With this legislative amendment, the Latvian state recognizes that the Latvian Orthodox Church is completely independent (autocephalous). It does not depend on any authority outside of Latvia. When the law goes into effect, any influence or power of the Patriarch of Moscow (Kyril) over our Orthodox Church will be removed,” Levits said at the time.
The Latvian Orthodox Church is now formally loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate, which has caused an unprecedented split among Orthodox Christianity due to the numerous declarations of war justification and support made by Patriarch Kirill.
About 9% of Latvians identify themselves as Orthodox, the predominant religion in the country is Lutheran (36%), followed by Catholic (17%).
On May 27, the UOC KP announced its independence from the Moscow Patriarchate.
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Source: Hot News RU
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