Latvian authorities call on Pat Kirill to issue Tomos of Autocephaly to LOC

Latvian Cabinet asks Patriarch Kirill to grant autocephaly to the Latvian Orthodox Church. Photo: Express Gazeta

On September 20, 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia authorized Minister of Justice Janis Bordans to appeal on behalf of the republic to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus to grant the Tomos of autocephaly to the Latvian Orthodox Church. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Justice of Latvia.

The Minister of Justice will send a letter to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, in which he will inform the head of the Russian Orthodox Church about the amendments adopted by the Seimas, which legally define and consolidate the independent status of the LOC, and will call on him to use his powers and issue Tomos to the LOC on its new status. This will allow the Latvian Orthodox Church to fulfill the new requirements of the law, including acting as a fully autonomous and independent Church in communion with the Latvian state and other Orthodox Churches.

According to the new amendments, Latvia recognizes that the LOC, with all its dioceses, parishes and institutions, is self-governing and independent of any church authority outside Latvia.

Let us recall that on September 8, 2022, at the initiative of President Egils Levits, the Saeima of Latvia declared the independence of the Latvian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and demanded that the LOC amend its Charter by October 31. The Russian Orthodox Church called this initiative a gross interference of secular authorities in church affairs.

As the UOJ wrote, the Latvian Church considered that the legislative changes do not concern the legal status of the Church.

Read also