Former clergy of the Orthodox Church in Lithuania under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church
In early March 2022, Archpriest Vitalius Mockus, who served as the Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in Lithuania (OCL), along with Priest Vitalius Dauparas and Priest Gintaras Sungaila, spoke out in the media and on social networks, criticizing Patriarch Kirill of Moscow for his sermons justifying Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.
On March 17, a diocesan assembly was held in Vilnius, during which Metropolitan Innocent asked all those present how to proceed given the reality of the war. Archpriest Mockus and Priests Dauparas and Sungaila proposed suspending the liturgical commemoration of Patriarch Kirill, while Priest Ananyev suggested that the Metropolitan consider a potential change of jurisdiction for the diocese. All proposals were rejected. The priests were reprimanded for their social media activity, and Priests Sungaila and Dauparas submitted petitions to be placed on the retired list for reasons of conscience.
Consequently, Metropolitan Innocent issued a rather firm public address, his first since the beginning of the war: "The position of the Orthodox Church in Lithuania is unchanging—we resolutely condemn Russia's war against Ukraine and pray to God for its swift end. As you have probably already noticed, Patriarch Kirill and I have different political views and perceptions of current events. His political statements regarding the war in Ukraine are his personal opinion. We in Lithuania do not agree with this."
The following week, the Metropolitan summoned two of the priests for a meeting, stating that he would not grant their petitions to be placed on the retired list. Instead, he offered them the opportunity to continue their ministry at the St. Paraskeva Parish without commemorating the Patriarch, which they accepted and proceeded to serve.
However, on April 14, in a sudden move on the very same day, Archpriest Vitalius Mockus was dismissed from his posts as Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in Lithuania, Dean of the Vilnius Deanery, and Rector of the Cathedral of the Theotokos. Concurrently, Priests Gintaras Sungaila and Vitalius Dauparas were placed on the retired list, marking the beginning of a smear campaign against the clergymen. On April 23, the eve of Pascha, a message from the Metropolitan regarding a "stab in the back" by the aforementioned priests was posted on the doors of all churches. Additionally, a petition "for the preservation of the unity of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church" was launched; after three months of intensive signature collection across all parishes, it was presented to the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, on July 8.
For the Feast of the Vilnius Martyrs—which was deliberately rescheduled from April 27 to Saturday of Bright Week, April 29—a religious procession directed against the dissident priests was organized, with several hundred people bussed in from all over Lithuania. Following the Divine Liturgy, a "procession for the unity of the OCL and for peace in Ukraine" took place, concluding with a prayer service (moleben) where long life (many years) was chanted for Patriarch Kirill, while the aforementioned priests were explicitly named during the augmented litany as having fallen into schism.
On May 10, five priests—Vitalius Mockus, Vitalius Dauparas, Gintaras Sungaila, Georgy Ananyev, and Vladimir Selyavko—were suspended from serving. Deacon Georgy Tsyburevkin, who had submitted his own request to be placed on the retired list in a sign of solidarity with the priests, had his petition granted. On June 23, Priest Gintaras Sungaila was defrocked, and on June 29, Vitalius Mockus, Vitalius Dauparas, Georgy Ananyev, and Vladimir Selyavko were likewise subjected to defrocking.