VILNIUS
In recent times Rugienis has been explaining what is permissible in the sphere of religion and what is not. Rugienis has been trying very hard to prevent minors from serving mass. When he calls in an "offending" priest, he reads to him this memorandum:
"In connection with your inquiry as to whether it is an offense when priests invite minors to assist at mass, during religious rites, processions, and other ceremonies of the cult, the juridical department of the Council for Religious Affairs has determined that these actions must be regarded as a violation of the laws because the church may not engage in special work with children.
"The Council for Religious Affairs has already made it clear that for violating the regulations established by the decrees of the Presidiums of the Supreme Soviets of Union Republics, concerning religious assemblies, processions, and the performance of other rites of the cult, and also for violations in connection with special church activities, the ministers of the cult draw upon themselves administrative responsibility.
"In those cases when the participation of minors in rites of the cult is a concealed form of religious instruction (the systematic singing of psalms and hymns by children during cult rites, the conducting of collective discussions with children on religious topics, the organizing of activities for children in preparing them for their confirmation, etc.), the violators are subject to criminal prosecution according to Article 143 of the LSSR Criminal Code.
[Signed] Kuroyedov
Chairman of the Council for Religious Affairs"
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A. Barkauskas, the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lithuanian Communist party, speaking at the Sixth Plenum of the CC of the LCP, also touched upon the question of the Church:
"The Church and its ministers of the cult are beginning to participate more actively in the ideological struggle. A number of their actions also have a nationalistic coloring. Now that the nationalist propaganda has intensified and the Vatican has become more active, the members of the Catholic clergy with reactionary tendencies have also become more active. Therefore, the spirit of militancy must be increased in working for the atheistic cause, and those who, under the guise of religion, fail to conform to the norms of our Constitution must be publicly unmasked. No one may be permitted to violate the laws concerning the cults..."
