MAŽEIKIAI
During the night of Holy Saturday, 1970, (about 3 a.m.) twelve members of the Young Communist League with their leader Miknius on their way home from a dance stopped by at the church in Mažeikiai and caused a disturbance by mocking the people praying at a casket that symbolized the coffin of Christ. Scandalized by the behavior of the League members, the people drove them out of the church. Before long, several of them returned, took down the crucifix from the wall, carried it outside, and smashed it into pieces. The parochial committee informed the police of this event, declaring that this action had offended all believers, and they demanded that the culprits be punished. Unfortunately, at this time Soviet laws are being zealously applied only to the faithful, but atheists may mock the most sacred sentiments of believers without being punished. In this case it was also inconvenient to punish the culprits because the son of Kerpauskas, a former secretary of the Party, had participated in the "nighttime expedition."
