To: The Bishops and Apostolic Administrators of Lithuania From: Priests of the Diocese of Panevėžys
A Petition
We, the undersigned, priests of the Diocese of Panevėžys, concerned that the 600-year Jubilee of the Baptism of Lithuania be suitably commemorated, appeal to the bishops and administrators of dioceses of Lithuania requesting them:
1. To invite our Holy Father John Paul II to visit Lithuania for the jubilee celebration in 1987.
2. To request our Holy Father John Paul 11, on the occasion of the 600-year Jubilee of the Baptism of Lithuania, to proclaim the Honorable Servant of God Archbishop Jurgis Matulaitis, Blessed. To see that during the year of preparation, the believing public becomes more widely acquainted with the life, virtues and work of Archbishop Jurgis Matulai t is.
To popularize as well the veneration of Mykolas Giedraitis, who holds the title of Blessed. To acquaint the faithful also with the other great spiritual personalities of our nation: Father A. Rudamina, Father J. Pabrėža, Archbishop Mečislovas Reinys, Archbishop Teofilius Matulionis, Archbishop Vincentas Borisevičius, Father A. LipniŪnas, Professor Stasys Šalkauskas, Prof. Pranas Dovydaitis, Barbora Žagarietė and M. Pečkauskaitė...
3. That the civil government not interfere in the affairs of the Kaunas Seminary, especially in choosing the administration, the faculty and even the seminarians. In the present abnormal circumstances, there is ample evidence that seminarians are finishing the seminary and being ordained priests who are not only undisposed to concern themselves with the spiritual life of the faithful, but are themselves unwilling to live such a life. This is not only painful, but damaging to the Church. It is regrettable that even psychiatric patients are being ordained. The Code of Canon Law and the Decrees of Vatican I i set forth a very careful selection of candidates:
"In all selection and testing of seminarians, necessary standards must be always firmly maintained, even when there exists a regrettable shortage of priests. For god will not allow His Church to lack ministers if worthy candidates are admitted, while unsuited ones are speedily and fraternally directed toward the assuming of other tasks..." ( Decree on Priestly Formation, No. 6, p.444)
The plight of the Church is very difficult when the civil government obstructs and interferes in the internal affairs of the Church: Clergy appointments to parishes, selections of bishops and administrators of dioceses and even the formation of Priests' Councils and Boards of
From left: Bishop Antanas Vaičius, Bishop Liudvikas Povilonis, Bishop Vincentas Sladkevičius and Bishop Julijonas Steponavičius at the 1982 reinstatement of Bishop Sladkevičius as Apostolic Administrator of Kaišiadorys after twenty-three years of exile.
Consultors.
4. To continue the work of temperence so well begun: At least once a year to arrange temperence days in all dioceses (at a diocesan level) and in all parishes. To strive for not only sobriety but also abstinence among clergy and lai ty.
5.Not to allow clergy to participate in activities forbidden by our Holy Father, John Paul 11.
6. The bishops and administrators of dioceses of Lithuania to approach the government of the Soviet Union:
a. That the exiled Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Vilnius, His Excellency Bishop Julijonas Steponavičius, be returned to his duties;
b. That there be a review of the cases of Fathers Alfonsas Svarinskas, Sigitas Tamkevičius and Jonas Kastytis Matulionis and lay believers sentenced for the defense of the rights of the Church and believers, and that they be released;
c. That priests not be obstructed from catechizing children as Canon Law requires;
d. That the faithful, especially children and youth, not be frightened and terrorized for the public practice of religion which is guaranteed in Art. 5 of the USSR Constitution, and/that they not be forced to join atheistic organizations; that in the classroom, in educating children and youth, the rights of the believing parents to rear their own children according to their religious beliefs not be infringed upon;
e. That they allow believers the same right to use the media in disseminating their beliefs as do the atheists;
f. That Sundays not be made workdays, and that Catholics not be prevented from fulfilling their religious duties, that there be no workday on Holy Days of Obligation for Catholics, and that the faithful be freely able to celebrate them;
g. That the Cathedral of Vilnius, the Church of Saint Casimir and the Church of Klaipėda be returned to the faithful... and that churches be allowed to be erected in new cities: N. Akmenė, Elektrėnai, Sniečkus... as well as in the microrayons of Vilnius, Kaunas and other cities.
We hope that the 600-year Jubilee of the Baptism of Lithuania will be celebrated more solemnly than the central jubilee of 500 years from the death of Saint Casimir in 1984. 1985.
Signed by the following priests:
1. Petras Adomonis 2. Canon Bronius Antanaitis 3. Juozas Antanavičius 4. Vincentas Arlauskas 5. Boleslovas Babrauskas 6. Jonas Bagdonas 7. Bronius Balaiša 8. Juozas Bagdonas 9. Antanas Balaišis 10. Vytautas Balašauskas 11. Jonas Balčiūnas 12. Juozas Balčiūnas 13. Jurgis Balickaitis 14. Kostas Balsys 15. Petras Baltuška 16. Algis Baniulis 17. Petras Baniui is 18. Kazimieras Baronas 19. Henrikas Bernotavičius 20. Vladas Braukyla 21. Adolfas Breivė 22. Petras Budriūnas 23. Jonas Buliauskas 24. Jonas Butkys 25. Paulius Čiučkis 26. Feliksas Čiškauskas 27. Algirdas Dauknys 28. Juozas Dubnikas 29. Steponas Galvydis 30. Juozapas Garška 31. Juozas Giedraitis 32. Kazimieras Girnius 33. Mykolas Gylis 34. Antanas Gobis 35. Alfonsas Gražys 36. Antanas Gružauskas 37. Klemensas Gutauskas 38. Gaudentas Ikamas 39. Vincentas Inkratas 40. Tadas Ivanovskis 41. Al fonas Jančys 42. Paulius Jankevičius 43. Juozas Janulis 44. Vytautas Jasiūnas 45. Jonas Jatulis 46. Paulius Juozėnas 47. Jonas Jurgaitis 48. Antanas Juška 49. Alfonsas Kadžius 50. Antanas Kairys 51. Vytautas Kapočius 52. Stasys Kazėnas 53. Lionginas Keršulis 54. Petras Kiela 55. Antanas Kietis 56. Anicetas Kisielius 57. Paulius Klezys 58. Petras Krasauskas 59. Vladas Kremenskas 60. Stanislovas Krumpliauskas 61. Petras Kuzmickas 62. Jonas Labakojis 63. Juozas Lukšas 64. Leonas Lukšas 65. Petras Markevičius 66. Vytautas Marozas 67. Aleksandras Masys 69. Juozapas Mickevičius 70. Antanas Miku lenas 71. Algirdas Miškinis 72. Paulius Miškinis 73. Antanas Mitrikas 74. Kazimieras Mozūras 75. Jonas Nagulevičius 76. Algirdas Narušis 77. Lionginas Neniškis 78. Petras Nykštas 79. Albinas Paltanavičius 80. Antanas Petrauskas 81. Albinas Pipiras 82. Jonas Pranevičius 83. Augustinas Pranskietis 84. Robertas Pukenis 85. I s i dor i us Puriuškis 86. Antanas Rameikis 87. Jonas Rimša 88. Edmundas Rinkevičius 89. Pranciškus Sabaliauskas 90. Raimondas Saprigonas 91. Aurelijus Simonai tis 92. Bronius Simsonas 93. Leonardas Skardinskas 94. Jonas Skirelis 95. Mykolas Stonys 96. Vincentas Stankevičius 97. Bronius Strazdas 98. Alfonsas Strielčiūnas 99. Aloyzas Sungaila 100. Paulius Svirskis 101. Ignas Šiaučiūnas 102. Bronius Šlapelis 103. Paulius Sliauteris 104. Gediminas Šukys 105. Juozapas Sumskis 106. Albertas Talačka 107. Leonardas Tamošauskas 108. Pranas Tamulionis 109. Stasys Tamulionis 110. Petras Tarulis 111. Petras Tijušas 112. Vytautas Tvarijonas 113. Jonas Uogintas 114. Benediktas Urbonas 115. Sigitas Uždavinys 116. Jonas Vaičiūnas 117. Antanas Valančiūnas 118. Antanas Valantinas 119. Juozapas Varnas 120. Paulius Varžinskas 121. Antanas Vaškevičius 122. Virginijus Veilentas 123. Vytautas Zakrys 124. Stasys Zabavičius 125. Antanas Zulonas 126. Bronius Žilinskas 127. Serafinas Žvinys
At the time the signatures were collected, there were 130 priests in the Diocèse of Panevėžys.
To: Mikhail Gorbachev, Secretary General of the Central Committee
of the Communist Party of the USSR From: The Priests of the Diocese of Panevėžys,
of the Catholic Church in Lithuania
A Petition
In 1987, the Catholics of Lithuania will celebrate the 600th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity into Lithuania. For 600 years, Christian teaching has sunk deep roots in our nation. The Constitution of the USSR guarantees freedom of conscience and religious liberty, but atheistic activists nullify this Constitutional guarantee.
1. The children of believing parents are persecuted in school, morally terrorized for public church attendance; against the wishes of their parents they are compelled to enroll in atheistic organizations. Those who do not sign up are threatened that they will be unable to enroll in institutions of higher and advanced education. Those who sign up are forbidden to fulfill their religious duties and some seniors who actively participate in religious services are not even allowed to take final examinations. Those who wish to fulfill their religious obligations must do so secretly, and so from childhood they are forced to play the hypocrite. This is a painful wound in our society.
2. Various government functionaries or teachers are unable publicly to fulfill their religious duties as required by their convictions and conscience, so they are forced to go off to distant places to fulfill their religious obligations where no one knows them; or to marry or have children baptized by night, so that no one might see it.
Teachers who believe must speak against their convictions in an atheistic manner while Art. 50 of the USSR Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience. When a man holding an influential position leaves his wife and children and forms a new family, that is considered a personal affair, for which he is not penalized; but if a government employee publicly fulfills his religious obligations, he is demoted.
3. The USSR Constitution guarantees equality of all citizens, but how is it in real life? The atheists have everything: press, radio and television, while believers are not allowed near these mass media.
After World War II, just a few families of believers were able to obtain prayerbooks and catechisms. The atheists are served by all schools, beginning wi th kindergarten and ending with university, while it is forbidden to teach the children of believing parents catechism, even in church. For such teaching, priests are tried and punished. Believers are not allowed to arrange trips, hire a car; they are not allowed to go to religious devotions even by taxi; for example, Šiluva, Žemaičių Kalvarija and Varduva.
Believers in the hospital are not always allowed to summon a priest before their death.
It is not permitted to pray at the casket of a believer in funeral establishments, according to Catholic custom.
4. According to Art. 50 of the USSR Constitution, the Church is separated from the state, but in real life, it is otherwise: When the bishops and administrators of dioceses appoint priests to or transfer them from a parish, the Commissioner for Religious Affairs, as the representative of the atheist government, interfering with the well-being of the Church, makes the final decision regarding the appointment of a priest to a parish, or his removal. It is the same with the selection of candidates to become bishop or diocesan administrator, the appointment of instructors to the seminary, the acceptance of candidates for the seminary (and he allows an all-too-small number of them to be accepted) so that there is a great shortage of priests.
The Commissioner for Religious Affairs interferes in the selection of Priests' Councils and Boards of Consultors. This is interference in the internal affairs of the Church. Officials of the civil government interfere even in the order of worship, demanding to know why this priest held services rather than another, why prayers were said for the priests suffering in prison... He interferes even in family life and the organizing of church committees...
5. Christianity was first brought to Lithuania in Vilnius, hence the cathedral of Vilnius is the cradle of Christianity in Lithuania, and this shrine has been taken away from the faithful. Saint Casimir is the Patron of Lithuania, but the church named after him has been converted into a museum of atheism, just as the church built by offerings from the faithful in Klaipeda was transformed into a philharmonic hall. This is ridiculing the believers.
6. The USSR has obligated itself to observe the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states in Article 18: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes ... freedom, either alone or in community with others, and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
The USSR has also obligated itself to carry out the Final Accords of the Helsinki Conference, Section 7 of which states: "Participating states respect human rights and basic freedoms, including the freedom of thopught, conscience, religion and belief..." and Section 10 states, "Par ticipating states wi 11 conscientiously carry out their obligations according to international law: both those obligations according to international law, as well as obligations which flow from universally recognized principles and norms of law, as well as those which proceed from international agreements in accord with law, and other agreements to which they are a party."
Hence, the wrongs committed against believers which are listed above are an offense against international agreements.
7. When priests and faithful publicize the injustices and calumnies perpetrated against them, they are accused of libeling the Soviet Union, and are put on trial, like Fathers Alfonsas Svarinskas, Sigitas Tamkevičius and Jonas Kastytis Matulionis. Some Catholic laymen are sentenced just for the defense of rights of believers. If the government means to adhere to its Constitution and obligations, they must be freed.
We request you, as the leader of the state, to see that the aforesaid anti-Constitutional injustices and discrimination against believers be abolished and the situation corrected. 1985.
The following priests signed:
1. Petras Adomonis 2. Canon Bronius Antanaitis 3. Vincentas Arlauskas 4. Boleslovas Babrauskas 5. Jonas Bagdonas 6. Juozas Antanavičius 7. Juozas Bagdonas 8. Bronius Balaiša 9. Antanas Balaišis 10. Vytautas Balašauskas 11. Jonas Balčiūnas 12. Juozas Balčiūnas 13. Jurgis Balickaitis 14. Kostas Balsys 15. Petras Baltuška 16. Algis Baniulis 17. Petras Baniui is 18. Kazimieras Baronas 19. Henrikas Bernotavičius 20. Vladas Braukyla 21. Adolfas Breivė 22. Petras Budriūnas 23. Jonas Buliauskas 24. Jonas Butkys 25. Paulius Čiučkis 26. Algirdas Dauknys 27. Feliksas Čiškauskas 28. Juozas Dubnikas 29. Steponas Galvydis 30. Juozapas Garška 31. Juozas Giedraitis 32. Kazimieras Girnius 33. Mykolas Gylis 34. Antanas Gobis 35. Alfonsas Gražys 36. Antanas Gružauskas 37. Klemensas Gutauskas 38. Gaudentas Ikamas 39. Vincentas Inkratas 40. Tadas Ivanovskis 41. Alfonas Jančys 42. Paulius Jankevičius 43. Juozas Janulis 44. Vytautas Jasiūnas 45. Jonas Jatulis 46. Paulius Juozėnas 47. Jonas Jurgaitis 48. Antanas Juška 49. Alfonsas Kadžius 50. Antanas Kairys 51. Vytautas Kapočius 52. Stasys Kazėnas 53. Lionginas Keršu lis 54. Petras Kiela 55. Antanas Kietis 56. Anicetas Kisielius 57. Paulius Klezys 58. Petras Krasauskas 59. Vladas Kremenskas 60. Stanislovas Krumpliauskas 61. Petras Kuzmickas 62. Jonas Labakojis 63. Juozas Lukšas 64. Leonas Lukšas 65. Petras Markevičius 66. Vytautas Marozas 67. Aleksandras Masys 69. Juozapas Mickevičius 70. Antanas Mikulenas 71. Algirdas Miškinis 72. Paulius Miškinis 73. Antanas Mitrikas 74. Kazimieras Mozūras 75. Jonas Naguievičius 76. Algirdas Narušis 77. Lionginas Neniškis 78. Petras Nykštas 79. Albinas Paltanavičius 80. Antanas Petrauskas 81. Albinas Pipiras 82. Jonas Pranevičius 83. Augustinas Pranskietis 84. Robertas Pukenis 85. Isidorius Puriuškis 86. Antanas Ramelkis 87. Jonas Rimša 88. Edmundas Rinkevičius 89. Pranciškus Sabaliauskas 90. Raimondas Saprigonas 91. Aurelijus Simonaitis 92. Bronius Simsonas 93. Leonardas Skardinskas 94. Jonas Skirelis 95. Mykolas Stonys 96. Vincentas Stankevičius 97. Bronius Strazdas 98. Alfonsas Strielčiūnas 99. Aloyzas Sungaila 100. Paulius Svirskis 101. Ignas Šiaučiūnas 102. Bronius šlapelis 103. Paulius šliauteris 104. Gediminas Šukys 105. Juozapas šumskis 106. Albertas Talačka 107. Leonardas Tamošauskas 108. Pranas Tamnulionis 109. Stasys Tamulionis 110. Petras Tarulis 111. Petras Tijušas 112. Vytautas Tvarijonas 113. Jonas Uogintas 114. Benediktas Urbonas 115. Sigitas Uždavinys 116. Jonas Vaičiūnas 117. Antanas Valančiūnas 118. Antanas Valantinas 119. Juozapas Varnas 120. Paullus Varžinskas 121. Antanas Vaškevičius 122. Virginijus Veilentas 123. Vytautas Zakrys 124. Stasys Zabavičius 125. Antanas Zulonas 126. Bronius Žilinskas 127. Serafinas Žvinys
