Catholic Church in Lithuania
[4][5] The Vilnius Cathedral is the most important Catholic Church in Lithuania, which was previously used for the inauguration ceremonies of Lithuanian monarchs with Gediminas' Cap, while in modern times it is a venue for masses dedicated to the elected Presidents of Lithuania after their inauguration ceremonies and giving of oaths to the Nation in the Seimas Palace.
[15][17][16] Polish saint Raphael Kalinowski was born in Lithuania's capital Vilnius, then controlled by the Russian Empire.
[20] Some historians write that he was martyred by the Lithuanians, but Zigmas Zinkevičius contests this and says that Bruno was killed in lands inhabited by the Yotvingians.
there were all the conditions for the establishment of an ecclesiastical province as well.."[30]After Mindaugas' assassination, Treniota, who ruled Lithuania for about a year after rising to power in 1263, began persecuting Christians.
[23] Later, the Archbishop of Riga Friedrich von Pernstein [de] wanted to establish Franciscan and Dominican monasteries in Lithuanian cities, in which he succeeded.
[23] Encouraged by these monks and in the pursuit of political goals, Gediminas wrote a letter to the Pope in 1322 promising to become Roman Catholic.
[23] In 1323, Gediminas wrote letters to the superiors of monasteries in Western Europe and invited priests, monks and lay Christians to come to Lithuania, while promising them freedom of religion.
[23] Although Kęstutis remained a pagan for his life, his daughter Danutė was baptized when she married the Duke of Masovia Janusz I of Warsaw in the 1370s.
[33] Jogaila was personally involved in the building of the churches in Maišiagala, Medininkai, Obolcai and other places, and established a chapter consisting of a provost, dean and 10 canons.
[23] In addition, the Samogitian delegation requested that the future diocese in Samogitia be established under the surveillance by the bishops of Vilnius and Lviv.
[23] When the Teutonic Order disallowed the delegation formed by the Council of Constance to go and baptize Samogitia, this was done by the bishops of Vilnius and Lviv.
[23] The noble founders of churches and their heirs usually also inherited the Jus patronatus, which ensured that the parish would be provided with a clergyman.
[39] In the 16th century, following the decline of Ruthenian usage in favor of Polish in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Lithuanian language strengthened its positions in Lithuania due to reforms, including religious, which allowed lower levels of the Lithuanian nobility to participate in the social-political life of the state.
[39] In 1599, Mikalojus Daukša published his Postil and in its prefaces he expressed that the Lithuanian language situation had improved and thanked to bishop Merkelis Giedraitis for his works.
[20] After coming to the geographically distant Baltic, Spaniards, Italians, Germans, as well as some of the first Polish Jesuits, began to learn local languages.
[20][23][31] Bishop Merkelis Giedraitis (1576–1609), who actively encouraged Catholicism in Samogitia, where he built 12 churches and established new parishes, also sent his clerics to it.
[20][23][31] From this time to the destruction of the Lithuanian state in 1795, monasteries became extremely influential because monks participated in all areas of the religious and cultural life of the nation.
[20][31][23] These monasteries were previously very involved in religious and cultural activities throughout the former Lithuanian lands and were responsible for many schools, libraries, and charity institutions.
[23] During the years of Russian rule, a struggle began within the Catholic Church for the rights of faith and Lithuanian national identity, which were persistently defended by Bishop of Samogitia Motiejus Valančius.
[20][31] Church property was confiscated, religious education in schools was stopped, publishing of Catholic books and newspapers was banned.
[31] On June 22, priests Justinas Dabrila, Vaclovas Balsius and Jonas Petrikas in Būdavonė forest (Bartninkai district) were martyred by NKVD soldiers.
[31] During the second Soviet occupation, which began once the Red Army invaded Lithuanian lands in 1944, the persecution of the Church intensified.
[20][31] This was because of the regime's state atheism, as well as the Catholic Church's involvement in the Lithuanian anti-communist guerrilla war against Soviet occupation.
[31] Later, the bishops Teofilius Matulionis, Pranciškus Ramanauskas, Vilnius archbishop Mečislovas Reinys were arrested and imprisoned.
The Catholic Church is an influential factor in the country, and some priests actively led the resistance against the Communist regime and, after independence was regained, in support of traditionalism, especially in ethical questions.
[citation needed] In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited Lithuania and after his prayer in the Chapel of Saint Casimir in the Vilnius Cathedral said that "the heart of the Lithuanian nation beats in this sanctuary".
[47] The Catholic Church in Lithuania has after independence continued to campaign against liberal and socialist measures, especially in ethical questions.
[20] Since then, the relations between the Catholic Church and the Lithuanian state have been regulated by three special treaties of the Republic of Lithuania and the Holy See, instead of the concordat.
[31] After the suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773, the Commission of National Education took over the management of Vilnius University and higher schools.
[citation needed] The first church in Lithuania, supposedly, was built by the Grand Duke Mindaugas in the thirteenth century.
