Christianity in Lithuania: the 20th century

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Bažnyčios istorija; Katalikų bažnyčia; Krikščionių tikėjimai; Krikščionybė; Lietuvos istorija; Ortodoksija; Sentikiai; Protestantų bažnyčia; Religingumas; Christianity; Church history; Lithuania; Lithuanian history; Religiosity; Ortodoxy; Christian faiths; Old believes; Catholic Church; Protestant Church.

ENDémocratisation processes finally reached the Russian Empire at the beginning of the twentieth century. In order to stabilise the situation at home and preserve its influence and reputation abroad the tsar's administration was compelled to carry out reforms of the political and economic system which included the recognition of freedom of religion. An equality of religions manifesto was proclaimed in 1905. The declaration of religious tolerance had particular effect on the Vilnius and Kaunas gubernias. Despite the fact that the great majority of the inhabitants of these areas were Catholic, the Roman Church's activities there had been restricted for several reasons, while the Russian Orthodox Church had gained an unjustifiably great influence thanks to state support. Discrimination against the Catholic Church began to wane at the end of the nineteenth century. After the prohibition on building new Catholic churches was lifted in 1897 an intensive building programme began in the region for which funds were provided mostly by peasants. As a result of this the Lithuanian landscape was enriched with several dozen neo-Gothic churches. In 1897 too the ukase compelling Catholic school children to attend Orthodox services on state holidays was repealed. In 1904 the prohibition on printing Lithuanian texts in the Roman alphabet was lifted in the Vilnius and Kaunas gubernias, thereby opening the way for intensive publication of Catholic religious literature and periodical prints. The St Casimir Society was founded by priests in Kaunas in 1905 to publish books and periodicals and during the next five years it issued around fifty books. During the decade following the restoration of press freedoms around ten Catholic periodicals were established in Lithuania. [Extract, p. 127]