Vilniaus district launches public survey on renaming streets named after disgraced cardinal

Vilniaus District Municipality has launched a public survey to gather residents’ opinions on renaming streets named after the late Polish Cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz, who was sanctioned by the Vatican for sexual abuse and covering up pedophilia cases, LRT reports.

The survey targets adult residents living along Henryk Roman Gulbinowicz streets in Nemenčinė town and the villages of Akuotninkai, Baliniai, Buivydžiai I, Pakalniai, Punžonys, as well as the hamlets of Karužiškės and Stražninkai in Buivydžiai eldership. It will run from March 19 to April 15, with votes cast electronically via the municipality’s mobile app or in person at local eldership offices. Electronic votes will take precedence if duplicates are submitted.

Mayor Robertas Duchnevičius stated that while the final decision rests with the municipal council, the survey aims to ensure transparency and directly incorporate community views. “We understand opinions differ—some prioritise moral concerns, others have practical reservations. This survey gives every resident a direct voice,” he said.

If approved, the street in Nemenčinė would be renamed after Gabrielius Janas Mincevičius, a local political figure, while the seven locations in Buivydžiai eldership would adopt the name Buivydžiai Street to reflect regional identity. A council vote on the proposals is scheduled for March 27, with a final decision expected in April following the survey results. Any changes would be implemented within 20 working days.

The move follows earlier rejection in mid-February of a similar proposal, despite government calls to remove Gulbinowicz’s name from public spaces. Born in Šukiškės village, Gulbinowicz served as Archbishop of Wrocław and was made a cardinal in 1985. Vilniaus District granted him honorary citizenship in 2015, a status the council declined to revoke last September despite his post-mortem sanctions by the Vatican for systemic abuse, cover-ups, and collaboration with Poland’s communist-era security services.