Vilnius district council again fails to meet over Gulbinowicz street names

A Vilnius district council meeting on renaming streets named after Cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz did not take place because too few members attended, LRT reported. Only 10 councillors had registered. The meeting has been rescheduled for October 16.

The same issue prevented the council from meeting on October 2. Members of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania – Christian Families Alliance faction and two Social Democrats were absent, and the meeting was postponed to October 12.

After the October 2 meeting, Mayor Robert Duchnevičius told ELTA he believed some members of the alliance faction had stayed away to avoid a discussion on renaming the streets. Faction member Marija Rekst told ELTA the date had not suited the group and its absence was unrelated to the planned discussion.

The Holy See imposed disciplinary sanctions on Gulbinowicz in 2020 after investigating allegations against him. He was barred from public religious ceremonies and meetings and from using episcopal insignia. He was also denied funeral rites and burial in a cathedral, and instructed to donate money to a Church fund supporting victims of sexual abuse.

Streets named after Gulbinowicz remain in Vilnius district, and he still holds the title of honorary citizen of the district. The council has discussed renaming the streets several times but has rejected proposals to do so. In April, the Regional Administrative Court said it had received two applications from a government representative seeking name changes for streets in Nemenčinė and seven villages in Vilnius district.