President calls for strengthening Christian virtues at church province anniversary

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has urged the strengthening of Christian virtues and the welfare of the entire nation during a celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Lithuania’s church province in Kaunas, reports BNS.

The president highlighted the role of Blessed Archbishop Jurgis Matulaitis in shaping the new diocesan boundaries of Lithuania. The Lithuanian church province, blessed by Pope Pius XI in 1926, originally included the Archdiocese of Kaunas and the dioceses of Telšiai, Panevėžys, Vilkaviškys, and Kaišiadorys.

In his address, Nausėda emphasised that the establishment of the province marked a historic turning point, completing international recognition of the restored Lithuanian state. He noted that Pope Pius XI, acknowledging the exceptional piety of the Lithuanian people, “ignited an even brighter flame of faith in our country—a flame that did not extinguish even during the darkest years of occupation, church closures, persecution of believers, mass killings, and deportations.”

The president also underscored the long struggle of Lithuanian believers against the atheist Soviet regime, including the underground publication of the Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania and their contribution to the country’s liberation through their fight for religious freedom.

In 1991, Pope John Paul II reorganised the Lithuanian church province into two metropolises: Kaunas and Vilnius.

The centenary celebrations in Kaunas included participation from Pope Leo XIV’s envoy, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, as well as Apostolic Nuncio to the Baltic States Archbishop Georg Gänswein, and bishops from Lithuania and neighbouring countries. The Archdiocese of Kaunas has also organised a week of events, including city missions, concerts, excursions, prayer evenings, book presentations, and family and community meetings. A 100-hour continuous prayer of adoration is taking place at the Kaunas Archcathedral Basilica.

Books on the history of the Kaunas Archdiocese, Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius, and Sister Regina Teresiūtė, a dissident nun, are being presented during the jubilee week. Lithuania has declared 2027 as the year of Blessed Archbishop Jurgis Matulaitis and the Concordat between Lithuania and the Holy See.