Juozapas Skvireckas
Encyclopedia
Juozapas Skvireckas was a Lithuania
n archbishop of Kaunas (1926–1959).
In 1911–1937 he translated the Bible
into the Lithuanian language
. During the occupation of the Baltic States by the Nazis, Skvireckas and his assistant, bishop Vincentas Brizgys, welcomed the Nazis. Skvireckas would provide chaplains for Lithuanian-manned Nazi auxiliary units. In later years however Skvireckas issued multiple protests to Nazi authorities regarding the conditions of the Catholic church in Lithuania
. He also sent reports to Vatican and since 1942 started receiving instructions from papal office. In 1944, Skvireckas, Brizgys and over 200 other Lithuanian clergymen left Kaunas with retreating German forces, and went into exile
. He would settle in Austria, where he died in 1959. After his death, the post of an (arch)bishop of Kaunas was vacant till 1989.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n archbishop of Kaunas (1926–1959).
In 1911–1937 he translated the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
into the Lithuanian language
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
. During the occupation of the Baltic States by the Nazis, Skvireckas and his assistant, bishop Vincentas Brizgys, welcomed the Nazis. Skvireckas would provide chaplains for Lithuanian-manned Nazi auxiliary units. In later years however Skvireckas issued multiple protests to Nazi authorities regarding the conditions of the Catholic church in Lithuania
Roman Catholicism in Lithuania
The Roman Catholic Church in Lithuania is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome....
. He also sent reports to Vatican and since 1942 started receiving instructions from papal office. In 1944, Skvireckas, Brizgys and over 200 other Lithuanian clergymen left Kaunas with retreating German forces, and went into exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
. He would settle in Austria, where he died in 1959. After his death, the post of an (arch)bishop of Kaunas was vacant till 1989.
Further reading
- "Arkivyskupas Juozas Skvireckas" by Arūnas Streikus, "Kauno Arkivyskupijos Naujienos", No. 3, winter of 1999
- Church Institution during the Period of Nazi Occupation in Lithuania
- Archbishop Skvireckas’s diary, 1941 m. Birželio sukilimas (collection documents), ed. V. Brandišauskas, Vilnius, 2000
- Vilma Narkutė, The Confrontation Between the Lithuanian Catholic Church and the Soviet Regime, New Blackfriars, Volume 87 Issue 1011, pages 456–475, 2006