Warum besitzt Litauen keine katholische Universität?

Abstract

Since the beginning of the Lithuanian State (historian present it as the year 1009) and after Lithuania’s christening it was the state and the Church that cared about education in the brand principality of Lithuania. The first catholic school was founded at Vilnius Cathedral in 1307. During the following the centuries that followed such and alike schools were being founded at various churches and cloisters, that took care of them. Jesuitic college (later it became Vilnius University) played a very significant role in preserving Catholicism even during the spread of Protestantism in Lithuania (XVI-XVII centuries). Any Catholic activity was greatly opposed from 1795 till 1918 (the years of czarist occupation). While Christian democrats were in power in inter-war independent Lithuania (1918-1940) the Lithuanian Church was not strong enough economically to found a catholic university, yet it was in no need. The then unjustifiable diplomatic relations between Lithuania and the Vatican as well as Lithuania’s political ambitions made the relations between the Church and the State quite tense. It was also caused by the unfriendly position of the Vatican’s diplomat during the conflict between Lithuania and Poland, when in 1920 Lithuania’s historic capital Vilnius fell under the jurisdiction power of Polish Church. When the leftists came to the Seimas and President’s institution the Church efforts were also restricted for political considerations. The then civil power did not permit a catholic university in Lithuania. After the WW II the Soviet power destroyed the Church and any catholic school (even a primary one) was out of the question. Lithuanian Catholic Church regained a lot of previous rights only after the reestablishment of Lithuanian’s independency on March II, 1990. The Church is still being accused of the firm position conserning natural moral values and Christian moral laws. At present higher theological studies are concentrated in four priest seminaries and in the faculty of Catholic theology in Vytautas Magnus University. Laypersons as well as clergymen can study in this faculty training theologists and specialists for Christian education. Because of economic difficulties in the present independent Lithuania for the time being it is impossible to establish a separate catholic university although it would be necessary in the post-Soviet country to educate a new generation of intellectuals.