After the Tolyat case, the priests were alarmed: they sought help from the leadership

The renowned priest Algirdas Toliatas received criticism from famous people last week for his speeches on the social network Facebook. Tolyat called for two petitions to be signed, against the Istanbul Convention and against the legalization of a gender-neutral association.

A video was also released on social media in which Paulius Vaineikis, chaplain of the Kretinga Franciscan Gymnasium, also spoke negatively about members of the LGBT community during last week’s Advent Mass.

“It turns out that boys are no longer boys, men are not men, girls are not girls, women are not women, but Bala knows what. You can imagine? When they try to break into schools and teach immoral things at the state level, ”said P. Vaineikis, chaplain of the Franciscan Gymnasium of Kretinga, in the excerpt from the mass.

It was later announced that the chaplain would be removed.

In the public sphere, questions have been raised about whether priests and other members of the Church should speak out on issues of sexuality and family. With the emergence of two camps with different positions in society, the clergy themselves assure that in a democratic society everyone has the same rights to express their opinion and it is the priests who need to speak about the natural family and its concept.

He provided an answer to the priests.

Over the weekend, the message from the Archbishop of Kaunas, Kęstutis Kėvalas, began to spread on social media and parish announcements, emphasizing that the Church can and should speak out on topics of interest.

How Delfi.lt reported the spokesman for the Archdiocese of Kaunas, deacon fil. lic. Darius Chmieliauskas, the archbishop’s widespread message, was a response to the priests, who approached K. Kėvalas with a question whether the priests could express their opinion on the current situation. The Archdiocese of Kaunas, as the spokesperson explained, received many of those inquiries.

“Recently, there has been a debate in the media about whether the priest and the Church itself can speak on topics of interest. The answer is yes!

The essence of a democratic society is that everyone has the same rights and therefore freedom of expression, as long as it does not provoke violence or disrespect to another person or group in society.

If someone denies freedom of religion, conscience or opinion, they support the ideology of totalitarian power. Banning speech is a very dangerous trend in a democratic and pluralistic society.

Therefore, if a person does not support the ratification of the Istanbul Convention or the legalization of the Partnership Institute, they have the right to speak. There are several ways to do this, both public and private.

The Church supports freedom of expression in the media, social media, public debates, or the collection of signatures. Let us encourage each other to be active in expressing their opinions and not to be afraid of those who oppose the right to speak ”, the archbishop’s message spread in the space of social networks.

Cardinal S. Tamkevičius: “Priests must speak, they must explain”

“I believe that we live in a free Lithuania and all citizens of a free Lithuania, including priests, can speak on all topics of interest.” At the moment, the question of the ratification of the Istanbul Convention is a very important event. Since this will affect the natural family, I believe that priests should speak, interpret, calmly and respectfully place all the points in the “i”, Delfi.lt said the cardinal.

The hostility received by the clergy, according to the cardinal, makes it unfortunate that some people express their arguments with anger and hostility.

“It is a reality that the priests or bishops who speak about this issue are receiving hostility, sometimes angry reactions. We have such a Lithuania. We may be very sorry, but not everyone is able to defend their understandable truth beautifully and courteously, but they use angry arguments. I can only regret it, but it is a reality ”, assured Cardinal S. Tamkevičius.

He also criticized the media: do priests have to keep quiet?

Palėvenė St. During Sunday mass, which was broadcast on the social network Facebook, the pastor of the Dominican parish, Rimantas Gudelis, was also quite critical of the situation in public space.

“This Sunday I want to talk about what is happening in our society, about the Istanbul Convention and about the speeches on the rise, that the cleric has no right to express his opinion on any issue of public or national interest. what I want to talk about today. (..) After turning on Lithuanian television last week, Miliūtė shouted that only gay rights and only homosexuals can say everything, the Istanbul Convention is golden and ignorant priests must keep quiet. He gets bored. I turn on Freedom TV, where Tapin yells the same thing.

I already wanted something more diverse and got the same portion again. And if I wanted to go to Miliūtė or Tapina with this sermon, you know how they would take me far, because we only have an LGBT opinion in Lithuania. (..) ”, said the clergyman.

According to the priest R. Gudel, now the impression is that the conditions are dictated by a single ideology.

“We lived in a distorted reality last week when an ideology wanted us to dictate our terms. Now what about the Istanbul Convention? 90% of the Istanbul Convention. they are very true about domestic violence. The Istanbul Convention tells us that women must not be humiliated or beaten. The Bible says exactly the same thing.

But there are other percentages, do you know what the other percentages are talking about? Other percentages speak of the so-called gender ideology, tells us that transvestites, homosexuals, everyone else, that their families are equal and equal, and a man, if, for example, a child was born, then according to that ideology he is not yet a child, he will be able to choose, “said R. Gudelis.