Cardinal Bačkis on the passport of opportunity: I do not understand those who reject such a small restriction

The question arises about the moral compass in Lithuania

At the beginning of the Delfi TV program “Essentially”, Cardinal Audrys Juozas Bačkis, when asked about the possible change in the moral compass in Lithuania, assured that real values ​​are more important than its legal form, which is given pay too much attention.

“It just came to our attention then. In the sense that there are many things that are decided on the basis of a purely legal rule, and one person is forgotten; it is not just about Lithuania, it is, I would say, the legal structure I remember that Pope John Paul II, when he was in Lithuania, said that, on the one hand, oppression, communism and things like that are over, but, on the other hand, there is a danger that there are many instructions from the EU, norms that are legal, well concluded but without foundation.Here, a purely legal construction is not based on real values.

I say the core values ​​are human dignity, how to help you, and the like. I believe that such problems also exist in Lithuania, and the moral compass is a matter for all people, for all politicians. There are those who behave very well, respect people, are educated, there are those who throw epithets, humiliate others. You need respect for the other; if not, it is difficult to speak ”, says the cardinal.

Missing dialogue

The cardinal also admits that there is a great lack of dialogue in Lithuania at the moment.

“I think we must first listen. Maybe I’m wrong because I’m already an old man, an old diplomat. We used to be very careful in formulating our positions, our responses. Now, on social media, you respond immediately, you react, sometimes without thinking about every word. Sometimes there is a basic lack of courtesy when talking to another person, “says the interlocutor.

According to him, even when no common ground can be found, it is necessary to listen to the arguments of all parties and not to personally attack and humiliate a person.

“There are all kinds of reasons, but the most important thing is that people are not listening, there is no real dialogue, very personally followed by an attack, maybe it was done through social networks. Respond immediately without thinking … I think it’s a confrontation, people are attacking each other. This seems to me the most difficult; in other countries, like France, people defend their ideas and are viewed with respect rather than attacked in person. Arguments are attempted or are expressed by all, even if there is no common connection. So here a bit is lacking … And when you tell a fairy tale, you have to look at whether it is possible to reconcile these positions or not ”, says the interlocutor.

According to the cardinal, there is an elemental lack of respect.

“There is a lack of respect, sometimes courtesy, in my imagination; “I always listen to a person, even if he does not agree with his opinion, but you have to listen to the arguments and not attack, so that you can” transfer “your ideas and positions,” says the interlocutor.

He appreciated the rhetoric of the Family March

When asked what the cardinal thinks of the Family March and if this name corresponds to true values, he assured him that, unfortunately, he did not think so.

“I don’t think so. First of all, you need to look at who is leading that movement and how they are leading the jargon that they are using. To me, this is already an inappropriate signal that I would not allow myself to contribute. The idea of ​​families that you are proclaiming may be true. , but with that march that got upset, I would say, it crossed all borders, there is so much hostility to everything: the government did not do it, the Seimas did not do that, here is the fight, the refugees, everything is armed. Once, in the Cathedral it was calmer, but still with a certain language: let’s change the government, the rulers do not know how to manage, that is not the right tone. It is better to express their ideas, positions, deliver the document, the managers will meet with managers, where they will be told what is being asked of them, and when they are asked to give in and accept their ideas, it won’t do any good. communicate. “

When asked how he sees the opinion that the Church is involved in a certain sense in this regard, and whether it may be that the Church does not respond to certain ongoing political processes, the cardinal assured that marriage is a free agreement between man and woman.

“Opinions are expressed on things that seem fundamental to us – we speak from a moral point of view and we want, we want the law to remain … The question of the family is written very simply in the Constitution: marriage. I mentioned that according to the common understanding of the people, family comes from marriage. <...>. What is a family? The family is the foundation of society, but marriage is a free agreement between a man and a woman. Children are born into such a family. It seems to me that everything makes sense ”.

The hostility is mainly due to the Public Limited Companies Law.

One of the reasons for the opposition in Lithuania is the Association Law that is being examined. When asked to what extent the Church could support the Corporation Law, he assured that “the family is a man and a woman.”

“The Church has spoken many times and repeats many times: we respect the freedom of those who want to live together, but we do not call it family. We are in favor of regulating all legal relationships between them: inheritances, health insurance, that everything is legally resolved, but we do not believe that there is family here. The family is a man and a woman, it is natural for us and we believe that we must legally put this in order, but not equate it with the family. Everything is fine.”

The cardinal emphasizes that family is something natural.

“If you choose this lifestyle, live it. We will provide you with peace and so forth, but we don’t want to erase from people’s understanding that a family starts a marriage. As the Constitution indicates, marriage is the beginning ”, says the interlocutor.

The cardinal emphasizes the importance of people remembering “their nature.”

“I compare it to nature. See what happens to nature. We don’t invent them, there are rules, scientists find them and they know how to handle them, but when you resist those rules, changing them for what comes out is all kinds of disasters when we don’t follow that nature as nature created. that. I am not talking about God, surely it was created by God, but those who do not believe still see life, nobody has created it, we manipulate it, we exploit nature, even sometimes we force it. I would say that there is a law of nature: there is a man, there is a woman, life is entrusted to them, so that life passes normally. It is through family, marriage. “

When asked if a constructive dialogue is taking place on the Association Law, the family term and other issues, Audrys Juozas Bačkis considered that the issue existed twenty years ago and no compromise was found, there is a lack of dialogue.

“I think there is a certain backstage dialogue going on between lawyers and jurists. This is a legal matter that needs to be clarified, I think the dialogue continues. Dropping something like this on the street is not the most appropriate way to deal with it, and to “breaking through” was initially incompatible with the moral standards of the Church, the understanding of what a family is, what marriage is, that’s what the bishops said. I remember that twenty years ago that issue existed and no compromise was found, no solution was found ”, says the interlocutor.

The publication of the Šiluva Declaration provoked harsh evaluations

We remind you that in Šiluva, in commemoration of the Šiliniai Family Day of Great Indulgences, the Šiluva Declaration announced by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Kaunas Kęstutis Kėvalas provoked harsh criticism in the Seimas.

This declaration establishes that “in a democratic state of Lithuania it is necessary to respect the fundamental goods of the individual and society: human life from the moment of beginning until natural death; the inherent difference and equivalence of men and women; a family that arises from the marriage, blood and kinship of a man and a woman; the right of parents to raise their children in accordance with their moral principles; freedom of conscience, religion and expression, which protects society from the temptations of totalitarianism “.

“Here is an address for members of the Church. We have a right, worshipers gathered here, we can say where we stand. Most important in that statement are the last points written on natural law; that’s where we are here. We tell the faithful that this is the position of the Church. And that is. This is not a call to demonstrate, but to know what the Church thinks, ”says Cardinal Bački.

In the show, the cardinal also tried to emphasize that he does not exclude those people to whom the position of the Church is not very close.

“We do not reject these people, we respect their choices, but it is important for us that the family begins with marriage, that is something natural, but there are exceptions that have attachments, tendencies. They are exceptions, but the general picture of what marriage is, I adhere to the Constitution, which is a man and a woman, it is a natural right ”, says the cardinal.

The show also asked about possible Church interference in politics. The church is made up of people who each have their own conscience, says the cardinal.

“The social doctrine of the Church is science, such teaching, it is not just a matter of faith, it is such science. Nobody knows, you should familiarize yourself. We should educate people more, educate. <...> People need to be introduced to the Bible, theology, the social science of the church, so that it is not just a choice: who takes what he wants so that we have the whole. We want to cultivate. And Christians who are dedicated to politics try to follow as much as possible of this Christian science, they will defend those theses. The laws may be completely different. If a commitment is needed, but there is no commitment with your conscience, I think so in my conscience, here is my thought, I know it should be. Unfortunately, we cannot do it. I believe that it is necessary for the laity who enter political life to have a strong conviction and a backbone of values ​​”, says the cardinal.

You have already received the third vaccination.

At the end of the show, the cardinal assured him that he had already received the third dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

“Yes, I came after the third vaccination. I also trust scientists, I admire the fact that the vaccine developed so quickly and yet the pandemic has already cost more than five million lives, we have to get involved, do something to make it happen, we have to protect society . Here I also say that there has been an unnecessary opposition to my rights, my freedom and the instructions given by the Government; Also in all countries, the Government must be responsible for the common good, which means for the good of all. people, and here the freedom of one person intersects with another. You have to balance, then personal freedom is cut a bit if it is to the detriment of the entire community, ”says the cardinal.

“With regard to the passport of opportunity, I do not understand those who reject such a small restriction,” added the interlocutor.