Cardinal: Gay Pride Marches in Latvia Should be Declared Unlawful
May 27, 2008
Pujāts compares gays with alcoholics and drug addicts.
RIGA, May 27, 2008 – Gay Prides in Latvia should be seen as unlawful and impermissible, Roman Catholic Cardinal Jānis Pujāts has said in an open letter to the government.
The letter, also signed by 26 priests from Roman Catholic congregations, was sent to Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis (LPP/LC), Interior Minister Mareks Segliņš (TP), and the Rīga City Council just days before Riga Gay Pride and Friendship Days.
The church argues that, although the Latvian constitution states that “human rights shall be implemented without any discrimination”, it also says that rights “may be limited in those cases prescribed by law in order to protect the rights of other people, a democratic system of state, the safety of society, and welfare and morals.”
“Given this text in the constitution, Pride marches in Latvia must be seen as unlawful and must not be permitted, because first of all, they are aimed against morality and the family model which exists in our nation and is enshrined in the fundamental law of the state, the Constitution,” the letter says.
“Homosexuality is against the natural order and, therefore, against the laws of God … homosexuals also claim unlawfully to have the rights of a minority.
“A minority is made up of those who are different from the majority of people because of nationality, language, race, skin colour and other neutral characterisations, but not of moral evaluation,” the letter continues.
“That means that there can be no minority of alcoholics, homosexuals, drug addicts or any other people if the minority is based on immoral inclinations. Otherwise this would be direct promotion of immorality.”
The Cardinal and priests argue that because it is impossible to permit “the homosexual march without violating the laws of the country”, foreigners who arrive for the march could instead be offered a conference hall in some Rīga hotel where they could organise “an interest club” without any disturbance to talk about those in Latvia who think as they do.
“A ban on the Pride would also cause these foreigners, who are so full of bravado, to think about the fact that they have no right to publicly propagandise perversion in Latvia and expect that this shameful behaviour is even protected by the police,” the letter states.
“This is humiliation to police officials who, iagaints their conscience, are forced during the Pride event to stand with the gays.
“Even more, it would be humiliation for our government –and for the entire nation – if we were to feel captive in front of amoral pressure.
“A responsible decision from the men who are in power is expected by everyone who is concerned about the raising of young people – parents, teachers and clergymen,” the letter concludes.
■ Rīga Gay Pride march is scheduled for Saturday May 31 and will take place along 11th November Shoreline. It will start by the Anglican Church at 10 am and go to Stone Bridge, and back. It is expected to conclude at noon.
The Pride is part of Friendship Days, which also includes group discussions, seminars and film screenings. Organised by Mozaīka, the alliance of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transpersons and their friends, is supported by the governments of Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden and UK, their embassies hosting a joint reception on Friday.
"100.pants". Kardināls Jānis Pujats
Mar 19, 2008
Jānis Krēvics, LTV Panorāma
03. aprīlis (2005)
Jūs jau rīt dosities uz Vatikānu, lai piedalītos Jāņa Pāvila II bērēs, pēc tam piedalītos pāvesta vēlēšanās. Kādi būs tie kritēriji, pēc kuriem jūs izvēlēsities, kurš cilvēks turpmāk būs pāvests?
- Vislabākais kritērijs ir pašreizējais aizgājušais. Ja es atradīšu starp tiem, kas līdzīgu politiku un līdzīgu baznīcas iekšējo politiku ved, es tādam balsošu.
- Izskanējuši vairāki iespējamie kandidāti, kas varētu ieņemt pāvesta krēslu. Kurš tas varētu būt? Vai šim cilvēkam obligāti ir jānāk no Itālijas, vecās Eiropas vai Amerikas?
- To var tikai Dievs zināt. Prognozes parasti pāvesta izvēlē neattaisnojas, vismaz līdz šim. Var jau gadīties, ka arī tagad nāk ne no Itālijas. Tā tomēr ir laba pozitīva pieredze, ko deva kardināls Vojtila, kad viņu ievēlēja. Pārējiem nebūs psiholoģiska barjera, ka tik ilgu laiku bija itāļi un tagad būs kāds cits. Tā tradīcija ir ielauzta.
- Kā notiks procedūra, kurā tiks izvēlēts pāvests? Parasti sapulcējas kardināli vienā telpā un netiek laisti ārā līdz tiek pieņemts lēmums.
- Jā, tā ir tāda labdabīga izolācija, lai nebūtu no ārpasaules nekāda iespaida. Tajā laikā viņi kontaktēsies lūgšanās ar Dievu un, Svēto Garu piesaucot, meklēs to, kam uzticēt Pētera kuģa stūri. Var gadīties pārsteigumi.
- Jums jau ir padomā kāds cilvēks, kuram labprāt uzticētu?
- Es vēl domāšu. Līdz šim nebiju prātojis, kas būs un kā būs. Tas tik negaidīti ātri pienācis, vēl uz Romu jādodas, vēl laiks paies. Pēc bērēm atbraukšu vēl atpakaļ uz Latviju, paies kāda nedēļa, un tad Konklāvs salasīsies.
- Pāvests reizē ir arī valsts galva. Jānis Pāvils II ir ieņēmis diezgan stingru pozīciju vairākos jautājumos, kaut vai atceramies aso kritiku par karu Irākā. Vai arī turpmāk pāvestam būtu jāietur šāda stingra politika, vai arī jābūt tikai garīgam līderim?
- Es domāju, ka viņš ir labdabīgs politiķis savā dzimtenē. Kaut vai tāds piemērs, kad es 1975. gadā viņu satiku Romā kā kardinālu, pirmais jautājums, ko viņš, uzzinājis, ka esam no Baltijas, tūlīt pajautāja: "Vai jūs vēl neesat pazaudējuši cerību uz neatkarīgu valsti?" Tad 1975.gadā kaut kas tāds bija neiedomājams, jo Padomju Savienība mūs turēja kā dzelzs stangās, bet viņš jau tad domāja par savas dzimtenes un arī par pārējo Austrumeiropas valstu likteņiem un lielu lomu šajā ziņā nospēlēja.
- Kāda kļūs katoļu baznīca pēc jaunā pāvesta iecelšanas? Pēdējos gados ir izskanējis, ka tā ir kļuvusi nedaudz ortodoksālāka, stiprāka, varbūt neiecietīgāka.
- Nē, es neteiktu, ka neiecietīgāka, bet drīzāk draudzīgāka citām konfesijām. Man šķiet, ka šis process ies uz priekšu. Ekumeniskai kustībai šajā tūkstošgadē ir nākotne, un viņš to ir atbalstījis. Pārējās lietas pie ticības patiesībām turas. Tā ir labdabīgi stingra nostāja, arī dzīvības aizstāvības jautājumos, kara un citos, tā ir labi izsvērta politika baznīcā.
Mieram tuvu
Mar 19, 2008
«Apollo», www.catholic.lv
Sestdiena, 26. marts (2005)
http://www.apollo.lv/portal/articles/43937
Lielie Kunga Jēzus Augšāmcelšanās svētk liek šīs zemes bērniem pacelt sava domas uz debesu lietām. «Es ticu u miesas augšāmcelšanos», tā kristieš saka, apliecinot savu ticību. Tā nav tik formalitāte, jo kristieši patiesi tic cilvēk augšāmcelšanai pastarajā dienā
Tā ir brīnišķīga ticības patiesība, kas balstās Svētajos Rakstos. Apustulis Pāvils vēstulē filipiešiem raksta par Jēzu, ka «Viņš pārveidos mūsu necilo miesu, padarot to līdzīgu savai apskaidrotajai miesai» (3,21). Citā Rakstu vietā šis apustulis to raksturo kā «garīgu miesu», kas vairs nav padota iznīcībai (1 Kor 15 44.53).
Reklāma
Un pats Kristus saka, ka «pēc augšāmcelšanās… visi būs kā Dieva eņģeļi debesīs» (Mt 22,30). Tāda, lūk, ir zemes bērnu nākotne, kur «Dievs noslaucīs ikvienu asaru no viņu acīm, un nebūs vairs nāves, ne bēdu, ne vaidu, ne sāpju…» (Atkl 21,4). Šī nākamā dzīve ticīgajiem ir spēka avots, kas tiem palīdz iziet cauri visām laicīgās dzīves nebūšanām.
Ticībā uz Dievu un cerībā Viņu skatīt nākamajā dzīvē lai smeļ spēku īpaši tie, kurus dzīves krusts nospiež sevišķi smagi. «Turiet drošu prātu», saka Kristus, «Es uzvarēju pasauli» (Jņ 16,33).
Novēlu visiem gaišus Lieldienu svētkus!
Kardināls Jānis Pujats, Romas katoļu Arhibīskaps metropolīts
Lettland: Kardinal will Homo-Verbot
Dec 13, 2007
Der Anführer der katholischen Kirche in Lettland hat die Parteien in einem offenen Brief aufgefordert, Schwule und Lesben den Zugang zu öffentlichen Ämtern grundsätzlich zu verwehren. Wie die Nachrichtenagentur BNS berichtet, haben sich alle drei Kandidaten für das Amt des Ministerpräsidenten von den Forderungen des Kardinals Janis Pujats bereits distanziert.
Riga (queer.de, 12.12.2007) - In dem Brief erklärte der 77-jährige Geistliche, dass die Parteien "bereit sein müssen, die lettische Nation gegen die Invasion von Homosexualität im öffentlichen Leben zu verteidigen". Forderungen der EU, Diskriminierung gegen Schwule und Lesben zu verbieten, nannte er "bedeutungslos", weil sie der Moral der Letten entgegenlaufe. "Als Kardinal spreche ich im Namen der 500.000 katholischen Gläubigen. Sie sind Bürger dieses Landes und haben das Recht, ihre Meinung zu allen Themen von nationalem Interesse zu äußern".
Erst im Mai hatte Pujats zum Widerstand gegen den CSD aufgerufen (queer.de berichtete). Er bezeichnete Schwule als "sexuell verrückte Leute" und setzte Homosexualität mit Prostitution gleich. Der CSD musste unter Polizeischutz abgehalten werden (queer.de berichtete). (dk)
Latvian Cardinal Asks Politicians to Keep Homosexuality from Invading Public Life
Dec 13, 2007
In what homosexual activists are complaining was an attempt to bar gays from political life, Cardinal Janis Pujats delivered a statement on homosexuality in public life on December 10, calling for all political leaders to support the Latvian people's moral values.
RIGA, Latvia, December 12, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As Latvia prepares to elect a new parliament, Cardinal Pujatis called upon voters to block any individual unwilling to represent the people's moral values from running for Prime Minister. The Cardinal asked candidates to affirm that they are "ready to defend the Latvian nation against the invasion of homosexuality in public life."
"As a cardinal, I say this in the name of Latvia's half-million Catholic believers," said the statement. "They are citizens of their country and have rights to express their opinions on all issues of national importance. People are entitled to receive a public answer."
Cardinal Pujatis further iterated that it is the duty of the government to protect the ordinary citizens from militant homosexuality, a movement he has warned Latvia about before. The Cardinal refused to be tolerant of moral corruption and the harm to the populace and society that comes from it.
All three candidates for Latvian Prime Minister have attempted to distance themselves from the Cardinal's statements, and leaders in the homosexual movement have denounced the statement on the grounds that it violates the laws of the European Union.
The Latvian parliamentary elections will take place Monday.
Cardinal says gays should be banned from office
Dec 13, 2007
Cardinal Janis Pujats delivered an outspoken attack on homosexuality on Dec. 10, in what amounted to a call for gays to be banned from holding political office in Latvia.
(The Baltic Times, Dec 11, 2007) RIGA -- The cardinal issued a statement Monday night calling on the candidates for the post of prime minister to state if they are "ready to defend the Latvian nation against the invasion of homosexuality in public life."
"Are they ready to block the way in parliament to any bill that propagates immorality?" he asked.
In his statement, Pujats notes that an individual who is not a "stern advocate of the people's moral values, must neither run nor be nominated for prime minister," effectively calling for homosexuals to be banned from holding high office because of their sexual persuasion.
Barring individuals from office or employment on the grounds of their sexuality is illegal under EU employment law.
"As a cardinal, I say this in the name of Latvia's half-million Catholic believers. They are citizens of their country and have rights to express their opinions on all issues of national importance. People are entitled to receive a public answer," the leader ofLatvia's Catholics said in his statement.
During public debates on Monday, all three candidates for Latvia's new prime minister -- Valdis Dombrovskis from the New Era party, Edgars Zalans from the People's Party and Ivars Godmanis from Latvia's First Party and Latvia's Way (LPP/LC) voiced tolerant attitudes to people with different sexual orientations.
Latvian Cardinal Warns "Gay" Pride Parade a Foretaste of "True Military" Attack on Nation's Values
May 12, 2007
The Archbishop of Riga, head of Latvia's Catholic Church, warned Christians this week that they must stand together and counter-demonstrate against the upcoming homosexual 2007 Riga Pride March in order to prevent the undermining of family values in Latvia.
RIGA, Latvia, May 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Latvian newspaper, R?tdiena published the open letter by Cardinal J?nis Puj?ts, "Defending Family Values," where the Cardinal described homosexual behaviour as "total corruption in the sexual arena" and an "unnatural form of prostitution."
"One month from now, there will once again be the issue of tolerance towards homosexuality in the context of yet another attempt to organise a Pride march on June 3," the Archbishop of Riga stated in his letter, saying that the organisers of the Pride are "essentially demanding that people be tolerant toward this moral corruption".
"They are demanding not just tolerance, but also that sexual corruption be protected by law and popularised on the basis of special programmes in schools and other organised events," the Cardinal warned.
"There would be no opportunity to object against legal events, because that would be seen as a manifestation of hatred. That's how corruption grows into dictatorship."
Puj?ts called on the government to protect "the values of the traditional family against the licentiousness of homosexuals" and stop "this foreign-inspired action, in which a handful of people with questionable morals try to force the institutions of government to accept their perverse views."
"It is important to make sure that the cunning proposal from the Pride people - that 'sexual orientation' be counted among minorities so as to award it lawful status - not be included in law."
Cardinal Puj?ts pressed upon the need for the people to counter-demonstrate against the Pride marches in massive numbers in order to convince the Parliament not to cave into the demands of homosexuals by creating laws that "defend and propagandise" the homosexual agenda.
"That would be a true military attack against the nation's morality, religion and family values," Puj?ts insisted. "That is exactly what Pride organisers are seeking to provoke by returning to their complaints year after year."
"If there are 1,000 sexually crazy people acting foolishly [at the Pride march], then the people's march in R?ga should have at least 40,000 or 50,000," said the Archbishop. "That proportion would give the government and public thought enough reason to leave sexual perversion outside the law."
The Riga Archbishop and other Christian leaders in Latvia have been uniting to confront the homosexual agenda. Last month Cardinal Pujats with representatives of the Orthodox, Pentecostals and other Christian groups attended an oecumenical meeting organised by Janis Vanags, Archbishop of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church on how to work together to oppose the encroaching homosexual agenda.
Currently, the new Mayor of the Latvian capital, Janis Birks, has given public backing to the 2007 Pride march in June and has said if he can provide security the march will continue.
Ever since Latvia joined the European Union, it has been under constant pressure to adopt the EU's pro-homosexual laws. Latvia's President President Vike-Freiberga is a strong defender of homosexual activism in the country, and in September 2006 successfully cowed the Parliament into banning discrimination on sexual orientation; a condition of membership in the EU.
Puj?ts, who in the past has called the "sexual atheism" of homosexuality more dangerous than the Soviet atheism has warned that Christians "must not be passive" and that at this time in history "we cannot keep quiet."
"For all Christians whose faith is a matter of the heart, and for all others who love their families - you must be prepared to go out into the streets," the Cardinal stated. "Not to create disorder, but to offer a disciplined position in support of the government, because on this very important issue of morals, the government is on the side of Christians."
« Ne quitter le confessionnal qu’après que le dernier pénitent a reçu le pardon »
Oct 24, 2005
« Si nous voulons vraiment renouveler la vie spirituelle du peuple, il ne nous est permis de quitter le confessionnal qu’après que le dernier pénitent a reçu le pardon », a fait observer le cardinal Janis Pujats, archevêque de Riga, en Lettonie, dans son intervention au synode.
ROME, Lundi 17 octobre 2005 (ZENIT.org) - « En général, insistait le cardinal Pujats, il faut éliminer l’abus consistant à accéder à la Communion sans le Sacrement de la Pénitence ».
« Avant la Communion, il appartient aux prêtres d’inviter les fidèles à la confession individuelle des péchés, rappelait le cardinal Letton. Le meilleur endroit pour la confession des fidèles est le confessionnal, placé dans l’église et doté d’une grille fixe entre le confesseur et le pénitent. Dans la mesure du possible, les prêtres doivent créer les conditions pour que les fidèles accèdent au sacrement de Pénitence. En effet, si les hommes vivent et meurent dans le péché, tout autre effort pastoral est vain ».
Chaque jour un temps pour les confessions Il recommandait que les prêtres consacrent du temps chaque jour pour écouter les confessions. « Il convient, disait-il, de réserver chaque jour un temps à la confession, selon un horaire préétabli, en particulier avant la Messe. Si nous voulons vraiment renouveler la vie spirituelle du peuple, il ne nous est permis de quitter le confessionnal qu’après que le dernier pénitent a reçu le pardon ».
Pour ce qui est du rythme des confessions, il précisait : « Aux prêtres et aux laïcs qui participent généralement à la Table du Seigneur chaque jour, il faut conseiller la confession individuelle une fois par mois environ. Pour les autres, la confession est nécessaire au moins chaque fois qu’ils accèdent à la Communion ».
La communion doit demeurer individuelle « En général, insistait le cardinal Pujats, il faut éliminer l’abus consistant à accéder à la Communion sans le Sacrement de la Pénitence. Par le passé, on avait l’habitude, pendant la Messe, d’aller en procession à la Communion. Mais, progressivement, cette pratique a été justement supprimée pour des raisons pastorales. Comme nous le savons, à l’église, le peuple a un comportement collectif. Tous répondent aux paroles du prêtre, tous, assis, écoutent les lectures de la Sainte Écriture, tous se mettent debout pour l’Évangile, tous s’agenouillent au moment de la Consécration et - ce que nous déplorons ! - tous se lèvent pour participer à la Communion en procession - et parmi eux le pharisien comme le publicain, le pénitent tout comme le non-pénitent. Les fidèles ont peur de rester en dehors de cette procession, car de cette façon ils s’exposent publiquement comme indignes. Telle est la raison pour laquelle cet abus s’est si vite affirmé. Que faire ? Il faut retrouver l’habitude d’accéder individuellement à la Communion, afin de préserver la liberté de conscience. La Messe est une action commune, mais la Communion doit demeurer individuelle ».
Ils viennent pour prier, pas pour bavarder Pour ce qui est de la présence eucharistique, le cardinal Pujats apportait ces remarques : « Dans les églises paroissiales, le lieu particulièrement adapté (in presbyterio) pour le Très Saint Sacrement est le maître-autel qui abrite le tabernacle. Dans ce cas, le maître-autel, avec son retable, est vraiment le trône du Christ-Roi et attire à lui les regards de tous ceux qui sont dans l’église. La présence du Saint Sacrement à l’endroit principal de l’église donne aux fidèles l’occasion d’adorer Dieu même en dehors du sacrifice de la Messe (par exemple dans l’intervalle de temps entre les différents offices divins). Ils viennent en effet à l’église pour prier, et non pas pour bavarder ».
Le cardinal Pujats condamne la récente parade homosexuelle à Riga
Sept 03, 2005
L’archevêque de Riga, le cardinal Janis Pujats, a vivement critiqué lundi, dans son homélie à l’occasion de la Fête de l’Assomption, la parade homosexuelle organisée en juillet dans la capitale lettone.
(AFP 15.08.05) "Les homosexuels vont trop loin en affichant leur sexualité", a déclaré Mgr Pujats lors d’une messe au sanctuaire de la Vierge d’Aglona, un petit village dans l’est de la Lettonie où se trouve la basilique la plus populaire du pays. "A l’époque soviétique, nous avons connu l’athéïsme qui a réprimé la religion. Désormais nous traversons une époque d’athéïsme sexuel", a ajouté Mgr Pujats dans son homélie, transmise en direct par la télévision et la radio publiques. "Cette forme d’athéïsme est même plus dangereuse et infectante. Les valeurs spirituelles disparaissent dans une marre d’anomalies sexuelles". En juillet, une cinquantaine de gays et lesbiennes avaient défilé à Riga, sous les injures de contre-manifestants, au cours de la première parade gay jamais organisée dans ce pays. Des homosexuels avaient également participé le même jour à un service religieux dans une église anglicane. "Imaginez seulement ! L’homosexualité est montrée comme une valeur, alors que c’est l’un des péchés les plus lourds ! Si les gays et lesbiennes allaient à l’église pour se repentir, nous pourrions les accueillir. Mais cette parade avait pour but d’afficher leur péchés. Pourquoi le font-ils à l’église ? Pour montrer à quel point ils sont ridicules ?, s’est exclamé Mgr Pujats. Les chefs des principales Eglises chrétiennes en Lettonie, catholique, orthodoxe, baptiste et luthérienne, ont tous condamné la gay parade.
"In Assumption message, Latvian cardinal slams gay parade"
Sept 03, 2005
Addressing tens of thousands faithful, as Christians marked the feast of the Assumption, Latvian Cardinal Janis Pujats sharply criticized a gay parade that recently took place in Riga, the capital of the Baltic state.
(AFP, August 15, 2005) Riga, Latvia - "Sexual bragging has reached its apogee," Cardinal Pujats said in a homily at mass in Aglona, a small town in eastern Latvia which houses the Baltic state's most popular Catholic basilica, with a shrine to the Virgin.
"In Soviet times we faced atheism, which oppressed religion; now we have an era of sexual atheism," Pujats said in the service, which was broadcast live on state television and radio.
In July, Riga staged its first ever gay parade, Pride 2005, with the march's 50 participants vastly outnumbered by thousands of onlookers and counter-protesters.
The gay marchers attended a religious service in an Anglican church, and took part in other events besides the parade.
"This form of atheism is even more infectious and dangerous -- spiritual values disappear in a swamp of sexual irregularity.
"Just imagine! Homosexuality is viewed as a value, although it is one of the most serious sins! If gays and lesbians had gone to a church to repent their sins, we would have welcomed it. But this parade was intended to show off their sin. Why did they do it in a church? To show how absurd they are?" Pujats said.
The leaders of all the recognised Christian confessions in Latvia -- the Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist and Orthodox churches -- have roundly condemned the gay parade.
A leader of a Latvian support group for gays said he did not take the cardinal's condemnation as an insult, and he hoped that Latvia's Christian churches would come round and stop condemning the Baltic state's homosexuals, or risk facing a legal challenge.
"We recently visited our colleagues and supporters in Sweden, where the Lutheran church says that homosexuality is not sin. I hope it is a question of time when churches here, one by one, will also admit that," said Gabriels Andrejs Strautins, representative of Latvian gays' and lesbians' support organization, told AFP.
"I personally don't feel insulted," Strautins laughed.
"But if he (Pujats) continues to come out with similar statements, we would consider turning to the courts," he said.
Since Latvia regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, many thousands of pilgrims from different countries have flocked to Aglona on August 15 for the feast of the Assumption, the day when Christians believe the Virgin Mary was raised to heaven.
Tens of thousands attended mass there on Monday.
Russian Ambassador Thanks Catholic Cardinal for Criticizing Gay Pride Parade in Latvia
Aug 21, 2005
Russian Ambassador to Latvia Viktor Kalyuzhny thanked Cardinal Janis Pujats, head of Latvia’s Roman Catholics, for the latter’s criticism of the recent gay and lesbian parade in Riga, the Baltic Times newspaper reports.
(MosNews, 12.08.2005) The paper quoted the Russian diplomat as saying that it would be impossible to organize such a parade in Russia, as “it is anti-human.”
He also criticized authorities’ decision to allow the march, which took place on July 23.
“Today, the mortality rate in Latvia exceeds the number of births, and now here is an attempt to say in the framework of democratic principles that this [the gay parade] is necessary and democratic,” the ambassador said. “This is not only a matter of the church, but that any normal individual should understand that cheating nature is impossible.”
Kalyuzhny told journalists that during the meeting with the Latvian archbishop he “made a deep bow to His Grace who practically alone has clearly, openly and directly said what happened here.”
Latvia shows the way on liturgical renewal
Jun 13, 2005
In a recent 'Catholic World Report' interview (extracts from which appear below), Cardinal Janis Pujats, Archbishop of Riga, Latvia, explained how the post-Vatican II changes in the liturgy were implemented in his country without the range of problems which have been encountered in other parts of the Catholic world.
(AD2000, May 2003) By 1972 we had the new Missal in Latvia, but it was not yet translated. We celebrated the Novus Ordo in Latin, so the people did not notice much change.
So we were already celebrating the liturgy according to the Roman Missal, in Latin. We read the Gospel in Latvian. If the entire Mass had been in Latvian, then maybe we would have faced towards the people. But we used Latin, and we couldn't "talk to them" in Latin, so there was no particular point in turning towards the people.
Consequently we did things in a step-by-step fashion. First we did the Mass in Latin. Then we started to translate the Lectionary. Finally we translated the whole Missal. When we were done with this, we turned towards the people for the Liturgy of the Word.
In the Liturgy of the Word, we are talking to the people, and they are listening to the Word of God. So at that point we should face them. But even today, after we are finished "talking to the people," we turn to the altar to prepare the elements and so forth.
We are not hurrying to turn around the altars. When we build smaller churches, even today, I do not have the altar built out from the wall. This is not a particularly significant matter. The Pope himself turns his back to the people in his own chapel.
The Second Vatican Council does not require facing the people, and I was fully aware of this. According to Vatican II, if it is better to face the people, then the priest should do so; if not, one can celebrate Mass in the old manner.
I think that the criticism [by Western liturgists of Eastern Europe's 'backwardness' in liturgical renewal, e.g., priests celebrating Mass with their backs to the people] is unjustified. These critics see only the outward appearance; they see that the altar has not been turned around. They ignore all the rest of the liturgical reform to focus on this one thing. But liturgical reform touches all of the Mass. There is a very significant difference between the texts of the Tridentine Missal and the texts that are given to us now.
I do not look upon it as an offence to anyone that the priest stands facing the altar to celebrate Mass, even in the Novus Ordo. The Pope knows that we are not in any particular rush to change this. When you make such a change, some people like it and some people don't, so you stir up controversy.
Our liturgical reforms, on the other hand, have been going on for 30 years, and the people do not feel any negative effects from the changes, because of the way they have been introduced and administered. The people are at peace.
Extremes
What happened outside Latvia happened rather quickly. The Council was not to blame, but the liturgical translators were at fault. The Council was not radical, but when the liturgists began formulating changes, all sorts of extremes emerged. They confused people's minds by what they did.
And we can even boast that our slow liturgical reform preserved old traditions that have been lost elsewhere. I am thinking in particular of the tabernacle in the centre of the altar, with the Eucharist as the centre of the church rather than somewhere off to the side, and the confessionals.
I myself have seen (I will not say in what country) the tabernacle on the floor - in a corner on the floor. That is no way to honour Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I have seen an altar that has been erected from left-over logs: big split logs, placed cross-wise; and across these planks they put a tablecloth to cover it. And this was not in a mission territory, but in a traditionally Catholic country! So the fact that the Eucharist is still in the centre is the primary thing which we have preserved.
The other important thing that we preserved is the confessional. We have not taken them out of the churches, and therefore we have not shortened the lines of penitents. The confessionals are a sort of visible advertisement. The people are already in lines, and so someone who is fearful of going to confession will look at the lines and see that they are very long, and that makes it easier for him to get in line. No one whose faith is shaky will go by himself, and ask individually to see a priest for confession; instead, he will not go to confession at all.
Of course there is another big problem: that in many countries people have the idea that confession is no longer necessary. The result is that today, in many places, few people go to confess their sins, but they all go to Communion. I look on this as the biggest mistake that "reformers" have made. When they lifted the people onto their feet it was apparent to me that it would take two generations to get them back on their knees. And to get them to go to confess their sins, to make their individual confessions, after they have tossed that practice aside - I doubt that can be done.
But with us, individual confession has remained the norm. We have never given general absolution - that is to say, absolution for the whole congregation. That practice is for extreme circumstances, and with the obligation for individual confession later. It is better to go straight to the individual confession. If the people are already accustomed to that practice, then it is better to keep it. We look upon that as a matter in which Westerners can learn something from us.
Alle Teufel aus der Hölle entkommen“
Apr 15, 2005
Ein düsteres Bild des postkommunistischen Lettland hat der katholische Erzbischof von Riga gezeichnet. Es sei schwer zu sagen, was schlimmer für die Kirche sei: „der ideologische Atheismus der Kommunisten oder der zügellose Atheismus von heute“, sagte Kardinal Janis Pujats der Katholischen Nachrichten-Agentur (KNA) in Riga.
Riga (DT/KNA, 17.09.2002) In der Vergangenheit habe der Teufel durch die Macht des Staates gewirkt. „Heute scheinen dagegen alle Teufel gleichzeitig aus der Hölle entkommen zu sein“, so Pujats wörtlich.
Besonders besorgt zeigte sich der Kardinal über Drogenmissbrauch und Alkoholismus unter Jugendlichen. Auch müsse die Regierung den Handel mit Pornografie unterbinden. Hinter den Gesetzen des Landes seien allerdings vielfach Korruption und Lobbyismus erkennbar. Das Sowjet-Regime sei hart und ungerecht gewesen, aber es habe nicht toleriert, „was wir jetzt hier erleben“, so Pujats. Die Kirche habe sich mehr von der Freiheit versprochen. Wo menschliche Schwachheit bewusst ausgenutzt werde, müsse es auch Kontrollen geben, forderte der Kardinal.
Den geplanten Beitritt Lettlands in die Europäische Union befürwortete Pujats ausdrücklich. Zugleich befürchtet er dadurch ein weiteres Auseinanderdriften zwischen Reich und Arm. Schon jetzt seien große Teile des Ackerlandes verlassen, die Hauptstadt ziehe immer mehr Menschen an. Vierzig Prozent der Letten leben in Riga. Das lettische Parlament berät zurzeit über ein Abkommen mit dem Vatikan, das die Rechte der katholischen Kirche in der seit 1991 unabhängigen Baltenrepublik regeln soll. Die Katholiken bilden in Lettland eine Minderheit von ungefähr 25 Prozent; mehr als die Hälfte der Letten sind Lutheraner, etwa neun Prozent von ihnen gehören der Orthodoxie an.
Nach dem Religionsgesetz von 1995 sind alle Religionen und Konfessionen im Land gleichgestellt. Pujats kritisierte, dass bislang alle republikanischen Regierungen in Lettland der Kirche eher gleichgültig ge-genüber gestanden hätten. Für die, die nur in die eigene Tasche wirtschaften wollten, sei es einträglicher, ohne Religion zu bleiben, so der Kardinal. Auch christliche Schulen würden aus Angst vor Konkurrenz nicht staatlich gefördert. So lägen die religiösen Bedürfnisse vieler Jugendlicher brach. Die lettische Kirche habe nicht die Mittel, bedürftige Eltern bei der Finanzierung von christlicher Erziehung auf Privatschulen zu unterstützen.
At Their Own Pace
Apr 15, 2005
After emerging from oppression under a Communist regime, Latvian Catholics have been circumspect in their approach to Vatican II reforms, avoiding some of the problems that have plagued the West.
(cwnews.com, Dec. 27, 2002) Archbishop Janis Pujats was raised in Latvia during a time when the country was under the dominance of the Soviet empire. He was born in 1930, and ordained to the priesthood in 1951. During the 1970s he helped to bring the liturgical reforms of Vatican II to Latvia: a task that was complicated by the severe restrictions imposed upon the Church by the Communist government. In 1991--just as Latvia was winning her independence--he was named as Archbishop of Riga, the country's largest archdiocese. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II in February 2001.
-Q:Could you tell me something about your background?
Cardinal Janis Pujats: I am a peasant, the son of a peasant.
My education was Soviet-time education. After secondary school I went to the seminary. At that time it was not possible to go abroad and study, and to study here was difficult, because during the 1950s the seminary residence was closed, so that it was necessary to go through the seminary as a commuter: an external student. I have a character such that I wanted to do a lot of things by myself, especially in academics, so I studied five languages, and now I can speak them all, except English.
After graduating I worked in many parishes, as a parish priest, and also as a dean, responsible for supervising other priests, and then for thirty years I worked and served in the Archdiocese of Riga. I taught Liturgy in the seminary and was responsible for establishing here the Vatican II reforms of the liturgy under the leadership of my predecessor as archbishop. We published the new Catholic liturgical texts in Latvian. For five years before I became a bishop I was vicar general under the cardinal (Cardinal Julijans Vaivods). At that time our seminary was the only one in the Soviet Union, except for in Lithuania, and we educated priests for the whole Soviet Union.
-Q:Since you were involved in the liturgical renewal, let me ask a very specific question. Years ago I read in an American Catholic newspaper about how dreadfully backward, how terribly "behind the times," the Catholics were in Eastern Europe. The writer complained that they did not study the works of our "best" theologians, Hans Küng and Eduard Schillebeeckx. And he added that when he was in Latvia--this was in 1993--in every Catholic church where he went to Mass, the priest still turned his back to the people.
Now over the last 10 or 15 years Cardinal Ratzinger has been saying, more and more plainly, that he thinks there were some mistakes made in changing the liturgy--for instance, turning the altars to face the people. This was not required by the Second Vatican Council, he pointed out. And in 1989 he wrote that, in those parts of the Catholic world where it had not yet been possible to implement liturgical reform, he hoped that the Church would use more discretion, not rushing into things.
With those thoughts as background, could I ask you to speak about the implementation of liturgical reform in Latvia, and the situation here now?
CARDINAL PUJATS: Let me tell you all about that. By 1972 we had the new Missal in Latvia, but it was not yet translated. We celebrated the Novus Ordo in Latin, so the people did not notice much change.
So we were already celebrating the liturgy according to the Roman Missal, in Latin. We read the Gospel in Latvian. If the entire Mass had been in Latvian, then maybe we would have faced toward the people. But we used Latin, and we couldn't "talk to them" in Latin, so there was no particular point in turning toward the people.
Consequently we did things in a step-by-step fashion. First we did the Mass in Latin. Then we started to translate the Lectionary. Finally we translated the whole Missal. When we were done with this, we turned toward the people for the Liturgy of the Word.
In the Liturgy of the Word, we are talking to the people, and they are listening to the Word of God. So at that point we should face them. But even today, after we are finished "talking to the people," we turn to the altar to prepare the elements and so forth.
We are not hurrying to turn around the altars. When we build smaller churches, even today, I do not have the altar detached from the wall. This is not a particularly significant matter. The Pope himself turns his back to the people in his own chapel.
The Second Vatican Council does not require facing the people, and I was fully aware of this. According to Vatican II, if it is better to face the people, then the priest should do it; if not, one can celebrate Mass in the old manner.
I think that the criticism you mentioned is unjustified. These critics see only the outward appearance; they see that the altar has not been turned around. They ignore all the rest for the liturgical reform to focus on this one thing. But liturgical reform touches all of the Mass. There is a very significant difference between the texts of the Tridentine Missal and the texts that were given to us now.
I do not look upon it as an offense to anyone that the priest stands facing the altar to celebrate Mass, even in the Novus Ordo. The Pope knows that we are not in any particular rush to change this. When you make such a change, some people like it and some people don't, so you stir up controversy.
Our liturgical reforms, on the other hand, have been going on for 20 years, and the people do not feel any negative effects from the changes, because of the way they have been introduced and administered. The people are at peace.
-Q:There is a widespread belief that Vatican II was a "new Pentecost," in which everything old went out the window and everything new came in. What happened here (in Latvia) sounds very different.
CARDINAL PUJATS: What happened outside Latvia happened rather quickly. The Council was not to blame, but the liturgical translators were at fault. The Council was not radical, but when the liturgists began formulating changes, all sorts of extremes emerged. They confused people's minds by what they did. And we can even boast that our slow liturgical reform preserved old traditions that have been lost elsewhere. I am thinking in particular of the tabernacle in the center of the altar, with the Eucharist as the center of the church rather than somewhere off to the side, and the confessionals.
I myself have seen (I will not say in what country) the tabernacle on the floor--in a corner on the floor. That is no way to honor Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I have seen an altar that has been erected from left-over logs: big split logs, placed cross-wise; and across these planks they put a tablecloth to cover it. And this was not in a mission territory, but in a traditionally Catholic country! So the fact that the Eucharist is still in the center place is the primary thing which we have preserved.
The other important thing that we preserved is the confessionals. We haven not taken them out of the churches, and therefore we have not shortened the lines of penitents. The confessionals are a sort of visible advertisement. The people are already in lines, and so someone who is fearful of going to confession will look at the lines and see that they are very long, and that makes it easier for him to get in line. No one whose faith is shaky will go by himself, and ask individually to see a priest for confession; instead, he will not go to confession at all. Of course then there is another big problem: that in many countries people have the idea that confession is no longer necessary. The result is that today, in many places, few people go to confess their sins, but they all go to Communion. I look on this as the biggest mistake that "reformers" have made. When they lifted the people onto their feet it was apparent to me that it would take two generations to get them back on their knees. And to get them to go to confess their sins, to make their individual confessions, after they have tossed that practice aside--I doubt that it can be done.
But with us, individual confession has remained the norm. we have never given general absolution--that is to say, absolution for the whole congregation. That practice is for extreme circumstances, and with the obligation for individual confession later. It is better to go straight to the individual confession. If the people are already accustomed to that practice, then it is better to keep it. We look upon that as a matter in which Westerners can learn something from us.
And there is another consideration: If somebody says that it is necessary only to confess mortal sins, and not venial sins or everyday ordinary sins, then he by tomorrow he will regard even grave sins as "ordinary," and in the end he will give up going to confession. But those who have a sensitive conscience will go more often. If one is active in getting to confession, then he will become more sensitive in conscience, and his spiritual life will start to grow.
In contrast, those who stop going to confession become less sensitive, and lose all sense of sinfulness. And then, thinking that they are blameless, they all go to Holy Communion. That puts a horrible responsibility on confessors.
-Q:Let me ask a few more questions about the situation in Latvia. How have popular attitudes toward Christianity changed, particularly regarding the Catholic Church, since independence?
CARDINAL PUJATS: At the beginning of our national awakening, which our independence in 1991, there was a kind of euphoria. However, for us as Catholics there was not too much of a change. During the Soviet era we were very stable, in terms of our numbers; we baptized about 6,000 children every year. When freedom came we did not experience any particular surge. Those who were in the Church remained in the Church, and some more came in.
For the Lutherans it was different. There were unbaptized masses of people, and when the national awakening came, they remembered that they were Lutherans and went to church to be baptized; it was a fashionable thing to do. Later, their practice declined again.
Statistically speaking, we feel that our (Catholic) numbers are going up. There are young people who convert and there are adults--some of whom are preparing for marriage.
It is not as though we baptize children here, and then they go away somewhere when they grow up. Most of them stay with us.
-Q:What percentage of the population in Latvia is Catholic? How does the Church compare, in size, with other denominations?
CARDINAL PUJATS: We have, currently, according to various available sources, approximately one-half million baptized Catholics. This would roughly 20 percent of the country's whole population.
It is hard to say how many people are Lutherans. They count in different ways; sometimes they count those who are active and sometimes those who contribute or who are baptized. In terms of regular church attendance we are stronger; that much is clear. But in terms of those who are baptized, it appears to me that the Lutherans have more--approximately 30 percent of the population.
The Orthodox population is very small, officially, but in reality there are many people from an Orthodox background. Many of them are unbaptized, and so they are not included in the official figures.
-Q:In terms of efforts to evangelize the people who are not Christians--or not active Christians--have there been notable differences between the different Christian groups? Have some been more successful than others?
CARDINAL PUJATS: The Baptists, while they are few in number (about 6,500), remain very strong. They can account for each member of their congregations. We do not have that advantage. For us it is difficult to say who is holding fast to the faith. Some people go to church regularly but there are also quite a few who are baptized who turn up (in church) just once a year.
But we hold out more hope for the schools, if religious instruction is restored to the public schools. Then a certain foundation is set in place. Today Latvian young people are ruined not by atheism but by immorality. On television all sorts of objectionable programs are shown. And it's not just on TV!
-Q:Is there any significant trend in Latvia, in terms of Christians moving from one denomination to another? Has there been any notable movement of people from other Christian groups into the Catholic Church, or Catholics into other groups, or to and from the Orthodox Church?
CARDINAL PUJATS: From our perspective we have noticed a tendency that some Lutherans, as they begin to think more deeply on religious questions, become Catholics. The numbers are not large, but the tendency has been noted. And the converts have become truly good Catholics.
-Q:Is there any state support for the Catholic Church in Latvia? Or is there state support for other faiths?
CARDINAL PUJATS: The only one of our (Catholic) churches that has received financial support (from the government) is the basilica in Algona. The other churches have received nothing. And the support for the basilica in Aglona was given in connection with the Pope's visit here in 1993.
The Lutherans received $2.2 million in compensation for their cathedral in Riga. [The medieval cathedral in Riga, which was officially owned by the state and operated as a museum during the Soviet era, is now the Lutheran cathedral It is also designated as a state-subsidized historical monument.] We didn't get half that amount for Aglona, and we had to fight until we were blue in the face to get what we did. Yet they simply got a check; there was no public outcry.
Do the Lutherans restore their crumbled churched by themselves? No; they all get money (from the government) to do it. Another consideration here is that our people, during the Soviet era, preserved our churches as best they could, by helping with the repairs themselves, while one-third of the Lutheran churches were falling into ruins. Our parish churches were living churches; our people should have been given some reward for what they were able to preserve. Instead, the priority has always been quietly to give aid to the Lutherans, not to the Catholics. We have never scorned the Lutherans, or protested publicly when they were given something. But at least we should be given respect when we are given something.
As to Aglona, the basilica had to be repaired before the Pope's visit. The Communist regime had put alcoholics there, to live in the monastery, and we had to deal with the damage there. We also had to repair the sanctuary. The Pope's visit was not only a spiritual visit for Catholics, but a visit of political importance for Latvia so we asked for government support for the restoration.
-Q:In Lithuania, as in Poland or in Ireland, the culture is a Catholic culture, since Lithuania is predominantly a Catholic country. In Estonia, on the other hand, since there is only a tiny Catholic population, Catholicism is seen as something foreign. How is the Catholic Church regarded in Latvia?
CARDINAL PUJATS: Catholicism cannot be regarded as something foreign here. There are about 60,000 Polish-speaking Catholics in Latvia, and also a Lithuanian-speaking population; there are even some Belarusians, who have services in their own language. But most of the clergy and most of the lay people are Latvians. We have shared fully in the oppression of the Latvian people, so Catholicism cannot be regarded as a foreign religion.
There are the "paganists," who speak about the Catholic Church coming to Latvia "with fire and the sword." [The Dievturi, a nationalist group that is numerically small but strong in terms of cultural influence, has attempted to revive the worship of the gods and goddesses of the Latvian pagan pantheon. They regard all forms of Christianity as foreign, and regard the conquest of Latvia by the Teutonic Knights in the 1200s as an unwelcome Crusade.] But they are the only ones who take that view.
-Q:Is the Orthodox Church regarded as foreign? I know that most of the Orthodox faithful in Latvia speak Russian rather than Latvian.
CARDINAL PUJATS: No, they have deep roots here. In Czarist times there were many churches built for them, and even today they have more churches in Riga than we Catholics do.
The Czars ruled over Latvia for 200 years, and many of the Orthodox came then; they didn't all come in Soviet times. And in the 19th century a number of Latvians converted to Orthodoxy. And there are the Old Believers. [The Old Believers descend from Russian Orthodox who resisted the "correction" of liturgical books in the 1650s. They were excommunicated and persecuted, and often fled to settle in remote corners of the Russian empire.] We should not count them as foreigners. In the end they are closer to us than the Protestants are, religiously speaking.
-Q:How would you assess ecumenical relations in Latvia today?
CARDINAL PUJATS: Our relations with the native Lutherans and the Orthodox and the Old Believers are good; we do not have polemical exchanges with them. But there are some Lutherans from abroad who publish a newspaper here and are very polemical in their attacks against Catholics. With the Orthodox it is the same. We get on well with the Orthodox here, but some people bring in newspapers and literature from Moscow, where they attack the Vatican and the papacy; these newspapers are distributed in Orthodox churches.
So the problem is not with the Lutherans or Orthodox here; it comes from abroad. One might say that the repression of religion in Soviet times benefited all of the different religious confessions. It brought us together in a certain solidarity and Christian fellowship.
-Q:Beyond these friendly relations, is there an active theological dialogue?
CARDINAL PUJATS: I don't see that there is much point in theological dialogue. If we talk, what are we going to resolve here? The Catholic Church in Latvia cannot resolve our theological disagreements (with other Christian bodies); they have to be resolved in Rome. We want to have a friendly relationship here, but if we attempt to sort out all the theological differences, the only conclusion would be to agree that we disagree. Our friendly relations do not rest on theological agreement, but rather on the level of brotherly love.
Here in Latvia I do not think that theological discussions are necessary. We Catholics have our religious teachings, our dogmas, which we cannot change. As a local Church we do not have the authority to reach theological agreements. If we did make such agreements, we would be setting ourselves up as a sect, against the universal Church. Here in Latvia we focus on mutual love and support, while theological dialogue is organized by the Vatican on a worldwide level. This is how these differences must be resolved. Our friendship and support at a local level will help so that any such agreements become fruitful.
(AUTHOR ID) William J. Tighe is a history professor at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, and a regular contributor to Touchstone and New Oxford Review.
Latvian Churches Say Poll Result Boosts Christian Voices In Legislature
Apr 15, 2005
"The unexpected support given to Christian politicians, despite an initial lack of response, will provide some much-needed Christian voices among legislators," said the cardinal, who chairs Latvia's Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference.
(ENI, 10/14/2002) Church representatives in Latvia say a recent victory by center-right parties in parliamentary elections that also saw a strong showing by a new party supporting Christian values should result in a "more sympathetic attitude" to Christians in the former Soviet republic.
"People were dissatisfied with the present government and wanted significant changes; it's a good sign that half the new parliament will be composed of new faces," said Dzintas Laugalis, a spokesman for Latvia's Evangelical Lutheran church. "Having received no support at all from previous governments, the churches can now expect help in a range of areas under more sympathetic rulers."
The Riga-based pastor was speaking after the October 5 election had endorsed Latvia's newly formed New Times party as the leading group. There was also a strong showing by the country's First Party, which had campaigned on "Christian values" and was led by Eriks Jekabsons, a Lutheran pastor and former kickboxer.
Laugalis said Latvian voters had supported their country's plans to join NATO and the European Union, but had also sent a message that they wanted tough action against rampant crime and corruption.
He noted that religious education at state schools and improved financial support from the state would be priorities for the Lutheran church, whose 300 congregations make up 13 percent of Latvia's population of 2.34 million, compared to 9 percent of the population who declare themselves Roman Catholic and 6 percent who belong to the Russian Orthodox Church.
The head of Latvia's Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Janis Pujats, also welcomed the "change of direction" offered by the election, and predicted the churches' situation would improve.
"Although there could be problems balancing the parties in parliament, our country's basic pro-Western direction won't change," said Pujats.
"The unexpected support given to Christian politicians, despite an initial lack of response, will provide some much-needed Christian voices among legislators," said the cardinal, who chairs Latvia's Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference.
In an ecumenical service on September 17 in the capital's Roman Catholic St Jakeb Cathedral, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Baptist leaders had urged voters to be guided by moral and spiritual values, and deplored the lack of concern for poor citizens under the ruling party of former premier Andris Berzins, called Latvian Way, which although the country's longest-serving party, failed to win any seats.
Some news commentators speculated that a place in government could be gained for the First Party, which pledged to combat the "atheisation of society" and tighten controls over abortion. Dubbed the "Priests' Party", it garnered the fifth highest tally of votes, for 10 parliamentary seats, with support rocketing from 2 percent to 9.6 percent in a fortnight.
Lettre de Jean-Paul II au cardinal Pujats, naguère ´in pectore´
Mar 21, 2005
Le cardinal archevêque de Riga (Lettonie), Janis Pujats, que le pape a élevé à la dignité de cardinal lors du consistoire du 21 février dernier, fête aujourd'hui ses 50 ans de sacerdoce. Il est âgé de 70 ans. Le pape Jean-Paul II lui a adressé à cette occasion une lettre de félicitations, en latin, comme c'est la tradition pour ces anniversaires.
CITE DU VATICAN, Jeudi 29 mars 2001 (ZENIT.org) - Un nouveau signe d'estime et d'affection de la part de Jean-Paul II qui avait nommé le cardinal Pujats cardinal "in pectore", c'est-à-dire sans publier son nom, dès le consistoire du 21 février 1998: Jean-Paul II n'a révélé son nom qu'à l'angélus du 28 janvier 2001.
Dans sa lettre, le pape rappelle la vocation précoce du cardinal, ses études de philosophie et de théologie. Il y souligne ses qualités humaines et intellectuelles, et sons sens pratique. Il souligne surtout comment le cardinal a manifesté sa cohérence au service de l'Eglise à Riga en des conditions politiquement difficiles, mais aussi sa bienveillance et son affabilité, son attachement fidèle au Successeur de Pierre et au Saint-Siège, et … sa maîtrise de la langue de Cicéron et saint Augustin!
Le cardinal Pujats est né en 1930 dans le diocèse de Riga, à Rezekne. Ses parents étaient des agriculteurs très fervents catholiques, comme la majeure parti de la population de cette région de la Lettonie. Ils eurent quatre filles et quatre fils, dont trois sont devenus prêtres. Sa paroisse natale de Nautreni a donné à l'Eglise 20 autres prêtres.
Après ses études secondaires à Rezekne, il est entré au séminaire de Riga en 1948. Il a été ordonné prêtre le 29 mars 1951 et a ensuite exercé son ministère pastoral principalement dans des paroisses de Riga. Il a aussi pendant de nombreuses années enseigné l'histoire de l'art sacré et la liturgie au séminaire. Il a été consulteur du diocèse de Riga et secrétaire de la commission liturgique.
C'est donc avec lui que les paroisses catholiques de la capitale ont adopté progressivement la réforme liturgique conciliaire, avec en particulier la publication de différents textes en langue lettone, selon les normes établies par Vatican II.
En 1972, Paul VI lui avait conféré le titre de "chapelain" de Sa Sainteté. Il a aussi été pendant cinq ans (1979-1984) vicaire général de la curie du siège métropolitain de Riga.
Mais il fut contraint d'abandonner cette charge par le régime communiste de l'Union soviétique qui le déclarait persona non grata. Il a alors travaillé en paroisse comme simple prêtre.
Mais dès l'indépendance retrouvée, le 8 mai 1991, le pape Jean-Paul II l'a nommé archevêque métropolite de Riga. Il a reçu l'ordination épiscopale le 1er juin suivant.
En septembre 1993, c'est donc en tant qu'archevêque de Riga qu'il a accueilli Jean-Paul II lors de sa visite apostolique dans les Pays Baltes. L'Eglise manifestait déjà des signes de renaissance après les années de persécution violente. Le pape a en particulier présidé une célébration au sanctuaire de Aglona, "cśur marial de la Lettonie", présentant à la Vierge "les armes d'hier et les attentes pour l'avenir".
Le cardinal Pujats s'est particulièrement engagé ces dernières années dans le dialogue ścuménique avec les Luthériens de Lettonie, dans la ligne de la lettre encyclique de Jean-Paul II "Qu'ils soient un" (Ut unum sint) de 1995 sur l'engagement ścuménique.
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