The Policy Adopted by the Soviet Authorities Towards the Catholic Church in Miora Deanery in the Vilnius Archdiocese after World War Two

Abstract

The paper deals with the history of the Catholic Church in the Miora deanery in the Vilnius archdiocese in the period of September 1939-1951. It shows the fate of the Roman Catholic parishes, churches and priests of that deanery in the difficult period of destroying the religious life after incorporating the territory of the Vilnius archdiocese into the USSR. The author has used the materials from the state and church archives in Vitebsk, as well as witnesses' and participants' reports on the events of the years 1946-1951. He is rendering in detail the dramatic process of closing up 12 Catholic churches. The paper discusses also the faith policy of the Soviet State, especially the law about cults, taxes imposed on the parochial communities, and the arrest of Polish priests. Despite enormous damage, which the Miora deanery suffered in the postwar period, the author stresses that the Catholic Church did not cease to exist there, running its activity in hiding.