The Chronicle of the Lithuanian Catholic Church: A Vivid Testimony of Hope under the Soviet Regime

The Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania was an underground publication active from 1972 to 1989, with a total of 81 issues. It collected and reported facts about the anti-church policies of the Soviet occupation authorities, including restrictions on the activities of the Catholic Church and the persecution and discrimination of priests and believers in Soviet Lithuania. It also published collective petitions and declarations by priests addressed to the Soviet authorities, documented violations of believers' and human rights, reported on the forced atheisation of young people, and detailed the interrogations, searches, and trials of the Chronicle's editors and collaborators. Additionally, it included lists of priests who were killed, arrested, or deported in 1940–41, along with other documents. The first editor was Fr. Sigitas Tamkevičius SJ. After his arrest in 1983, Fr. Jonas Boruta SJ continued the work until 1989. Contributors included priests, nuns, and laypeople. The struggle for faith and freedom of conscience under the Soviet regime cost more than one contributor to the Chronicle their freedom – and, in some cases, even their lives.