Brivais Laveitis, March 15, 1949

              THE CHURCH
B E H I N D
T H E I R ON
C U R T A I N
. bb. Garrison churches in Liepaja and Daugavpils, were destroyed
and heavy damage was 'inflicted on 20 other Lutheran church
buildings. v." ^
f. The hpuses of pastors, .congregätion officials and organists vvhichf
as. a rule were adjacent to the church were alienated and as ä'
result it was impossible or difficult for them .to perförm their office
duties. Pastors had often to live in unheated churches as neighböuring
. farmers, fearing lest their farms be nationalized, refused to reht
: • them rooms.
g. Being unable to find lodgings, the pastors were forced to möve from
their congregations and travel great distances to their divine services.
3.
a.
b.
c.
d.
T h e S t a t u s o f J u r i s t i e P e r s ö n s R e f u s e d to
t h e G h u r c h a n d G o n g r e g a t i o n s . '
The Church, and its bodies were:recognised only the rights of volun-taryunions,
but not those of legalorganizations.
The Church and the congregations löst. the right tö acqiiire and
manage property (including niovables).
The Church had no Jonger the right to keep. registers of civil status
and the congregational archives of civil status registers wereseized
by the State.
The Church ,had no longer the possibility tö defend its interests
before the authorities, to sue in courts, etcetera.
In August 1940 the Gommissar of Agriculture refused to seeHhe
Lutheran Archbishop of Latvia who wished to lodge an öfficial com-plaint
against the illegal proceedings in connection with the hationali-zation
and division of Church land.
4.
a.
b.
c.
A c t i v i t i e s - o f G h u r c h.. A d m i n i s t r a t i o n
H i n d e r e d. •• •
In August 1940, as a result of the. arrests of several members, the
Supreme Church Board is forced to dissolve itself. A new board may
include only. clergymen and no longer lay representatives.
In September 1940 the. Church Society of Domestic Mission is liqui-dated
togethe^ with ali institutjons subsidizedby.it, the Church
being prohibited to engage in activities of social \velfare.
Gornmunications between the administrative centre and the local
organs are restricted:
aa.
bb.
cc.
yisits. of the Archbishop and of members of the Supreme
Church Board. to: the ruraldistricts are made d i f f i c u l t ;,
conferences of pastors of a deanery do not take- plac^ or cari
only rarely be called;
a permit is not granted to call a national conference of pjistors.
d. Elections of the congregational administrative organs are prohibited.
e. Ali connections with foreign Churches are suspended:
aa. The activities of the Society of Foreign Mission is stopped
by prohibiting correspondence and byrefusing permit to transfer
money to British India, the field of Mission,
bb. correspondence with representatives of foreign Churches and
emigration is prohibited. The trip to .Sweden of Professor
Rumba, Leader_of the Foreign RelationsSection of the. Supreme
Church Board, is prohibited despite the factthat he had acquired
Swedish citizenship. He was later arrested and. deported to
Russia where he died as. a martyr ..
: 5. T h e. G 1 o s u r e- o f t h e F a c u 1 t y o-f T h e o l o g y
a n d o t h e r I n s t i t u t i o n s of S p i r i t u a l L e a r n i n g.
a. On August 5th, 1940 the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Latvia,'the.only institution'where pastors received religions instruc-tion,
was closed. The museum, equipment and. the. librärj' of the
Faculty wastaken and partly destroyed by the State. The Church
. was not permitted.to open another institution for preparing and
training pastors.
. b. In August 1940 the Institute of Theology, a school for preparing
, Church officials, financed by the Supreme Church Board, as well
as the Grammar Schoolof the Board were closed.
6. S o u r c e s o f G h u r c h I n G o m e L i q u i d a t e d a n d
G o m p u l s o r v D u t . i e s I m p o s e d.
a. Church land and other personal and real property were nationalized
withoutcompensation, and as a result, the Church and the congrega­tions
had no possibility of paying costs for repairs, salaries of congre-
••: gational officials and pastors and of meeting other current expenses.
At the sametime, the Church had to pay exorbitant rentals and.State
taxes for confiscated church property whichwasnow leased to the
Church and in addition j\'as obliged to donate money to the State
(by purchasing State loan bonds, donating money to the Communist
party etc). . -
aa. Three houses owned byvthe Supreme Church Board i n Riga were
nationalized. Rent incomes from these houses were formerly
. included in the budget of the Board.
bb. AU land and buildings usedby pastors and congregational
servants were alienated. Formely their use. was included in the
remuneration giveh .to these persons.
b. Collection of periodical voluntary. fees from full members of congre­gations
was restricted. .
A s ' a result of the nationalization of private property, the annual
donations which members of rural. congregations gaye the church
-accörding to their farm areawere suspended.
c"Conimittees organized for the-financial promotion of the congrega-tionsi^
CLadies' Committes) were liqiiidated and prohibited.
-d. The refunding of Church capital äepcsited with the savings banks
was prohibited. —
e. State and organizations' subsidies to the Church were made. im-
• possible.-^. . • • ••
To God, our country and freedorn
ive ereetcd our: 7no7mvients in g.ra-titudc
for indepcndent. hatvia foiight
for a!7id icon in 1918—19 ivffen the
yoke of forcigners was shaken off
aftcr long and hapless centtiries and
onr craving for libcrty xvas came
truc.
How dcar wc hold our country and
onrfyccdoviisshoivti by the monu-
ViHcnts of OUT spirit— the Frccdoni
I Vlcmorial and the Brothers' Cemetcry
Man Riga. In a dccp feeling the Latvian
pcople has made of the latterthe
natiotial shrine Avhere we bring gifts
o/ floivers and our innennost prayers
to those who hought freedorn of their
country. at the price of their lives.
In the light of the.sacredflame in
the altar- the Latvians pray fer-vently:
God, Bless Latvia! Deeply
movcd wc have pledged here to de-fsjid
our country and. church built
through the sacrifices of öur natio­nal-
martyrs and soldiers of liberty.
B. Attacks against and Restrictions of Religious Beliefs and CHurch
Doctrines.
1. A n t i-R e 1 i g i o u s P r o p a g a n d a a n d A t t i t u d e o f
t h e S t a t e a n d C_o m m u n i s t P a r t y.'
a. In the Soviet State, religion is "tolerated"^ However, it has been
deqlared mischievous, out-ofrdate and incompatible with the State--
sponsored Communist ideology. _
aa. The State-opexated press regularly publishes editorials critici-zing
religion and Church doctrines, as wen as articles on and
cartoons of religious symbols, churchgoers, pastors, et cetera.
bb. Anti-religious units have been compulsorily set up ät State insti-!
tutions, schools and in the Array. These units propagate against
religion and the Church.
b. State employees and soldiers who are members of congregations and
attend divine services are threatened with administrative punish-ments
or discharge. Membership is considered a negative factor
with regard to promotions.
|c. The religious freedorn provided for in Stalin's Constitution has been
declared not to bind the Communist Party which is the real shaper
of the form of government ahd which has stated that its ultimate
aim is the establishment of a government form of the Soviet State —
a purely socialistic unreligious State.
Prospective members of the Communist Party and the trade
unions must withdraw from their congregations. A Latvian studeiit
of Divinity who had been awarded the title of Stakhanovitc was
requested to make a public renunciation of religion and Church.
It is prohibited to suspendwork on Church holidays and to hold
divine services during work hours on such days.
aa. It is prohibited to have Ghristmas trees at schools and places
of employment.
bb. It is prohibited to observe Church festivals falling on a work
day.
cc. State offices and economic enterprises make their personnel
work on Sundays and declare some other day of the week a
"workless day". . -
When interests of the State and the Communist Party and those of the
Church clashyindividuals are compelled to take a stand against the
Church regardless of their religious beliefs.
R e 1 i g i o u s I n s t r u c t i o n R e m o v e d f r o m S c h o ol
G u r r i c u 1 u m. R e l i g i o u s E d u c a t i o n o f t h e
Y o u t h P r o h i b i t e d .
Only State schools are permitted, and in these schools religious i n -
structiön is prohibited. Anti-religious instruction is made a com-pulsory
subject in ali schools.;
aa. Pupils are not allowed. to stay away from school on Church
holidays, and teachers are told to check whether or not their
pupils attend divine services.
bb. Religious books are removed from school libraries and may not
be read by school pupils..
The Church is prohibited to organize youths under 18 years.
aa. Youth clubs of the Church are liquidated and prohibited.
bb. Pupils are not allowed; to attend confirmation courses; during
confirmation services school pupils must attend some other
performance at which attendance is compulsory.
3. P e r i o d i c a 1 s a n d R a d i o B r o a d c a s t s of R e 1 i -
g i o u s G o n t e n t s P r o h i b i t e d. I n f o r m a t i o n
a b o u t t h e C h u r c h D i s t o r t e d.
la. The Church is not permitted to publish a single periodical.
aa. In July 1940, the publication of ali periodicals edited by the
Church or the congregations is stopped and no permits for
new ones are granted.
bb. In February 1941 the State Printing Board rejects an applica-tion
for a permit to publish at least one publication with eccle-siastical
information.
b. It is prohibited to publish books of theological or religious edi-fication,
Church calendars, bibles and psalm-books.
aa. In January 1941 the State Publishing Office destroys 18,000
printed copies of a psalm-book.
bb. Permit refused for the printing of a new translation of the
New Testament.
c. The bookshop of the Supreme Church Board has its trade license
cancelled.
c. The printing "of leaflets with texts of psalms and congregational
announcements for use during divine services is restricted.
In Limbazi (Vidzeme), a printing shop is fined and threatened
with liquidationbecauseit has printed a service order for a congre­gätion.
•. ..••„: i •
d. It is prohibited tobroadcast divine services and religious lectures
over the radio. .
le. Untrue and distorted infcrmation about the Church and religion is
furnished by the. press and the, radio which are entirely controlled
by the State and. the Communist Party.. The Church is not allowed
to correct misstatements.
G. Individudl Persecutions. . ?•)
1. Re s t r i c t i o n o f t h e R i g h t s o f P a s t o r s an d
. O t h e r G h u r c h S e r v a n t s.
a. , Church servants are excluded from the categories of employees
approved by the State. Identity dpcuments of clergymen carry the
inscription "not working".
b. Pastors and other Church servants may not be employed by institu-tions
and enterprises financed or controlled by the State. They may
not receive State pensions.
aa. Pastors and teachers of religion-are dismissed from schools.
They; cannot take any employment without abandoning their
: Church work.
bb. The teachers of the Faculty of T-heology were dismissed and
denied the right to receive pensions _ from the State Pension