XX A. PRADŽIOS KATALIKIŠKOJO MODERNIZMO ATGARSIAI LIETUVOJE
The Repercussions of Catholic Modernism in Lithuania (Early 20th century)

Summary/Abstract: As the article points out, at the beginning of the 20th century the Lithuanian Catholic clergy accepted reservedly the ideas of Catholic modernism, and they did not have traces in the life of the Church and society. This was conditioned by two factors. First, many patriotic Lithuanian priests (S. Šultė, A. Jakštas, J. Matulaitis and others) who sympathised with the modernists, did not have a strong philosophical base. They were only inquisitive, it was only one of their objects of interest, and they felt a duty to present it to society. This determined the superficiality and shallowness of the presentation of modernism, which was a broad movement concerning many subjects and proposing many reforms. Second, Lithuanians were interested only in those aspects of modernism related to the realia of local Church and social life. Because of strong polonisation and the entrenchment of Poles in the Church, Lithuanians were interested foremost in the strengthening of the priests' social role and the democratization of Church life propagated by modernism. Theological topics and the reconstruction of the liturgy were of far less interest. The essential distinction of modernism spread in Lithuania is the support of a secular creative intelligentsia which was imposed by tolerance and the idea of personal responsibility in faith declared by modernism. Secular intellectuals clustered around Protestant printing (Pasiuntinys and Biržų kalendorius) and were mostly interested in it. At that time, Protestants were far freer and openly asked questions which were considered taboo. Their attitudes impacted on young Catholic priests as well. They were imposed by the requirement of the modernists to seek understandable and accessible forms to impart the essential content of the Christian faith to their contemporaries. This stimulated the protection of lithuanicity in churches and to separate usable language from barbarism, to democratize Church life, trying to attract lay people alienated from the Church. Young Lithuanian Catholic priests who liked modernism looked more warily at the reform of Church life. In time, one of them retained sympathies for modernism and especially its social attitudes (S. Šultė), others were alienated from modernism and even took up opposing conservative positions (A. Jakštas).

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