1 me gi Re . . —— ee re et — soos 2 7 is = 4 - ad = 7 c Pi = iy A . wiky 1 = Ee: ee” i : — “LATVIA REHINDS of Fe = ADS Doses - ALATVIAN NATTONRL. NEWSPAPER FOR NORTH AMERICA 2 _Eprror- IN-CHIE, gj ALEKSAN ORS KUNDRATS a . _ THE IRON CURTAIN — The - burning: ‘Bt. ‘when Hastearn hordes Preacher guer our country and later suet on our territory in sanguinary batiles the Scoond century-lore, oppressor of the Latvian peo ple, 7— fle troops of..the German. CONgHErOTS — trampling. dow aur counlry, destroying | free dom, nation and cradles. Peter? s. _ Church fdune 29,2949) — a J - torek of death: heraiding the. ' darkest. ais of Hattic history | Ouse oad , full of hatred, swar nied ' regime prevailing béhind tks curtain has. already annihilated some of | these Churches. Others are. inveived in a death- and-li fe straggle, while ad a number hope against haope for. a compromine arid for SOME Ase: of | escaping from their staked-out. fate, festrction. pense t congregation of rejugees, prays to God . tives - BRETHREN IN. CHRIST! s Fr aS Our world 1 which i 1S tonsiing ia Q real peace must realize. that struggles = fought with the aid of tangible arms. reveal at. times the underlying 0 hash. of ideologies. The present state of tension in international affairs _ ty thus largely caused by fhe abysmal di i ferences in the. worid outlook. clearly evidenced by the conflict between the Christian World.and the _ totalitarian Communism during the. past decades- rather than ae y ECORO- ne mic, political . nd social contrasts, | During the past few years we have inetneened the Tron Curtain ta go’ sein On an increasing number of Churches. The anti-Christian iron-hard Despite: the: blood of so many - Chvigtan martyrs, | ‘that hats heer shed and is still being shed in streams; despite repeated: new fearless : professions of truth there are. many. curistians who remain indifferent to the fate of these persecuted INT CRES and btind to ia Renee threnatenin F themselves. . Commemorating the martyrdom. of our nation and or meron: in a ’ spirit of close solidarity with Christianity throughout the world, we déem if fa be. cur sacrea duty io bear witness to that te nourish anud preach the. conviction of a. possibility of eliminating the opposition - between the Christian Church avd Communion is erroneous, to believe fhat we have time calmly io watch and see. whether and from where modern Christianity is threatened by.a danger means lack .of @ sense] of .responsibility toward the Christian martyrs: and. treason of the Christian ¢civiization. ' Repeated statements by leading Christian officials that the Church is a. phenomenon which is essentially unaffected. by the iniricate inter-|- dependencies of this world and this era means a cowardly. avoidance of |. conimouting ig the overcaming of the existing chaos in the world. ate A Church which leaves the believers without support and. guidance | 4 in the: solution of political, economic and sacial problems, fous io fulfil the: mission given. by Jesus Chris ot to. go ta avery: man in every situation: - Christianity Recounts: a dation devoid OF. any meaning if it: dies notl have @ bearing upon the actual life and if ike Gospel remains wit hand] ‘the Christian man who realizes it in his life and in the world. in this world. of complications and: sufferings; many turn their eyes towards the fire of unity kindled by. the Swedish Archbishop Nathaw . Séderblom; a man of genius and the uniter of the Christian Churches.| -— This fire has fed the hopes of the Cangtan fighters for. ct “spiritually : united and active Church, * “Tt is a source of satis faction to see that these oecumenical: chdeavours aanea sey ie are taking shape as evidenced .by the numerous meetings of different Chrisiian Churches in the ‘postwar period in. whick the demand fot a This shows thai actually the time of. decision has.come when the been neither the jood salt.of the earth nor the light of the world. - Only solidarity, evidenced by actions, between those who already | have yclicheg the martyTdom o} their gees ‘who fight, ane those who em a Se el te | —r T. Grin barge “Gchbihen a5 Latvia, perse- wherever the chance comes — “under. oper | “outed by the. war and the enemies of the ‘sky, in tive miserable barracks DP, or them Latvian-people, driven away from his sanc- 1 chitrches of. other countries wha kindly tuartes and. his country, together with the have given refuge: to the tormented fugi- 3 liberate humanity | _Ata time when the rights of every individual and the ) sovereign rights: of ‘every | nation. have been laid down in: charters, and a war has been fought. ‘to from fear, subjection and perse- 7 cution, behind the Iron Curtain the Latvian nation | a ron the road of. destruc- |tion, stumbling over the’ sign of the cross, and the Church of Latvia, deserted and alone, fights on stig: matizing the entire 20th ‘The dove of peace has nd must return in despair as |° the cities and villages there: are: full. of sighs and the blood if the persecuted brothers of faith. “qnited Christian. message to the people becomes increasingly stronger. a Churéh can anew show the invincible force of the Geapel, which. isl eternally living in struggles and, sacrifices. _ er We Christians. must fully realize that we are ‘anit Seinaniinte for thé present world situation, that we have not always und everywhere] - ee ee ee lel ee a, al I ree place of rest.in Latvia, it. a as The. Fate oF. the Latin: Lutheran Church under The : First Sev ai iS Oceu pation. fe une 1940—July 1941). dhe, - Mentogie, Oryanisationta ued Econonie Persecution “af the Uh arch. A manifesto. ‘issued in June. 1940 by the Communist ‘overnament |. which was-established with the aid- of the Soviet Russian troops sub--°*: = jected all organizations, ‘ineluding the Church, to State power, nationa-— - ized all Church land and property, and ss an he the S0- “called "freedom | of anti-religious propaganda”, | “With Latvia's incorporation with he Soviet Union: on Mupust 5 th. 1940, all laws ‘of. the Latvian Republic were’ rendered invalid and the Constitution. of the Latvian Lutheran Church was simiultaneously: abo- . lished. Instead, ' the Soviet ‘Russian ‘Church Law ‘of dea: Was - made anmlieanl: aes itt Latvia. |. Performance al Divine derviees ond. Relic. debit lie lh elite ES Ta Restri¢ted or : Disturbed. Ot a | | St d. No Guing ‘Services | could. he held witside Church ‘premises wilhout- permits issued “by commanders: of local Russian garrisons or focal leaders of the Communist party, ‘This order implied - that. divine services in cemeteries, ‘chub houses, schools, and. REALE homes were - cither entirely prohibiled or restricted. i %,- Simullaneously with divine services, mass meetings were held it. . . Squares in front of churches, and demonstratinn marches were orga- . nized to. cemeleries when ceremonies were lo lake. place there. c. Baptisms; .church marriages and funerals: were forbidden to members af the Communist party ‘and Lrade unions, and ‘to their familics. | In February. 1941 a pastor WAS {hreatened: with arrest for perform - Municipai Cemetery. d. The Communist. party and. the Political Police conteelied:? ail. divine a | services and “churchgoers,” and the local seétions. of the Communist a Party reported al] churchgoers fo the Police. The Communist party newspapers published. distorted reports ’ on -sérmons, .and. harsh. : attacks were hurled Against pastors who delivered these sermons. | 2- De Struction Alienulion and Profanation of Churches’ and Other Places an d. ae boca of | MeareRED. | | , | Under. the. Wationaiizniion Law of July 1940, all church ballin und lands became property of the Communist State. The ‘State reserved. i! for itself the right of alienating. this’ property OF permitting. its further | Fuse by the congregations. . a.- Only a part of the churches, tases of worship, - and fret: pro- zit . perty of the congregations was. left. for-use by the. latter, The -. a " pertinent . decisions .were - made in disregard . of the. inter. . ests of the . congregations; the views of the ieatal scclion of: the Commitnist party being the controlling factor, The State aliona- _ ted entirely “4° Lutheran churches. (in Riga, Liepaja, Ludza and - Daugavpils}, AQ prayer- houses, 1D BonEree ation. houses, 240 Parso- nages and 156 cemeteries. ~ | b.. Excessive rentals and other laxes made the operation by the con- © . gregations of churches and other premises extremely difficult. The - _ rental which congregations had to pay.for churches was ‘ten times _ that of rents paid for housing space. In. Vecpiebalga (in ‘the nro- _for the church an annual rental amounting to ‘18, 000 rubles (appro: .. ximately 12,000 Swiss franes): : - . The churches and places of worship which were ‘not: returned“for use '. to the congregations were used for purposes offending religious fee- lings: churches were used as storage space or moving- picture theatres, parsonages as ‘Machine and Tractor Stations, consecrated - | cemeteries. were liquidated — the- BY EL of. the Cross: = being removed 7 ; by the saw or r the SEE Ge, The Churct: of Our Saviour in Riga was. since ute 1940 ane tS peel warehouse: the church in Ludza { Prevince of Latgale} was turned into a cinema; ‘Machine and Tractor Stations were — | established in the Parsonages in Lubana and Liezere. bb. The cross onthe cupola of the Garrison Church: in. Liepaja _— : ‘was removed by the saw. _ ec. The cross.in the Riga Municipal Cemetery. was removed by the. saw and the cemetery was declared to be a burial place at which .CHristian. rites were forbidden. GEORSES were. not Reena on i: He tombs. = - . ; “Infliction of daniizes to Bi iahae was not hedered or penialiacil . _ under.the law. Members. ‘of the Communist youth smashed:-window | | glass of the Biksti Church in the provitice of Kurzeme. The retreating Soviet troops Aree apphed "scorehed earth” tactics in Latvia to. churches. aa, St. Peter's. Church: in Rize, a. structure ‘of great. historical and | architectural value, was ; burnt on June 29, 1941.0 ee ing: lhe funeral services for a member of A trade union at the Rigi a _. Vince. of Vidzeme},. a congregation of 3,000 members was to pay