Unlike most countries that lived under communist rule in the 20th century and saw their people’s religious feelings grow sharper — as was the case in countries like Poland, Georgia and Hungary — Latvia , a predominantly Lutheran Baltic state, is more deeply affected by the process of secularization affecting the West.

This state of affairs can be explained by a more complex history, marked by a fragmentation of religious communities in the country, Msgr. Zbigņevs Stankevičs, Metropolitan Archbishop of Riga pointed out in an interview with the Register, while nevertheless observing an encouraging dynamic of growth within its Catholic community.

He spoke on the sidelines of the annual “Vanenburg meeting”, organized by the Center for European Renewal in Warsaw from 16 to 19 December, on the theme “Where do we go now? Bringing together prominent conservative figures from across Europe and beyond to discuss the state of contemporary societies and the main challenges they face, the annual meeting is named after the area in the Netherlands where the first meeting s was held in 2006. The 2021 event focused on the aftermath of the great disruption caused by the COVID-19 crisis in the West.

At the head of the Archdiocese of Riga since 2010, Bishop Zbigņevs Stankevičs is currently very involved in the discussions and consultations surrounding the synod on synodality, which he sees as a constructive alternative to the German “synodal path”. He also participated in the Synod of Bishops on the Family, as an elected representative of the Episcopal Conference of Latvia, in 2015.

During the health crisis, Bishop Stankevičs, along with Christian, Jewish and other leaders, has raised his voice on the need to keep churches open and, more recently, to guarantee access to places of worship without vaccination passports.

Could you give a brief overview of the religious situation in your country?

The current situation in Latvia is the result of a complicated history. In the early 17th century, the Swedes conquered Riga and took control of much of Latvia. But a quarter of the territory remained part of Poland. Thus Catholicism was preserved in this part of the country. Then, during the two world wars, with the Soviet deportations, everything got mixed up. For example, my parents were born in the Catholic part, but in 1949 a Soviet officer who had sympathy for them warned them that they were on the list of deportees to Siberia, and they saved themselves that way. , escaping to Lutheran Latvia. .

This has made things more complex in the country. Catholics, to date, are about 20% [Lutherans make up just over a third, with Orthodox 17%], but in my diocese of Riga, Catholicism is reborn and growing. There are many small groups and communities.

However, although many politicians are baptized, very few are truly practicing Christians. It is a secular state, like in France, although it is not directly hostile to religion. In Latvia, we have a so-called Council for Spiritual Affairs in the Prime Minister’s Office, and the members are representatives of all eight religious denominations, including Jews [a small but active number of adherents in Latvia]. We meet when it is necessary to discuss an issue, then we make proposals to the Prime Minister. There is a dialogue with the state, even if on the one hand the state tends to fear that religion will become too influential in society.

How do you explain this cultural and identity difference with other countries like Poland or Hungary, which experienced the same totalitarian terror in the last century but saw their faith and their identity reinforced by this long collective ordeal?

Poland, like Hungary, is a country of Catholic origin. At that time, 90% of the people were Catholic, so they were much more united with a much stronger Church.

We, first of all, are divided into several confessions, and the pressure from the Soviet government was much stronger. We have a different reality. But that does not detract from the fact that when communism collapsed, the churches were full; there was a national awakening. People wanted freedom at any cost — people came to church; many have been baptized. So many people have identified freedom with faith.

Unfortunately, this dynamic lasted only a few years. When freedom came, this race to reach the average level of wealth in the West began. As the standard of living increased, interest in spiritual things decreased. Unfortunately, this is often the case: as wealth increases, spirituality decreases. It shouldn’t be that way, but I would say there is a mistake in the parameters of today’s society.

And what is the political situation in Latvia? In your opinion, were the stigmata of Soviet anticlericalism erased during the following years?

The Communist Party and its symbols are considered to belong to a criminal organization. They no longer exist. Thirty years have passed since the fall of the regime, however, so many communist leaders have remained and put on the togas of left-wing democrats, entered the world of business, politics. Some are millionaires, etc. But their ideological frameworks remained, to take the form of a progressive neo-Marxism, tending to be hostile to the Church.

In this context of material well-being that you have just mentioned, how is it possible to re-evangelize the post-Christian West?

It’s a real challenge. Above all, it is important to emphasize religious and spiritual formation. Before, the family unit was much stronger. The family transmitted the faith. But, today, it is very weakened by new ideologies and mentalities resistant to commitment. So there is no more religious teaching in the schools; the state cast him aside. So, if there is no solid foundation, Sunday Mass — for those who attend it — will not be enough to maintain Christian values ​​in our societies. This requires a stronger formation, which can spread through the different movements of the Church.

There is also a need for sacramental formation for a greater awareness of what we have received with Confirmation and Baptism. But the form and language used must also suit the masses. It requires a drop of kerygma, which must be placed at the center of life, illuminating the life of the audience, with the light of the Gospel. It’s not easy, but it is possible.

In addition to the many obstacles to the transmission of the faith arising from the socio-economic context, do you think that the Catholic Church itself is doing enough to reaffirm the immutable truths of humanity and awaken sleeping consciences?

Pope Francis tries to enter into dialogue with secular society: he tries to find a hook through questions such as ecology; he tries to get into these real problems of today’s society and introduce these Christian values.

But the Church should be more prophetic and not shy away from difficult issues and not remain silent on topics like so-called same-sex marriage, abortion, etc. It must be made clear that we must respect the dignity of every human being and not discriminate against anyone. However, we must reaffirm that the Church can help such people — not condemn them — to get back on their feet with the power of the Holy Spirit.

But sexual morality is not the only important part of the Decalogue. Other things like corruption in business and politics should also be mentioned. This prophetic dimension of the Church must give us clear principles of life. The social doctrine of the Church is a very important tool for evangelizing today’s society.

Many faithful Catholics have regretted that during the health crisis, in various parts of the world, some clergymen have somehow abandoned their flocks. Has an opportunity for evangelization not been missed here?

Yes, I would say I was a bit amazed at how easily, in so many countries, these health restrictions and church closures were imposed – and for a long time. We in Latvia managed not to allow this to happen, because as Christians we stood united, we spoke out decisively, we protested loudly against the closures, saying that spiritual needs are also necessary than bread. Jews and neo-pagans also joined us.

Shortly before Christmas, our government wanted to make attendance at Mass conditional on the presentation of a vaccination passport, but our episcopal conference sent a letter to the Prime Minister, asking the government to reconsider its position in the name of religious freedom and human rights . And after receiving this letter, the Council of Ministers decided to lift this restriction.

But ecumenical collaboration has also greatly helped us to make our dialogue with the State fruitful. If the churches have always remained open during the COVID epidemic, it is precisely because we were all united and the state authorities respected our position.

However, it should also be emphasized that in the West, it is difficult to go against the tide as the ideological pressure is strong. To give a significant example of the current mood, when I receive Christmas wishes from the embassies of so-called post-Christian countries, most of the time, they send me “Christmas Greetings”. On the other hand, the Turkish and Emirati embassies still send me their Christmas greetings. No wonder politicians are imposing these anti-Christian laws. And the quieter you are, the harder it becomes to raise your voice afterwards.

In one maintenance with Vatican News on the occasion of the meeting between the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops and the bishops of all the continents in June, you underlined the prophetic dimension of the Synod on synodality, in particular to enable the Church to achieve all peoples of faith. However, some congregants and clergy have expressed concerns about it, with the idea that Church leaders might be tempted to be drawn into something akin to the “Synodal pathof the German Church, which has distanced itself from the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church. What do you think about this?

This synod on synodality does not personally worry me. I see it as a great opportunity. In my opinion, it is a breath of the Holy Spirit. In fact, there was such an initiative in Germany, but it went in another direction. … The Pope has asked us to slow down a bit, and I would say that this synod offers an alternative. We are already making this journey in our parishes in Latvia; we had a meeting with the different priests. It’s a way of waking up a sleeping giant; that is, to reawaken the Church and the sense of co-responsibility in the Church, but not only. It is very interesting that we are also creating a dialogue, listening to marginalized people in the Church and also to those who are totally outside the Church. It is also a question of asking non-believers how they perceive, what they expect from the Church, even from our brothers and sisters of other confessions. The program is very broad.

In Latvia, there is no controversy over this because there are concrete questions, and the synod is not the place to solve problems, but concrete questions are asked about people’s personal experiences. A summary of the responses will be made to give an idea of ​​the current situation. The synod will find solutions on this basis. The current process is not the place to give ready-made answers and solutions.