Kazys Lozoraitis (23 July 1929 in Berlin – 13 August 2007 in Rome) was a prominent Lithuanian diplomat and cultural activist. He was the first ambassador of Lithuania to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

and to the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

Biography

Kazys Lozoraitis was born into a family of diplomat and politician

Stasys Lozoraitis :''See Stasys Lozoraitis Jr. for an article about a son of Stasys Lozoraitis.'' Stasys Lozoraitis (born: September 5, 1898 - December 24, 1983) was a prominent Lithuanian diplomat and politician who served as the Foreign Minister of Lithuania f ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

in 1929. In 1933, he moved with his family to Lithuania. Soon afterwards, his father was appointed to a new position in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and the family moved to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. In Rome, he finished gymnasium (preparatory school) and then studied journalism at the

Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...

. He worked for over ten years at Radio Italia, and began working for

Radio Vatican Vatican Radio ( it, Radio Vaticana; la, Statio Radiophonica Vaticana) is the official broadcasting service of Vatican City. Established in 1931 by Guglielmo Marconi, today its programs are offered in 47 languages, and are sent out on short wave, ...

in 1972. In 1960, he was appointed secretary of the chief of the Lithuanian diplomatic service in exile, as Lithuania was then occupied by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. Between 1985 and 1992 he served as Head of the Chancellery of Lithuanian Representation to the Holy See; after 1980 he served as vice-chairman of the Italian Lithuanian Community. In 1992, Lozoraitis was accredited as the Lithuanian Ambassador to the Holy See; two years later he was named Lithuanian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the

Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

, becoming the first person to hold these positions after the re-establishment of Lithuania's independence in 1990. He held this post until 2004. Lozoraitis was active in the cultural life of both Lithuania and Italy. In 2007, he donated his family's personal library, consisting of more than 16,000 publications, to the

Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos nacionalinė Martyno Mažvydo biblioteka) is a national cultural institution which collects, organizes and preserves Lithuania's written cultural heritage content, develops the coll ...

; he also donated his unique collection of historic photographs and records to the museum at the Historical Presidential Palace in Kaunas.Delfi.l
Į Lietuvą pargabenta Lozoraičių šeimos biblioteka
Retrieved on 2007-08-22 Lozoraitis died of cancer in Rome on 13 August 2007. He was temporarily interred in Rome, but since one of his last wishes was to be buried in Lithuania, arrangements were made for his reburial in Kaunas. In September 2007, Lozoraitis was reburied in Kaunas'

Petrašiūnai Cemetery Petrašiūnai Cemetery ( lt, Petrašiūnų kapinės) is Lithuania's premiere last resting place formally designated for graves of people influential in national history, politics, arts, and science. Location Petrašiūnai Cemetery is located abo ...

, near his brother Stasys Lozoraitis Jr.. Lithuanian President

Valdas Adamkus Valdas Adamkus (; born Voldemaras Adamkavičius; 3 November 1926) is a Lithuanian-American politician, diplomat and civil engineer. He served as the 5th and 7th President of Lithuania from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2004 to 2009. Adamkus' ...

, as well as other prominent Lithuanian politicians like

Vytautas Landsbergis Vytautas Landsbergis (born 18 October 1932) is a Lithuanian politician and former Member of the European Parliament. He was the first Speaker of Reconstituent Seimas of Lithuania after its independence declaration from the Soviet Union. He has ...

, attended the ceremony.

Awards

Lozoraitis was awarded several decorations: *Grand Cross of Commander of the

Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices. Foreign nationals may also be awarded this O ...

*Grand Cross of the

Order for Merits to Lithuania The Order for Merits to Lithuania ( lt, Ordinas Už nuopelnus Lietuvai) is an award, presented by the President of Lithuania, which may be conferred on the citizens of Lithuania and foreign nationals for distinguished services promoting name of Lit ...

*Chevalier of the Order of St. Sylvester

Notes

References

Lietuvos prezidentai išsaugotose relikvijose
Biography by Žilvinė Petrauskaitė. Retrieved on 2007-08-22
Press Releases
Obituary issued by the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved on 2007-08-22 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lozoraitis, Kazys 1929 births 2007 deaths Lithuanian diplomats Ambassadors of Lithuania to the Holy See Ambassadors of Lithuania to Malta Sapienza University of Rome alumni Knights of the Order of St. Sylvester Commander's Grand Crosses of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Deaths from cancer in Lazio Burials at Petrašiūnai Cemetery