Lithuanian Bishops' Conference ( lt, Lietuvos vyskupų konferencija) is the official meeting of

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

bishops in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. It has its seat in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

. The Episcopal Conference is a member of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE) and the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE).

Task and basics

The main task lies in the joint discussion on pastoral issues, to develop proposals and to coordinate church activities. Members of the Lithuanian Bishops' Conference, all diocesan bishops, bishops and auxiliary bishops and other titled (e.g. titular) bishops of the

Republic of Lithuania A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

. Currently belong to her nine active bishops and three retired bishops. The highest body is the Assembly of the Lithuanian bishops, they elect the president and his representatives for a three-year period.

Bureau

President:

Gintaras Grušas Gintaras Grušas (born 23 September 1961) is a Lithuanian–American prelate of the Catholic Church. A bishop since 2010, he has been the archbishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vilnius, Vilnius, Lithuania, since April 2013. Biography Gruša ...

, Archbishop of

Deputies:

Lionginas Virbalas Archbishop Lionginas Virbalas, S.J. (born 6 July 1961) is a Lithuanian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the Archbishop of the Kaunas from 11 June 2015 until 1 March 2019. He was Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Panevėžys from ...

, Archbishop of

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...

Structure

The Bishops' Conference works in the following structure: General Assembly, Permanent Council, Secretariat, commissions, and committees. The annual General Assembly elects the Presidium and the Secretary-General to appoint commissions, committees and councils and appoints its chairman and members. It decides on matters of faith and discusses general issues of episcopal decrees and orders. It is empowered to proclaim official statements and is authorized to sign instructions. The Permanent Council consists of the President and his deputy and the member elected

Rimantas Norvila Rimantas (shortened as Rimas) is a masculine Lithuanian given name. The feminine form of the name is Rimantė. Notable people with the name include: * Rimantas Astrauskas (b. 1955), physicist, ecologist, and signatory of the 1990 Act * Rimantas J ...

, Bishop of Vilkaviškis. The Council is elected every three years and prepare the questions and projects that will be addressed during the General Assembly and approved. The Office of the Secretary General is currently carried out by Monsignor Kęstutis Smilgevičius; his side stands a staff of employees to coordinate the cooperation between the various bodies and institutions of the Episcopal Conference. The Secretariat will inform all members of the General Assembly on the decisions and changes. Simultaneously, the Secretariat is the connection point to other foreign bishops' conferences.

Commissions

The conference has following commissions: *Commission for training and education *Commission for Social Affairs *Commission on Liturgy and Religious Communities *Mass media

Committees

The Episcopal Conference may establish committees and appointed its head, this should be a bishop in the rule. Other experts and lay people might be appointed. The following committees are part of the conference: *Committee on Ecumenism *Committee on Family *Committee for Youth Affairs *Committee on the Laity *Committee for Links with the Polish Bishops' Conference *Committee on Social Affairs

References

External links

* http://lvk.lcn.lt/en {{Authority control

Catholic Church in Lithuania