Henryk Gulbinowicz will no longer be the patron saint of streets in Lithuania. The procedure has started
— We received an indication from government representatives that, taking into account publicly disclosed information about Cardinal Gulbinowicz and applicable legal regulations, the executive body should prepare and present to the council draft resolutions and explanatory notes regarding the change of street names – said Kęstutis Butvidas, advisor to the mayor of the Vilnius region, in an interview with LRT.
Why does Lithuania not want Cardinal Gulbinowicz as the patron saint of the streets?
Which streets should be renamed?
Who is the new patron of the streets in Niemenczyn?
When will the city council consider the draft resolution?
According to LRT information, Vilnius officials have prepared a draft resolution which assumes that Gulbinowicz, born in 1923 in Vilnius, as the patron of one of the streets in Niemenczyn, would be replaced by a long-time activist of the Polish minority and MP Gabriel Jan Mincewicz.
The cardinal, who died in 2020, is also the patron saint of a street connecting several villages in the Vilnius region. According to the project, this route is to be renamed ul. Bujwidzów. The city council is to consider a draft resolution on this matter next week.
Henryk Gulbinowicz was accused of sexual harassment
The hierarch, for years considered one of the most important clergy in the country, was publicly accused of sexual harassment, covering up cases of pedophilia among priests and cooperation with the Security Service.
In 2019, the poet Karol Chum revealed that in 1990 he became a victim of molestation by Cardinal Gulbinowicz. He was then sixteen years old and a student at the Franciscan Minor Seminary in Legnica. The case was reported to the prosecutor's office, but the proceedings were discontinued due to the statute of limitations.
A few days before Gulbinowicz's death, the Vatican decided on his case. He ordered, among other things, “the cardinal's payment of an appropriate amount of money as a donation to the activities of the St. Joseph Foundation, established by the Polish Episcopal Conference to support the Church's activities for victims of sexual abuse, psychological assistance and prevention and education of persons responsible for the protection of minors.” However, the Vatican did not justify its decision.
