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World Jewish News
Traditional Religious Communities of Lithuania to Receive 3 Million Litas
02.06.2009
The government of Lithuania is going to distribute 3,3 million Litas among the nine traditional religious communities of Lithuania.
According to the draft decree of the Government, prepared by the Ministry of Justice and Finance, the largest amount - 3 million Litas - shall go to the Catholic Church of Latin rite, which in Lithuania is represented by its
governing body, the Conference of Bishops of Lithuania.
164,2 thousand Litas is going to be provided to the Lithuanian Orthodox Church (Diocese of Lithuania), 36,5 thousand Litas - to the Supreme Council of Old Rite Church in Lithuania, 31.3 thousand LT - to the Consistory of Evangelical Lutherans in Lithuania, 13.1 thousand LT - Islamic High Council of Sunni Muslims of Lithuania, 10,4 thousand LT - to the Vasilian Monastery of St. Josaphat, 10,3 thousand LT - to Lithuanian Karaite religious community, 9000 LT - to the Synod of Lithuanian Evangelical Reformed Church (Uniats, Greek-Catholic), 8700 LT - to the College of the Synod of the Lithuanian Evangelical Reformed Church, 7900 LT to the religious community of Jews in Lithuania, Lt 2900 - to Vilnius community of Old East Old Rite Church, which has no religious hierarchy, 2500 LT - to
Kaunas religious Jewish community, and 1000 LT - to the religious Jewish community Chassidie Chabad Lubavitch of Vilnius.
The state annually allocates funds in the traditional religious communities.
According to Finance Minister Algirdas Semeta, funds are allocated to religious communities for the restoration of ritual objects, destroyed during the occupation, and reconstruction of organizations, as well as for other needs.
The allocated amount depends on the number of believers in the community. According to the population census of 2001, 2.75 million residents identified themselves as Catholics of the Roman Catholic rite, 141.8 thousand - as Orthodox, 27 thousand - Old Believers, 19.6 thousand - Evangelical Lutheran, 7082 - Evangelical Reformers, 2860 - Sunni Muslims, 1272 - as Jews, 384 - as Uniats (Greek Catholics), 258 residents - as Karaites.
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