A great -number of churches were closed while exorbitant taxes were imposed on those still used for services. Poor people who can barely keep body and soul together must pay these taxes in order to practice their religion. Many bishops. priests and pastors of all denominations were killed or deported. Clerical seminaries were closed. with few exceptions. and the number of seminarians is small and very limited. As a result of the deportations and oppression. a strong underground resistance organization was formed in the Baltic States and fought the Russians after World War II. As a result of this fighting. which continued for about 2 years. in Lithuania alone. about 30.000 of these partisan fighters were killed or deported. After Stalins death they even went on strike in the slave labor camps of Vorkuta. The valiant efforts of the freedom fighters have remained a symbol of the Baltic peoples burning desire to be free.
Keywords matched
deported deportations