Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania achieved national independence in 1917/1918 following the peace of Brest-Litovsk. However, in 1940 the Soviet Union occupied the Baltic countries and implemented them as Socialist Soviet Republics as part of the USSR.
In Estonia, whose little catholic minority since 1924 is organized within an Apostolic Administration, Jesuit Fr. Eduard Profittlich was in charge; in 1936 he was elevated as Titular Archbishop of Adrianopoli. After Soviet invasion he was imprisoned and murdered on February 22, 1942. Up to the end of the USSR no successor could be nominated.
The mainly protestant Latvia consisted of the 1918/1923 re-established Riga Archdiocese and the Diocese of Liepāja, founded only in 1937, with following prelates:
1920 – 1958 Antonis Springovics, Bishop (1923 Archbishop) of Riga
1923 – 1970 Jazeps Rancans, Auxiliary Bishop of Riga
1938 – 1965 Antonijs Urbšs, Bishop of Liepāja
Mons. Jazeps Rancans, Auxiliary Bishop of Riga in exile
Shortly after communist occupation it was impossible to think of a regular pastoral work. Bishop Urbšs was impedited, and Auxiliary Bishop Rancans went into exile in the United States. Regarding this, Archbishop Springovics consecrated two clandestine bishops in Riga on July 25, 1947:
Kazimirs Dulbinskis, Titular Bishop of Gerara
Peters Strods, Titular Bishop of Stadia.
Both bishops were designated as Auxiliary Bishops in Riga. Mons. Dulbinskis, who – like Mons. Strods – was elevated already on July 19, 1946, was published in 1957 and was impedited until 1988; only after invention of Perestroika he was able to carry out episcopal functions. The episcopal identity of Mons. Strods was published in 1955. In the following years, besides his duties as Riga Auxiliary Bishop he became Apostolic Administrator of the in fact vacant Liepāja Diocese. 1959, after the death of Archbishop Springovics, he additionally became Administrator of Riga before he died the next year.
The first official bishop’s nomination in Latvia occurred on November 10, 1964, when Mons. Julijans Vaivods became Titular Bishop of Macriana maggiore as well as Apostolischer Administrator of Riga and of Liepāja. His consecration took place only eight days later. On February 2, 1983, St. John Paul II. created him as the fitst Latvian cardinal. During the dictatorship there were some other new bishops:
1972 – 1986 Auxiliary Bishop Valerians Zondaks, Riga and Liepāja
1982 – 1990 Auxiliary Bishop Jānis Cākuls, Riga and Liepāja
1987 – 1991 Auxiliary Bishop Vilhelms Nukšs, Riga and Liepāja.
In Lithuania, where catholics were the vast majority of the population and where the ecclesiastical jurisdictions were newly defined in 1926, there were these bishops in 1940 and shortly after:
Kaišiadorys: 1943 – 1962 Bishop Teofilius Matulionis, 1962 Archbishop-Bishop
Kaunas: 1926 – 1959 Archbishop Juozapas Skvireckas
Kaunas: 1940 – 1992 Auxiliary Bishop Vincentas Brizgys
Panevėžys: 1926 – 1958 Bishop Kazimieras Paltarokas
Telšiai: 1926 – 1943 BishopJustinas Staugaitis
Telšiai: 1944 – 1946 Bishop Vincentas Borisevičius
Telšiai: 1944 – 1959 Auxiliary Bishop Prančiskus Ramanauskas
Vilkaviškis:1926 – 1947 Bishop Antanas Karosas
Vilkaviškis: 1940 – 1952 Auxiliary Bishop Vincentas Padolskis, 1950 Administrator
Vilnius: 1940 – 1954 Auxiliary Bishop Mecislovas Reinys, Titular Archbishop
Mons. Vincentas Brizgys
Mons. Vincentas Borisevičius
Mons. Mecislovas Reinys
Also in Lithuania the suffering started shortly after occupation. Archbishop Reinys diminished in a Siberian camp, and Bishop Borisevičius, condemned to death in 1946, died in prison. Auxiliary Bishop Ramanauskas was imprisoned as well as Bishop Matulionis, who has become victim of terror as then Auxiliary Bishop of Leningrad before. In fact, Mons. Matulionis was murdered in 1962; on December 1, 2016, Pope Francis declared him Venerable, and on June 25, 2017, he was beatified. Archbishop Skvireckas was impedited and died in 1959 in his Tyrolian exile, and his Auxiliary Bishop Brizgys exiled in the United States. Also, Administrator Padolskis could not carry out his functions any more.
Lithuanian priests: after return from Siberia and in clerical habits
In spite of this desparate situation there only two clandestine consecrations took place, when on September 11, 1955, Petras Maželis, who silently had been named Titular Bishop of Celenderi and Capitular Vicar of Telšiai on May 22, was consecrated. His consecration was published that very year, and from 1964 up to his death 1966 Bishop Maželis was able to take possession als regular Bishop of his diocese. At the same day as Mons. Maželis a second bishop was appointed. Julijonas Steponavičius, Titular Bishop of Antarado, who was also consecrated on September 11, was scheduled to serve as Auxiliary Bishop of Panevėžys, but he never was able to serve his office. Officially Apostolic Administrator from 1960 up to 1973, he lived in bannishment. This did not change in 1963, when he additionally should act as Administrator of Vilnius Archdiocese. Only on March 10, 1989, the Holy See had the opportunity to elect him as Archbishop of Vilnius. Rumours say Bishop Steponavičius may have been the real Cardinal „in pectore“ of 1979.
A last Bishop’s appointment failed, when on November 14, 1957, Vincentas Sladkevičius, M. I. C., became Titular Bishop of Abora and Auxiliary Bishop of Kaišiadorys; he was consecrated on Christmas day. He also was banned from ministry. Only in 1982 some single new appointments were possible, and Mons. Sladkevičius became Apostolic Administrator of Kaišiadorys . In his consistory of June 28, 1988, the Pope created him as a cardinal; on March 10, 1989, he became new Metropolitan of Kaunas.
Archbishop Julijonas Steponavičius
Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevičius
The situation improved slightly since midth of the 1960s. In 1965, Bishop Juozapas Matulaitis-Labukas became Administrator in Kaunas; in 1969, Romualdas Krikščiūnas was set him aside as an Auxiliary Bishop. In 1967, Juozas Pletkus was elected Telšiai Administrator; in 1969, Liudad Povilonis became his Auxiliary Bishop. From 1982 on some few appointments followed, but normality came back no sooner as on March 10, 1989.