Mission Report: Latvia: July 2011

Missionary Trip to Latvia—Reported by Joannes Bucher, May 2011

MR-319-Latvia

Since it declared its independence, Latvia has continued to have problems, but its people have been lucky in comparison to other former Soviet countries. On Bloody Sunday 1991, Soviet tanks drove over and killed innocent demonstrators in Vilnius, Lithuania. At the same time, citizens in Riga were also holding anti-violence demonstrations and did not know if they should expect the same response from the Soviet Army. The local people were ready and willing to die in Riga as the Soviets arrived. This same attitude is what I experienced with Latvians¹: strength and courage with a new outlook for their country. HLI understands their worries and is providing help in their current values crises.

DEMOGRAPHIC DISASTER

The State Forum of Riga invited me to do a lecture about “Demography and Life.” Of course, the aspect of demography was, and is, a big challenge. The “myth” of an impending population explosion has led to a public attitude that says “the fewer children, the better for mankind.” In reality, however, it is now more urgent than ever for us to recognize the importance of families and to provide public support for them.

Natural Family Planning training in Latvia.

This demographic debacle cannot be averted simply by immigration. By 2025, 150 million immigrants will be necessary in the EU just to maintain present levels for an economically active population and all the tax revenues or social security contributions that come with it. In 2025, one half of Europe’s population will have to work in order to support the other half of its aging citizens. To sustain the present standard of living, Germany will need an influx of half a million people per year. The most current population statistics shows that the population pyramid has in fact been turned upside down. The increased life expectancy and the dramatic downturn in the number of births have placed the population pyramid on its head. As long as we do not understand the causes of our birth deficit and identify them candidly, there will be no improvement. Thus, it is reasonable and fair to ask the question: Is it possible for human life to continue in our society? Unless we intend to become extinct by lack of births, we have to recognize the invaluable contribution of families in the good job they do by bringing up children and to reward all mothers accordingly with equitable compensation.

In one of my lectures in Latvia, I gave a brief diagnosis about the influences that are destroying our traditional European values. The alienation of modern capitalism becomes apparent in our pluralistic culture, which makes promiscuity almost compulsory. Although Europe needs children, the opposite is being encouraged and actively promoted by governments. If traditional European Christian values suffer a decline, the chances for our society to have a future will dwindle as well. All public welfare measures must give families and life absolute priority. Unfortunately, our happy-go-lucky mindset in society only focuses on luxury and fun. We are literally “running out of children.”

NOTHING IS MORE CRITICAL FOR OUR SOCIETY THAN A RE-ORIENTATION

What is most urgent for our society is a re-orientation of our consciousness in the direction of an environment supporting, more children, more families, and more time that parents can spend with and for their children. When young couples have more options available to them and get better public support, when young ladies are no longer forced to work outside their homes because of sheer financial necessity, they will be more willing to take time away from employment to raise a family and then there will be more babies.

A FULL WEEK OF PRO-LIFE TRAINING

Participants in the talk on Post Abortion Syndrome in Daugavpils, Latvia.

My week in Latvia was completely booked. The director of our affiliate in Latvia organized a full schedule with lots of talks. Shortly after my arrival, I gave some encouraging remarks to church members about basics in the Pro-life movement. On the second day, Friday, I delivered a lecture to the parish.

The next day I was invited to see a soul garden, where families that have had stillbirth babies and abortions can go to grieve. After this impressive visit, I had a talk with the Catholic seminary students of Riga. My topic and the discussion following was on Humanae vitae and other Church documents concerning life. I am glad to say that we all had the same opinion in following the Church magisterium as a navigator in our world where a new “Dictatorship of Relativism” is shouting and screaming the message “do what you want.” But more often we should trust the power of Our Lord. In the Old Testament, He uses the image of a huge golden statue which had feet of iron and clay. With just one small stone, this large and awesome statue was destroyed. God was, is, and will be here to build a better world – and of course, we can see signs of hope around us. Recently, the passage of a new constitution in Hungary was a truly positive development and even caught some attention in the media. Each of us has a chance to contribute to a better world and to an environment more benevolent and favourable to children just by being a good example in our own life. And this is exactly what I would like to invite all of us to do.

Joannes with Cardinal Janis Pujats.

After my lecture in the State Forum of Riga, I had a television interview with some pro-life groups, followed by a question-and-answer session. It was a motivational time, and together we developed a strategy for future projects, such as the establishment of a new Crisis Pregnancy Center. The Cardinal Janis Pujats, who has been a strong voice against Homosexuality in Latvia, has resolved to support the work of HLI with his special daily prayers.

In Daugavpils, the second largest city in Latvia, I talked about the reality of the Post Abortion Syndrome and how healing can be provided. My talk reached about 100,000 people because the priest of this parish regularly has televised messages for his people. I shared with them five healing steps³ which are necessary for every wounded person or family. Healing is truly a gift. A man or woman discovers this gift of healing with truth. The more truth that is experienced, the more freedom a wounded person will gain. And within this path of truth and freedom, one begins to appreciate truth’s beauty more deeply. Truth is able to reach deeply into our own buried sources of constraint. As this truth is investigated, it satisfies our deepest longings and is specifically able to often touch a woman and heal her of her abortion wounds with the gift of life.

In Jelgavas, I gave a lecture about why God sent our Lady to Guadalupe in Mexico to save the Indigos from sacrificing people.⁴ The people in this town where very pious and said they would form a new prayer group for the cause of life. I told them how important it is to link the topic of abortion to the merciful message of our Lord. Indeed, the link between this devotion and abortion is established by St. Faustina herself and recorded in her Diary. “On at least three occasions, from 8:00-11:00 in the evening, she felt like her insides were being torn apart. She suffered so much that she thought she was going to die. The doctors couldn’t figure out what was ailing her, and no medication was able to alleviate her sufferings. Later, she was given to understand that she was undergoing those pains for mothers who were aborting their children (Diary, 1276).”⁵

Joannes (far left) with a pro-life group in Latvia.

Further, I spoke about the Natural Conception Regulation of Dr. Josef Rötzer, The Sympto-Thermal Method, and about the huge impact that NFP has on family binding. “Since the method is free of any undesirable side effects, and is associated with a favorable Pearl Index, it should become known on a broader base.”⁶

CONCLUSION

Prayer works in a way that is sometimes evident and other times remains a secret. So, every time we bring our nations that are suffering to Jesus Christ in prayer, He will transform our hearts step-by-step. In Latvia, the pro-life movement is growing as well as the activities related to all pro-life issues – thanks especially to our HLI affiliate there. But that should be true for each of us. “Nothing we do to defend the human person, no matter how small, is ever unfruitful or forgotten. Our actions touch other lives and move other hearts in ways we can never fully understand in this world. Don’t ever underestimate the beauty and power of the witness you give in your pro-life work.”⁷ And this is exactly what I would like to invite all of us to do.

1.Although the country is often seen as a gang of thieves, I can say that characteristics which define
a Latvian are one who likes to sing and dance and is reserved, patriotic, taciturn (especially in
contact), patient, resilient, and Christian (the anthem of Latvia begins with: God, bless Latvia…).
2. www.prolife.com.pl
3. http://afterabortion.org/1999/after-an-abortion-steps-toward-healing-2/
4. http://de.gloria.tv/?media=117481&connection=cabledsl, http://www.hli.org/index.php/about/our-lady-of-guadalupe
5. http://www.priestsforlife.org/columns/columns2003/03-05-05divinemercy.htm
6. http://www.iner.org/download/NER%20Survey%202008%20Cathol%20Soc%20Sci%20Rev.pdf
7. http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2011/04/3127