Saint Cecilia by Ermes Dovico

Tamkevičius

The cardinal persecuted by the Soviets: “The Eucharist saved me”
LITHUANIA

The cardinal persecuted by the Soviets: “The Eucharist saved me”

Imprisoned, made to do forced labor, deported to Siberia. The Lithuanian Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius,a former Soviet prisoner, shares with The Daily Compass the horror of the anti-Catholic persecution in the former USSR. But at the same time, he testifies to the miraculous hope that comes only from faith in Christ: “In the beginning it seemed to be a cross that was too big, but today I understand that this trial was a great gift of God.” “How did I succeed in resisting? The Eucharist was my only strength.”