Lionginas Virbalas
Lionginas Virbalas SJ (born July 6, 1961 in Biržai , Lithuania ) is a Roman Catholic religious and retired Archbishop of Kaunas .
Life
After graduating from the 2nd Biržai Middle School, Virbalas first studied at the Institute of Civil Engineering in Vilnius and served in the Army of the Soviet Union from 1981 to 1983 . In 1989 he joined the Jesuit order, and received on 30 May 1991, the sacrament of Holy Orders . In 1994 he obtained a theological license from the Pontifical Gregorian University . Further training stations were the University of Innsbruck and Salamanca.
He then became the church rector of Saint Casimir in Vilnius (1997-2005) and professor of spiritual theology at the Joseph Seminary in Vilnius (1999-2004). From 2005 to 2009 he was general secretary of the Lithuanian Bishops' Conference . In 2010 he was appointed rector of the Pontifical Collegium Russicum .
Pope Francis appointed him on June 6, 2013 to succeed Jonas Kauneckas as Bishop of Panevėžys . The Archbishop of Vilnius , Audrys Juozas Cardinal Bačkis , ordained him episcopal on August 10 of the same year. Co- consecrators were former bishop Jonas Kauneckas and the archbishop of Kaunas , Sigitas Tamkevičius SJ.
On October 28, 2014, he was elected Vice-Chairman of the Lithuanian Bishops' Conference.
On June 11, 2015, Pope Francis appointed him Archbishop of Kaunas. The inauguration took place on July 11th of the same year.
On March 1, 2019, Pope Francis accepted his resignation from the office of Archbishop of Kaunas, which had been submitted for health reasons.
Web links
- Entry on Lionginas Virbalas on catholic-hierarchy.org
- Naujuoju Panevėžio vyskupu paskirtas kun. Lionginas Virbalas SJ (Lithuanian, June 6, 2013, accessed June 6, 2013)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Vyskupas Lionginas Virbalas SJ. In: Homepage. Lithuanian Bishops' Conference , accessed June 11, 2015 (Lithuanian).
- ^ Rinuncia dell'Arcivescovo Metropolita di Kaunas (Lituania) e nomina del successore. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office , June 11, 2015, accessed June 11, 2015 (Italian).
- ↑ Litauren: Archbishop of Kaunas Resigns 57 years. Vatican News, March 1, 2019, accessed March 1, 2019 .
- ^ Rinuncia dell'Arcivescovo di Kaunas (Lituania). In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office, March 1, 2019, accessed March 1, 2019 (Italian).
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Sigitas Tamkevičius SJ |
Archbishop of Kaunas 2015-2019 |
Kęstutis Kėvalas |
| Jonas Kauneckas |
Bishop of Panevėžys 2013–2015 |
Genadijus Linas Vodopjanovas OFM |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Virbalas, Lionginas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Lithuanian religious chaplain and emeritus Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kaunas |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 6, 1961 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Biržai , Lithuanian SSR |