Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion in Lithuania

ENTo stop the pandemic, the government of Lithuania announced two quarantines, in periods that encompassed the major holidays of the year. The country imposed highly restrictive measures by banning public religious gatherings but allowing accommodations for private prayer in public places of worship. The chapter discusses the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on religion in Lithuania, focusing on the legal and sociological aspects of the issue. It analyses such questions as the relationship of religion and state in Lithuania during the COVID-19 pandemic when the government imposed different restrictions on religious groups (religious communities complying with the public health directives from the government and/or adopting voluntary restrictions on their activities following public health recommendations), the main legal texts that have affected religious life, regulations concerning specific areas of religious life, how collective religious life was affected during the pandemic including the importance of digital use, and how the pandemic has influenced people’s religiosity, including modifications of religious practices.