Apie Seinų vyskupijos kunigų dalyvavimą 1863-1864 m. Sukilime
ENThe article discusses two cases in which the priests of Seinai diocese were accused of participating in the 1863-1864 uprising. The accused priests did not take a direct part in the fighting. However, the indirect accusation was enough to convict and exile the priests to Siberia. The cases of the priests from Seinai diocese were considered by the Tymczasowy Audytoriat Polowy (Provisional Field Court) at the Vilnius District Military Staff. In the first case prof. Baltramiejus Grikietis was accused of the confession of the local peasant who was sentenced to death. Prof. Baltramiejus Grikietis was stripped of his title and all the rights associated with the slate of the clergy and he was exiled to Siberia for ten years of hard work. Prof. B. Grikietis went to the village Tunka, where convicted clergy lived. Three priests from Garliava parish were accused in the second case: Motiejus Žepnickis, Juozapas Bartasevičius and Motiejus Radziukynas. Their crime was that on their way to the indulgence in Skriaudžiai parish, they met an agitator of the uprising in Veiveriai and warned him about the arrest. J. Bartasevičius was also accused of asking people to help the participants of the uprising in his sermons. The court held that the warning about the arrest had not been proved and, therefore, Motiejus Zepnickis was allowed to stay in Augustów province, moving him to another parish and appointing supervision of a trusted pastor and crude police surveillance. J. Bartasevičius remained a suspect and he was not worthy of trust. He was exiled to the province of Tomsk with the order of police supervision. M. Radziukynas was convicted in a different case.
