Juozapas Skvireckas

Juozapas Jonas Skvireckas (18 September 1873 – 3 December 1959) was a Lithuanian archbishop of Kaunas (1926–1959).

Skvireckas was born in Pašilaičiai or near Pumpėnai. He attended high school in Panevėžys and the seminary at Žemaičių Kalvarija, During the occupation of the Baltic States by the Nazis, Skvireckas and his assistant, Bishop Vincentas Brizgys, initially welcomed the Nazis. Skvireckas provided chaplains for Lithuanian-crewed Nazi auxiliary units. Later, however, Skvireckas issued multiple protests to Nazi authorities regarding the conditions of the Catholic Church in Lithuania. He also sent reports to the Vatican, and in 1942 he started receiving instructions from the papal office. In 1944, Skvireckas, Brizgys and over 200 other Lithuanian clergymen left Kaunas with retreating German forces and went into exile. After his death, the post of (arch)bishop of Kaunas was vacant until 1989.