Mečislovas Leonardas Paliulionis

Mečislovas Leonardas Paliulionis (Polish: Mieczysław Leonard Pallulon; 2 December 1834 – 15 May 1908) was a Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Samogitia from 1883 until his death in 1908.

Paliulionis studied at the Varniai Priest Seminary and the Saint Petersburg Roman Catholic Theological Academy. After graduation in 1860, he taught dogmatic theology at the Varniai Priest Seminary (which was moved to Kaunas in 1863) until his consecration as bishop of Samogitia in 1883. Paliulionis worked to improve the education of priests, prioritizing practical work among the congregation, including delivering sermons and teaching children basic catechism. He also worked to improve the interior of the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Kaunas, which was elevated to cathedral status in 1895. He invited Juozas Naujalis to become the church's organist and sponsored his specialized education in Germany.

In the age of rising tension between the Lithuanian National Revival and Polish nationalism, Paliulionis generally supported both Polish and Lithuanian activities, but only as much as they were useful in his Catholic mission. As a result, he was criticized by both Polish and Lithuanian activists. Nevertheless, Paliulionis supported Lithuanian-language Catholic press. He opposed the Lithuanian press ban and supported Lithuanian book smugglers. When the press ban was lifted, he supported the Society of Saint Casimir that published Lithuanian books and periodicals and the Saulė Society that organized and maintained Lithuanian-language schools.