VILNIUS (Reuters) – Lithuania, a majority-Catholic EU member, has called for a meeting with the Vatican’s top diplomat in the country following Pope Francis’ remarks to Russian youths, where he urged them to remember they are the heirs of “the great Russian empire”.
In response to the spontaneous comments made by Francis during a live video address to Catholic youths gathered in St. Petersburg, the Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Ministry has invited the Apostolic Nuncio to come in for “a talk” after the archbishop returns from holidays, as confirmed by a ministry spokesperson on Wednesday.
The Vatican, on the other hand, clarified on Tuesday that Pope Francis did not intend to glorify Russian imperialism in his speech, in which he also praised Russian emperors Peter the Great and Catherine II for their expansion of the Russian empire.
The Russian empire had annexed the territories of Lithuania and Poland in the 18th century under Catherine II’s rule. These countries gained independence after World War I, following the brutally suppressed revolts against the empire in the 19th century.
The Vatican stated that Francis’ intention was “to preserve and promote all that is positive in the great Russian cultural and spiritual heritage”.
Ukraine, which was once under the same empire, expressed its disappointment, labeling the comments “deeply regrettable”. Meanwhile, the Kremlin described them as “very gratifying”.
Lithuania, a nation with a population of 2.8 million, where approximately three-quarters of the people identify as Roman Catholics, has consistently criticized Russia and shown support for Ukraine within the European Union and NATO.
The Catholic Church is highly esteemed in Lithuania for its anti-Communist and pro-independence stance during the Soviet Union’s annexation. During this period, the Vatican maintained Lithuanian diplomatic representation to the Holy See, refusing to recognize the annexation.
In 2018, during his visit to Lithuania, Pope Francis celebrated a mass for an estimated crowd of 100,000 people.
(Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
