The President invited Pope Leo XIV for an apostolic visit to Lithuania

On Monday, President Gitanas Nausėda attended a private audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican.

During the meeting, the President thanked the Holy Father for his tireless efforts to call the world to peace and justice, for his strong voice urging an end to aggression against Ukraine, for his efforts to return illegally deported Ukrainian children to their homes, and for his support for the victims of war.

The President emphasized that Lithuania respects the values of human dignity, freedom of religion, peace, and solidarity, which the Holy See has proclaimed and upheld for centuries. In his conversation with Pope Leo XIV, Gitanas Nausėda noted that the Church's call to love one's neighbor and its social mission - also reflected in the extensive activities of Caritas Lithuania - have been of immense benefit to the Lithuanian state.

The discussion also touched on the Holy Father's ties with the Lithuanian community in his native Chicago, recalling how the future Pope consecrated the sarcophagus and image of Sister Maria Kazimiera Kaupaitė, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Casimir.

The President invited Pope Leo XIV to pay an apostolic visit to Lithuania in 2027.

"This will be an extraordinary year for Lithuania. As we preside over the Council of the European Union, we will celebrate significant anniversaries: the centenary of diplomatic relations between Lithuania and the Holy See, the centenary of the coronation of the image of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn, and the centenary of the death of Blessed Archbishop Jurgis Matulaitis. Your visit to our Catholic nation, Holy Father, would be a great gift and a source of encouragement," the President said.

While in the Vatican, the President also met with the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Their talks focused on the international community's efforts to end Russia's brutal aggression against Ukraine, the release of political prisoners in Belarus, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The President expressed his gratitude to the Secretary of State for his consistent support for the primacy of international and humanitarian law, for his steadfast commitment to dialogue in conflict resolution, and for the role of the Holy See - a global moral authority - in international politics.