Budrys and the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Gallagher discussed bilateral relations and support for UkraineActivities of the Minister of Foreign[...]

• 1
• 2
• 3

On 26 June, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys met with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. The meeting focused on bilateral relations, topical issues of international policy, and support for Ukraine.

The Minister thanked the Archbishop for his attention to the anniversary of historical events important to the Church and the state of Lithuania, as well as for the active involvement of the Holy See and Pope Leo XIV and his support for Ukraine and its people defending against Russia's unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression.

"Lithuania and the Holy See enjoy a long-standing warm relationship built on mutual respect. Lithuania highly appreciates the role of the Holy See in our country's resistance against the Soviet occupation and in the restoration of an independent state of Lithuania, and, in the context of today's realities, its support for Ukraine. We stand ready to work together to increase pressure on Russia and achieve a sustainable, just peace in Ukraine," said Budrys.

At the meeting, the Minister also drew the attention of the Holy See's representative to Belarus's continuing confrontational stance, the deteriorating human rights situation in the country, and restrictions on religious freedom.

Archbishop Gallagher is visiting Lithuania in his capacity as Pope Leo XIV's Special Envoy for the centenary of the canonical erection of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lithuania, which will be celebrated on 27 June at the Kaunas Cathedral.

On 4 April 1926, Pope Pius XI issued the Apostolic Constitution Lituanorum Gente. The bull canonically established the Ecclesiastical Province of Lithuania. The territory was divided to establish new dioceses that were directly aligned with the territorial frontiers, and the Catholic Church in Lithuania became subject solely to the Holy See, which in turn significantly strengthened the international positions of the then-Lithuanian state.