At the meeting, the President assured the Vatican Secretary of State that he highly appreciated close and fruitful relations between Lithuania and the Holy See, nurtured over centuries. Lithuania will always remember that the Vatican has never recognized Lithuania’s occupation. The President said, it was the honor that a Lithuanian, Monsignor Visvaldas Kulbokas would be ordained the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine.
Among other things, President Nausėda and Cardinal Pietro Parolin discussed the situation of the pandemic in Lithuania and the world. The President and the Secretary of State agreed that the sharing of vaccines was a crucial form of global solidarity now. The President informed the Secretary of State of the Holy See that Lithuania was participating in EU’s vaccine-sharing mechanism and was donating vaccines to the Eastern Partnership countries.
The phenomenon of illegal migration, used as a hybrid tool, and the situation in Belarus were also in the focus.
“In these times of uncertainty, the moral authority of the Holy See is very important for Lithuania and the world as a whole. The Holy See’s support for human rights, the rule of law, and democratic values is the moral force that has always, as well as in these challenging times, reminded to the world that the goal of politics and international relations was peace and well-being of people instead of the survival of one or another regime,” the President said.
President Nausėda asked Cardinal Pietro Parolin to convey his esteem and his warm wishes to Pope Francis.
