Pope Francis

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2018-09/pope-francis-mass-santa-marta0.html

Pope at Mass: ‘take the road of mercy to God’s heart’
21 September 2018, 14:16

Pope Francis celebrates Holy Mass at Casa Santa Marta  (Vatican Media)
Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass on Friday morning reflecting on the importance of not forgetting one’s own sins and remembering that the Lord chose us to be Christians.
By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis on Friday told Christians the memory of their origins and of their sins must accompany them throughout their lives.

Speaking to those gathered at the Casa Santa Marta for Holy Mass, the Pope reflected on the liturgical reading that tells of how Jesus invited Matthew, the tax collector, and other sinners to join him at his table.

“One may think that Jesus lacked the good sense to choose the right people as his followers” Francis said, but then he remarked on how in the life of the Church, so many Christians, so many saints have been chosen by Jesus from the ‘lowest ranks’.

Thus, the Pope said, Christians should always be aware of where they come from and they should never forget their sins; they must cherish the memory of the Lord “who had mercy of their sins and chose them to be a Christian, an apostle”.
 

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http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2018/encuentro-opens-with-procession-papal-message-prayers-for-abuse-victims.cfm

Encuentro opens with procession, papal message, prayers for abuse victims
By Norma Montenegro Flynn Catholic News Service
9.21.2018 10:40 AM ET

CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn
GRAPEVINE, Texas (CNS) -- A video message from Pope Francis and a procession of Encuentro crosses representing all of the participating episcopal regions were the highlights during the first day of the National Fifth Encuentro gathering taking place Sept. 20-23 in Grapevine.

With hearts full of excitement and joy, about 3,000 Hispanic ministry leaders cheered as they welcomed representatives for each of the 14 episcopal regions approaching the stage and carrying the same crosses and colorful banners that accompanied their gatherings during the multiyear process of discernment and consultation that began at their parishes. The crosses were placed on the stage by the bishops who served as chairs for each region.

Pope Francis captivated the audience with a video message that was received with a standing ovation.

"I see that the Fifth Encuentro is a concrete way for the church in the U.S. to respond to the challenge of going beyond what is comfortable, business as usual, and to become a leaven of communion for all those who seek a future of hope, especially young people and families that live in the peripheries of society," the pontiff said.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-accepts-resignation-of-2-more-chilean-bishops-19946

Pope accepts resignation of two more Chilean bishops

Vatican City, Sep 21, 2018 / 10:00 am (CNA).- Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of two Chilean bishops, the Holy See has announced. The decision brings the total number of prelates to have had their resignations accepted by the pope to 7, following the allegations of systemic sexual abuse and cover-ups by Church authorities.

The removal of Bishop Carlos Pellegrín Barrera of Chillán and Bishop Cristián Contreras Molina of San Felipe was confirmed in the daily Bollettino of the Holy See Press Office. It was also confirmed that no successors had yet been chosen.

Instead, the dioceses will be led temporarily by apostolic administrators appointed by the pope. Two religious priests were named as having been chosen to take over from the bishops.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cardinal-tobin-will-not-attend-oct-vatican-synod-67649

Cardinal Tobin will not attend Oct. Vatican synod

Newark, N.J., Sep 21, 2018 / 09:21 am (CNA).- The Archbishop of Newark has announced that he will not attend an October gathering of bishops slated to discuss young adults and vocational discernment. The archbishop cited his pastoral obligations in the archdiocese amid the U.S. Church’s ongoing sexual abuse crisis.

“This Synod is a uniquely important moment in the life of the Church, and I was honored to have been named by the Holy Father as a member of this special gathering whose topic, Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment, is of vital concern to the Church today and in the future,” Cardinal Joseph Tobin wrote in a Sept. 21 letter to Newark’s Catholics.

“However, as you are aware, the Archdiocese of Newark suffers greatly as a result of the crisis that continues to unfold. After the revelations of the past summer, I could not see myself absent for a month from our archdiocese and from you, the people entrusted to my care. After prayer and consultation, I wrote to Pope Francis, asking that he dispense me from attending, but assuring him that I strongly support the objectives of the Synod and that I would obey whatever he decided.”

“The Holy Father responded the next day with a beautiful pastoral and compassionate message. He told me that he understands why I need to stay close to home, and he released me from the obligation to attend the Synod next month,” Tobin added.
 

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2018/09/04/vatican-issues-updated-papal-schedule-for-baltics-trip-sept-22-25/

Vatican issues updated papal schedule for Baltics trip Sept. 22-25
Cindy Wooden   Sep 4, 2018
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

ROME - Updating the schedule for Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics Sept. 22-25, the Vatican said the trip will include a prayer in Vilnius, Lithuania, at a monument to members of the city’s Jewish community who perished under Nazi occupation.

The Vatican published on Sept. 4 a detailed schedule for the pope’s trip to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, adding times for events that had been listed without them when the first schedule was published in early July.

The only addition to the itinerary, which includes visits to important Marian shrines and to places commemorating the nations’ fight for liberty, is the stop for prayer Sept. 23 at the monument to victims forced by the Nazis into the Vilnius Ghetto. Under Nazi occupation, the city’s Jewish population went from an estimated 40,000 to zero; most were taken in groups to the woods outside the city and shot.

Here is the updated scheduled released by the Vatican. Times listed are local, with Eastern Daylight Time in parentheses.

Saturday, Sept. 22 (Rome, Vilnius)

- 7:30 a.m. (1:30 a.m.) Departure from Rome’s Fiumicino airport for Vilnius, Lithuania.

- 11:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m.) Arrival at Vilnius’ international airport. Welcoming ceremony at the airport.

- 12:10 p.m. (5:10 a.m.) Courtesy visit with the president at the presidential palace.

- 12:40 p.m. (5:40 a.m.) Meeting with government authorities, local leaders and representatives of the diplomatic corps outside the presidential palace. Speech by pope.

- 4:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m.) Visit to the Shrine of Mary, Mother of Mercy (Mater Misericordiae). Prayer by pope.

- 5:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m.) Meeting with young people in the square by the city’s cathedral. Speech by pope.

- 6:40 p.m. (11:40 a.m.) Visit to the city’s cathedral.
 

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http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2018/find-strength-in-tolerance-solidarity-pope-tells-lithuanians.cfm
Find strength in tolerance, solidarity, pope tells Lithuanians
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
9.22.2018 7:19 AM ET

CNS photo/Paul Haring
Pope Francis and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite attend a welcoming ceremony at the international airport in Vilnius, Lithuania, Sept. 22

Video at the link
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-09/apostolic-journey-lithuania-welcome-ceremony.html

Pope Francis arrives in Lithuania
22 September 2018, 12:16

Pope Francis arrives in Vilnius and is welcomed to Lithuania by Lithuania's President and other political and civilian representativs.

Pope Francis arrived in Lithuania, landing at the airport in Vilnius.

He was greeted by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Pedro López Quintana.

After disembarking the aircraft, Pope Francis was then received by President Dalia Grybauskaitė.

Children in native costume offered flowers to the Pope.

He was also greeted by political and civil authorities. The welcome ceremony continued with the National Anthems, an honor guard, a salute to the flags of the respective flags, and the presentation of the delegations.
 

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018
Photo Gallery at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-09/apostolic-journey-lithuania-authorities-diplomats-civil-society.html#.W6YgBk0jQMA.twitter

Pope urges Lithuania to welcome differences and work for common good
22 September 2018, 12:12

Pope Francis addressing Lithuanian authorities, representatives of civil society and the diplomatic corps in Vilnius, Lithuania, September 22, 2018.  (Vatican Media)
In the first leg of his 3-nation Baltic trip, Pope Francis on September 22 addressed authorities, representatives of civil society and the diplomatic corps in Vilnius, Lithuania.
By Robin Gomes

Pope Francis on Saturday invited Lithuanians to draw strength and vigour from their past experience and welcome differences through dialogue, openness and understanding, something which the international community and especially the European Community can learn from.

The Pope’s invitation came at the start of his apostolic visit to the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.  Addressing Lithuanian authorities, representatives of civil society and the diplomatic corps at the presidential palace in the capital, Vilnius, the pontiff recalled that his visit was taking place in centenary year of the declaration of their independence in 1918, at the end of World War I.

Lithuania lost its independence to Soviet Russia in 1940.  The following year the Nazis took over until 1944, following which Soviet Russia again occupied the nation. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, Lithuania regained its freedom.

Lessons from the past

Pope Francis remarked that it has been a century marked by numerous trials and sufferings: “detentions, deportations, even martyrdom.”  Celebrating the hundredth anniversary of independence, he said, “means taking time to stop and revive the memory of all those experiences,” in order to be in touch with everything that forged you as a nation, and find the key to assessing present challenges and looking to the future in a spirit of dialogue and unity with all those who dwell here, careful to ensure that no one remains excluded.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/popes-address-to-authorities-in-lithuania/
‘It’s a Source of Joy & Hope to Begin This Pilgrimage to the Baltic Countries in Lithuania,’ Says Pope 
Pope Addresses Authorities, Members of Civil Society and Diplomatic Corps in Lithuania
September 22, 2018 15:01

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018
Photo Gallery at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-09/apostolic-journey-lithuania-shrine-mary.html

Pope in Lithuania: Charity is the key to heaven
22 September 2018, 12:18

Pope Francis at the Shrine of the Mother of Mercy in Vilnius, Lithuania on September 22, 2018.   (Vatican Media)
Pope Francis visits the Shrine of the Mother of Mercy, 25 years after Pope Saint John Paul II, and reminds us that closing our hearts to others deprives us of Jesus, who is impressed on every human heart.
By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis began by recalling the history of the shrine. He focused on the invading forces of 1799. They destroyed the wall in which the shrine stood, leaving intact one single gate: the one that “sheltered the image of the Virgin Mary ‘Mother of Mercy’”.

Pope Francis said that from then on, Mary has worked to teach us that we can “defend without attacking” and that we can “keep safe without the unhealthy need to distrust others”.

The value of fraternity

The Pope said that the image of Jesus is imprinted on every human heart, making it possible for us to encounter God. When we build walls and close our hearts out of fear of others, “we end up depriving ourselves of the Good News of Jesus”.

This is what we did in the past, he said: We “built all too many fortresses”. Today, Pope Francis said that we “feel the need” to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters and experience “with joy and peace the value of fraternity”.
 
Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-09/apostolic-journey-cathedral-vilnius.html
Pope Lithuania: Vilnius and its Cathedral
22 September 2018, 17:23

The Cathedral in Vilnius  (AFP or licensors)

Photo Gallery at the link
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-09/apostolic-journey-lithuania-youth.html
Pope to youth: Be part of Jesus’ revolution of tenderness
22 September 2018, 11:42

Pope Francis encounters young people in Vilnius, telling them to never give up when faced with difficulties and to be part of Jesus’ revolution of tenderness.
By Lydia O’Kane

“Your lives are not a piece of theatre; they are real and concrete”. Those were the words of Pope Francis on Saturday to young people gathered in Cathedral Square in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. He explained to them that, “if life were a piece theatre or a video game, it would be limited to a precise time, and have a beginning and an end, when the curtain falls or one team wins the game.” But, the Pope added, “life measures time differently; it follows God’s heartbeat.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-encourages-lithuanian-youth/
Pope Francis Encourages Lithuanian Youth 
September 22, 2018 20:06

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/did-pope-francis-really-call-himself-the-devil-27450

Did Pope Francis call himself 'the devil?'

Vilnius, Lithuania, Sep 22, 2018 / 02:36 pm (CNA).- Traveling Saturday to Lithuania, Pope Francis joked that, in the eyes of some, Pope St. John Paul II is considered a saint while he himself is considered “a devil.”

The pope’s joke came amidst a Sept. 22 conversation with journalists, the Associated Press reported, during which he was presented a book about Pope St. John Paul II, written by long-time papal photographer Grzegorz Galazka.

Francis joked as he examined the book, reportedly telling reporters “[John Paul II] was a saint, I am a devil.”

“No, you are both saints!” Galazka responded.
 

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In other news...

Video and related articles at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2018-09/china-holy-see-agreement-appointment-bishops.html#.W6Yf8DekvIE.twitter

Provisional Agreement between Holy See and China
22 September 2018, 12:00

A Catholic Church in China
Today in Beijing, a Provisional Agreement on the appointment of Bishops was signed by the Holy See and the People's Republic of China, in the hope that it will contribute positively to the life of the Church in China, the good of the Chinese people and peace in the world.

Communiqué
 concerning the signing of a Provisional Agreement
 between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China
 on the appointment of Bishops

Today, 22nd September 2018, within the framework of the contacts between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China that have been underway for some time in order to discuss Church matters of common interest and to promote further understanding, a meeting was held in Beijing between Msgr Antoine Camilleri, Undersecretary for the Holy See’s Relations with States, and H.E. Mr Wang Chao, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, respectively heads of the Vatican and Chinese delegations.

During that meeting, the two representatives signed a Provisional Agreement on the appointment of Bishops.

The above-mentioned Provisional Agreement, which is the fruit of a gradual and reciprocal rapprochement, has been agreed following a long process of careful negotiation and foresees the possibility of periodic reviews of its application. It concerns the nomination of Bishops, a question of great importance for the life of the Church, and creates the conditions for greater collaboration at the bilateral level.
 

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2018/09/04/vatican-issues-updated-papal-schedule-for-baltics-trip-sept-22-25/

Vatican issues updated papal schedule for Baltics trip Sept. 22-25
Cindy Wooden   Sep 4, 2018
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
 
Here is the updated scheduled released by the Vatican. Times listed are local, with Eastern Daylight Time in parentheses.
 
Sunday, Sept. 23 (Vilnius, Kaunas, Vilnius)

- 8:15 a.m. (1:15 a.m.) Transfer from Vilnius to Kaunas by car.

- 10 a.m. (3 a.m.) Mass at Kaunas’ Santakos park. Homily by pope.

- Noon. (5 a.m.) Angelus prayer at Santakos park. Remarks by pope.

- 12:35 p.m. (5:35 a.m.) Lunch with the bishops at the curial house.

- 3 p.m. (8 a.m.) Meeting with priests, men and women religious and seminarians in the Kaunas cathedral. Speech by pope.

- 4 p.m. (9 a.m.) Transfer by car to Vilnius with a stop for prayer at the monument to the victims of the Vilnius Ghetto.

- 5:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m.) Visit and prayer at the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights. Prayer by pope.
 

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018
Photo Gallery at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-09/apostolic-journey-lithuania-kaunas-mass-homily.html#.W6dqChqdK4I.twitter
Pope Francis at Mass: ‘by welcoming little ones we welcome Jesus'
23 September 2018, 09:35

Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Kaunas, Lithuania  (Vatican Media)
Reflecting on the Gospel for the XXV Sunday of Ordinary time, Pope Francis says during his homily at Mass in Santakos Park in Kaunas, Lithuania, that we too welcome Jesus when we welcome the little ones.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

Pope Francis began the second day of his 25th Apostolic Journey to the Baltic States by celebrating Mass in Sàntakos Park, in Kaunas, Lithuania. His homily was inspired by the Gospel of the day from the liturgy of the XXV Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mk 9:30-37).
 
Full Text of Pope’s Homily --
https://zenit.org/articles/whom-would-jesus-place-in-our-midst-today-here-on-this-sunday-morning/

Full Text of Pope's Angelus Address --
https://zenit.org/articles/popes-angelus-address-in-kaunas-lithuania/
Pope’s Angelus Address in Kaunas, Lithuania 
‘Here in Lithuania, you have a hill of crosses, where thousands of people, over the centuries, have planted the sign of the cross. I ask you, as we now pray the Angelus, to beg Mary to help us all to plant our own cross…’
September 23, 2018 11:03

Video of the mass and Angelus at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-09/apostolic-journey-lithuania-meeting-priests-religious.html

Pope to Priests and Religious: Persevere, be merciful and hope
23 September 2018, 16:09

Pope Francis during his encounter with Priests, Religious, Seminarians and Consecrated Men and Women  (Vatican Media)
Pope Francis, during an encounter with Priests and Religious in Kaunas Cathedral, tells them they are children of Martyrs. He also urges them to be merciful and to hold fast to Jesus amid tribulation.
By Lydia O’Kane

Tribulation and Christian hope

The Pope, seated in front of the Priests, Religious, Consecrated Men and Women, and Seminarians in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Kaunas on Sunday, chose at the beginning, to go off script to tell them that they were children of Martyrs. He was referring to Lithuania’s past which saw the older generation endure violence and suffering for the defence of their civil and religious freedom. To the older priests and religious present, he said, “you have much to tell us and teach us”. It is tribulation, Pope Francis explained, “that brings out what is distinctive about Christian hope. Never forget the past, he stressed, “it is your strength.”

Hearts are fulfilled by God alone

Returning to his prepared address, Pope Francis drew inspiration from the theme of this visit to Lithuania which is “Jesus Christ, our hope”. The Pope also looked to a key figure in the Church, that of St Paul, telling those gathered that he “invites us to hope with perseverance”. This Saint, the Pontiff remarked, “repeats three times the word “groan”, which “comes from an enslavement of corruption, from a yearning for fulfilment.” The Pontiff commented, “we would do well to ask if we ourselves groan inwardly, or whether our hearts are still, no longer yearning for the living God.” He went on to say, “that perhaps our “prosperous society” keeps us sated, surrounded by services and material objects; we end up “stuffed” with everything and filled by nothing.” “As men and women of special consecration, he added, “we can never afford to lose that inward groaning, that restlessness of heart that finds its rest in the Lord alone.”
 
Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-09/apostolic-journey-lithuania-museum-occupations-freedom.html

Pope to end Lithuania visit at KGB Museum
23 September 2018, 12:34

External wall of the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in Vilnius
Pope Francis on Sunday wraps up the first leg of his visit to Baltic Nations paying tribute to the victims of the bloody repression perpetrated by the Soviet regime in Lithuania.
By Linda Bordoni

The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, with which Pope Francis ends is two-day apostolic visit to Lithuania is housed in the former headquarters of the KGB:  a stark reminder never to forget the mistakes and the atrocities of the past.

The Museum’s bloody history began when this former gymnasium became the headquarters of the Gestapo during the Nazi occupation of Lithuania in 1941. It was then re-occupied by the Soviet Secret Police – the KGB – when the Nazis left in 1944. The KGB stayed until 1991 when Lithuania became independent from the Soviet Union.

The museum is divided into two parts – the upper two floors document the Lithuanian partisans’ resistance against the Soviet occupiers, the deportations of Lithuanians to Siberia and day-to-day life in the Lithuanian Socialist Soviet Republic. The other parts of the museum are the prison cells, and execution and torture chambers in the basement.

The cells are exactly how the KGB officers left them upon leaving Lithuania in 1991.
 

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018
Photo Gallery at the link

https://zenit.org/articles/vilnius-feature-freedom-came-at-a-cost-inside-the-museum-of-occupation-and-freedom-fights-2/

VILNIUS FEATURE: Freedom Came at a Cost, Inside the Museum of Occupation and Freedom Fights 
‘The Jerusalem of the North’, Cathedral Was Concert Hall, Church Was a Museum of Atheism
September 23, 2018 18:05

Copyright: Vatican Media
If it were like most other buildings in central Vilnius, it would be renovated or perfected from top to bottom. The intent of the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, on the other hand, is exactly the opposite, to preserve the falling-apart walls, uneven floors, dark basements and the stuffy air. The reason for this is that the history of this building, the museum’s headquarters, speaks better than any book about the most precious good for Lithuania today: freedom.

It’s interesting to learn that both the Nazi Gestapo and the Soviet KGB chose this place as their headquarters, when they occupied Lithuania with an iron fist. The museum brings visitors through the history, starting with resistance, then to the invasions, first German, then Russian, when the fate of the Second World War turned against Hitler.

Lithuania thus becomes a republic of the Soviet Union, until the long-awaited collapse of Communism throughout Eastern Europe. Repression of political dissent was ruthless, made up of limitations of all sorts to personal freedom, arrest, interrogation, detention, torture and death.

The basement was used as a prison. There were cells with even 20 people piled on the bare floor; tanks filled with icy water where they would throw prisoners. The isolation cell was a windowless hole. Other cells are in the courtyard, places where some could be allowed to breathe a little, but not more than an hour a day. The prison regime improved only a little in the mid-1960s, with the death of Stalin. The repression, in the name of state atheism, did not spare the Church.

Cardinal Audrys Juozas Backis, Archbishop Emeritus of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, says: “Let us think that there were only nine churches left open, the cathedral was a concert hall … the church of San Casimiro was a museum…a museum of atheism!

“John Paul II said,” he continued, “that what happened in our countries is an anthropological catastrophe that has touched the conscience of the people. The grandparents are those who have transmitted something… religion was like a piece of an ancient museum, which had not lived.”

And so many bishops and priests entered here, being indicted for anti-Soviet propaganda. Those who left generally went toward the Siberian gulag, because the alternative was a hasty bullet in the head, in the so-called execution chamber.

The tragic final balance for all Lithuania is drawn on a panel in front of the entrance: 50,000 dead on the conscience of Communist Russia, and even more those killed by the Germans: about 240,000, mostly Jews, who made Vilnius the famous “Jerusalem of the North.” Today, there are only 5,000 left throughout the country.
 

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-09/apostolic-journey-lithuania-prayer-museum-occupation-freedom.html

Pope remembers Lithuanian freedom fighters and victims of occupations
23 September 2018, 13:11

Pope Francis visits the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in Vilnius  (Vatican Media)
Visiting the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in Vilnius on September 23, Pope Francis offered a prayer remembering all those who defied domination by others.

Pope Francis on Sunday ended his two-day apostolic visit to Lithuania with a visit to the KGB Museum in Vilnius where he decried the suffering brought about by complete domination and unrestrained ambition during three occupations.

Following the collapse of the Russian and Prussian monarchies at the end of the World War I, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia declared their independence in 1918. However in 1940, Soviet Russia's red army occupied the Baltic nations declaring them Soviet republics. The following year, the Nazis took over until 1944, following which Soviet Russia again occupied the nations. With the final collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, the three nations won back their freedom. This year, the Baltic nations are marking the centenary of the declaration of their independence.

As Pope Francis prayed before the walls “that recall the sufferings endured” by so many Lithuanians, he asked the Lord to uphold Lithuania so it may become a “beacon of hope”, a “land of memory and action, constantly committed to fighting all forms of injustice.”

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46)

Your cry, Lord, continues to resound.  It echoes within these walls that recall of the sufferings endured by so many sons and daughters of this people.  Lithuanians and those from other nations paid in their own flesh the price of the thirst for absolute power on the part of those who sought complete domination.
 

Video:  Pope Francis' visit to the Monument to Victims of the Ghetto and the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights 
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2018/09/04/vatican-issues-updated-papal-schedule-for-baltics-trip-sept-22-25/

Vatican issues updated papal schedule for Baltics trip Sept. 22-25
Cindy Wooden   Sep 4, 2018
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
 
Here is the updated scheduled released by the Vatican. Times listed are local, with Eastern Daylight Time in parentheses
 
Monday, Sept. 24 (Vilnius, Riga, Vilnius)

- 7:20 a.m. (12:20 a.m.) Departure by airplane from Vilnius’ international airport to the international airport of Riga, Latvia.

- 8:20 a.m. (1:20 a.m.) Arrival at the international airport of Riga, Latvia. Official welcome.

- 8:50 a.m. (1:50 a.m.) Welcoming ceremony in the courtyard of the presidential palace.

- 9:05 a.m. (2:05 a.m.) Courtesy visit with the president in the presidential palace.

- 9:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m.) Meeting with government authorities, local leaders and representatives of the diplomatic corps at the presidential palace. Speech by pope.

- 10:10 a.m. (3:10 a.m.) Ceremony and placement of flowers at the Freedom Monument.

- 10:40 a.m. (3:40 a.m.) Ecumenical prayer in Riga’s Lutheran cathedral. Speech by pope.

- 11:50 a.m. (4:50 a.m.) Visit to the Catholic Cathedral of St. James. Greeting by pope.

- 12:30 p.m. (5:30 a.m.) Lunch with the bishops at the archdiocesan house of the Holy Family.

- 2:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m.) Transfer by helicopter from Riga’s harbor helipad to the Shrine of Mary, Mother of God in Aglona.

- 4:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m.) Mass outside the shrine. Homily by pope.

- 6:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m.) Farewell ceremony at the heliport of Aglona.

- 6:45 p.m. (11:45 a.m.) Transfer by helicopter to the international airport of Vilnius.
 

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-09/apostolic-journey-latvia-meeting-authorites.html#.W6iv338P0u4.twitter

Pope: Motherhood of Latvia helps families and looks to future
24 September 2018, 10:03

Pope Francis meets with Latvia’s state and civil authorities, and members of the diplomatic Corps at the Presidential Palace in Riga.  (AFP or licensors)
Pope Francis meets with Latvia’s state and civil authorities, and members of the diplomatic Corps at the Presidential Palace in Riga.
By Lydia O’Kane

In his words to Authorities, Civil Society and the Diplomatic Corps gathered at the Presidential Palace in Riga on Monday morning, the Pope began by recalling Latvia’s turbulent past and its vibrant present.

Latvia past and present

He said that both the entire country and its capital Riga, had “known difficult social, political, economic and spiritual struggles,” which he noted were, “the fruit of past divisions and conflicts, yet today, he added, Latvia was now “one of the principal cultural, political and shipping centres of the region.”“Latvia…, has turned its sorrows and pain into singing and dancing, he said, and has sought to become a place of dialogue and encounter, of a coexistence that is peaceful and looks to the future.”
 
https://zenit.org/articles/open-a-door-to-the-future-by-looking-to-everything-that-stands-at-service-of-life-suggests-pope-in-latvia/
‘Open a Door to the Future by Looking to Everything That Stands at Service of Life’ Suggests Pope in Latvia 
Pope Addresses Authorities, Members of Civil Society and Diplomatic Corps in Latvia
September 24, 2018 11:17

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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Pope Francis’s trip to the Baltics, September 22-25, 2018
Photo Gallery at the link

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-09/apostolic-journey-latvia-visit-freedom-monument.html

Pope Francis: Visit to the Freedom Monument in Riga, Latvia
24 September 2018, 10:19

After meeting with Latvia's state and civil authorities, and members of the diplomatic corps, Pope Francis visits the Freedom Monument in Riga, in the company of Latvian President Raimonds Vējonis.

Latvia’s Freedom Monument rises more than 42 meters in a piazza in the centre of Riga, the nation’s capital. The monument honours those killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918-1920).

During his brief visit, Pope Francis laid a wreath of flowers at the base of the Monument.

Designed by Latvian sculptor Kārlis Zāle, the Freedom Monument features a 19-meter obelisk of travertine marble, surmounted by a copper figure of “Liberty,” bearing aloft three stars representing the Latvian regions of Vidzeme, Latgale, and Courland. At the foot of the structure are sculptures dedicated to Latvian riflemen, Workers, Singers, Families, Scholars, and Guards of the Fatherland.

On the base of the Freedom Monument is a dedication by Latvian poet Kārlis Skalbe: “For Fatherland and Freedom.”

Despite its symbolic and patriotic value, the Monument was not destroyed by the Communist regime during the Soviet era. 

Video at the link below--
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican