The Pope calls for solidarity in the Baltic nations
Pope Francis will carry a message of solidarity to the Baltic nations on a visit starting on Saturday,
This is nearly 30 years after they broke away from the Soviet Union and as they look warily towards a newly aggressive Russia.
The four-day trip is the first by a pope to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia since 1993 and, a quarter of a century on, the countries are members of NATO and the euro zone.
But the past still looms large in a region subject in turn to Soviet and Nazi oppression and where religious persecution left a traumatic legacy.
In Lithuania, where he starts his trip, Francis will visit the Vilnius Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, a former Soviet KGB prison where hundreds were murdered and thousands, including many priests, shipped off to Siberia.
“By visiting the KGB jail, Pope Francis sends a message that he cares about the people who suffered for their faith, for their devotion to the motherland,” said Bishop Sigitas Tamkevicius, 79, imprisoned there in 1983 before spending six years in Soviet labour camps.
Published: by Radio NewsHub