According to a press release circulated by the President's Office, the Lithuanian president wished new spiritual leader of Catholics to seek new paths to the hearts of both the faithful and the secular, as well as strength, wisdom and will in his pastoral work. The world and Lithuania pin their hopes for renewal on the new Pope, reads the communique.
„Today the world which is facing a number of challenges – poverty, military conflicts, economic crisis and the crisis of values – expects that the Church will actively contribute to solving these challenges and to creating a better and more just world,“ the president said.
„The Pope is a moral authority and spiritual leader to more than a billion Catholics around the world. Positive changes and greater attention to simple people are always expected from a new leader,“ Grybauskaite said.
The president congratulated His Holiness on behalf of the Lithuanian people and presented him a unique Lithuanian Palm Sunday flower – tricolor verba of the Vilnius district.
