The Pope congratulates Lithuania on anniversary

VILNIUS- On June 3 while paying a visit to Rome, Lithuania'sMinister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas UÅ¡ackas and his spouse Loreta had anaudience with Pope Benedict XVI.

During the conversation with Minister UÅ¡ackas, Pope Benedict XVIcongratulated Lithuaniaon the millennium anniversary of the first written mention of its name andcalled it a great Catholic country with deeply rooted Christian traditions.

In the Apostolic Palace, Minister UÅ¡ackas met with Secretary of State of HisHoliness the Pope, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's Secretary forRelations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Dean of the SacredCollege of Cardinals, former long-term Cardinal Secretary of State AngeloSodano, who was appointed as the Pope's legate, personal representative at thecelebration of Lithuania's Millennium.

During the meetings, close cooperation of Lithuania and the Holy Seewas highlighted. The two states base their cooperation on values and make jointefforts in protecting human rights and freedoms, especially the freedom ofreligion, in promoting confidence among nations and religions, and in seekingto guarantee the implementation of an international humanitarian law.

The Minister expressed his concern regarding the pastoral care forLithuanians living abroad and shared his personal experience on this matter.According to the head of Lithuania's diplomacy, the decreasing number of oldLithuanian parishes in the world, the lack of Lithuanian priests, materialproblems of pastoral activities present a challenge, which need more thantraditional solutions and a closer cooperation between the Church and theState.

Foreign Minister V.UÅ¡ackas and officials of the Holy See discussed theperspective of close cooperation as Lithuania is preparing for theChairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)in 2011. The cooperation should also concentrate on spreading the values ofpeaceful coexistence of states, tolerance, and freedom of religion, as well ason combating human trafficking.