Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path | Ps 119, 105
May the Holy Family help you to receive the Word of God and be led by it, so that travelling through the darkness in this world you would be led by the light of Christ and His peace.
Wishing you a joyful Christmas and a New Year filled with hope!
+Gintaras Grušas
Archbishop of Vilnius
+Arūnas Poniškaitis
Auxiliary Bishop
+Darius Trijonis
Auxiliary Bishop
Christmas 2023
Commemoration of the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Pastoral Visit of Pope John Paul II to Lithuania Vilnius 9 December 2023 ST. JOHN PAUL II AND THE RENOVATION OF CATHOLICISM by George Weigel Thank you for inviting me to join you in marking the thirtieth anniversary of Pope St. John Paul … Daugiau
We gather today on the 400th anniversary of St. Josaphat‘s birth into heaven. His life on earth touched many nations of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth, including the peoples of Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland and Belarus. His life began in Volodymyr, he entered the monastery in Vilnius, where his faith life was formed. … Daugiau
Homily
Feast of St. Luke – Synod 2023
Archbishop Gintaras Grušas
In God’s providence, we celebrate the Feast of St. Luke during the synod. His life and work demonstrate for us a synodal mentality. He shows us what we need to remember during our work. First of all, faithfulness and fortitude. Luke is faithful, as we heard in the first reading when Paul states “only Luke remains with me“. We too are called to remain faithful in our commitment to walk together in the life of the Church and through the difficulties of the journey, even when it is not clear where God is leading us in the short term.
St. Luke is the Marian evangelist par excellence, keeping the Mother of God before our eyes and her Magnificat praising the work of the Lord on our lips daily in the liturgy of the hours. Luke often highlights the important role of women in the life of the Church and in announcing the Good News – not only Mary, but the Samaritan woman at the well who announced the Messiah, Mary Magdelene, the first to announce the message of the Resurrection, as well as the various women throughout the Acts of the Apostles who assisted the growth of the early Church. Luke is also the one who describes, best of all, the traits of Jesus’ heart, who reveals to us the immensity of God’s divine mercy. He shows us how God always takes the first step towards the sinner as in the parable of the prodigal son (Lk 15); the compassion shown in the encounter with the widow of Nain (Lk 7); the tenderness and forgiveness to the sinner at the home of Simon the Pharisee (Lk 7), the love of neighbor in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10); salvation for the lost in the encounter with Zacchaeus (Lk 19).
In both his Gospel and in Acts, he shows clearly show that the Holy Spirit is the protagonist in the life and growth of the Church, as He must be in leading our synodal process. If Luke were documenting the synod, thanks be to God, he would find many of the themes that he favored at the forefront of our own deliberations in these days.
In today’s Gospel Jesus sends the 72 disciples out ahead of him to the places that he will visit. His first instruction is for them is to pray for more laborers for the harvest, for more who will announce the Good News that the Kingdom of God has come near to you. “The harvest is plenty, but laborers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the field.” In the announcement of the kingdom, the equality of all the baptized comes to the forefront – all are called to this, not just ordained ministers. However, it is important that all the baptized hear this call, this vocation and respond to it, committing their lives, words and actions to Jesus’ mission. For this we must continue to pray.
Jesus then teaches them: “Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household’. ” These laborers are carriers of God’s peace, to a world in great need of peace. Not the peace as the world gives, but shalom, the peace that comes from God’s inner life. Every baptized person, having received God’s salvific grace, must be an active channel of this peace.
He further tells them, “If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.” The term in Greek is literally “a son of peace” – a person open to and living in God’s peace. His peace, like his mercy is offered to all, but Jesus knows that not all will be willing to receive it. To receive mercy, one must first ask for God’s mercy. Inner peace (shalom) is the sign of receiving and being received into God’s mercy – the Risen Lord offers this peace to his apostles when appearing to them in the upper room when he repeats “Peace be with you” (Jn 20:19,21). Not all to whom the message of the Kingdom is preached will be open to receive it – man has the freedom to accept God’s Good News or not. The Church is open to all, but as with God’s peace it is given on God’s terms, not man’s.
As we continue to talk about what processes, structures and institutions are needed in a missionary synodal Church, we need to make sure that these do in fact assist the mission of bringing the Good News to those who are in need of salvation. Synodality (including its structures and meetings) must be at the service of the Church’s mission of evangelization and not become an end in itself, just as the Word of God that St Luke assisted in passing on to us, has been provided as an instrument for our own salvation.
St. Luke, pray for us, as we continue on the synodal journey.
Your Holiness,
Speaker of the Seimas,
Prime Minister,
Eminences and Excellencies,
Members of the European parliament and of the Seimas,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear friends,
It is an honor to participate at this august conference discussing the reaction of religions in society to conflict and the scourge of war. I thank the government officials and the members of the European Parliament who have organized this conference and I especially thank His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew who, with his presence, gives even more importance and value to this discussion.
Since February 24, 2022, when Russia’s large-scale aggression against Ukraine began, we have found ourselves here in the heart of Europe coming to terms with the need to deal with an entirely new situation.
As Christians, we know peace is not simply the absence of war, but requires a respect and lived communion with each of our neighbors. The only way forward is through forgiveness and reconciliation and that only love creates true peace.
But the atrocities that we witness challenge us each day. There are eight million people who have moved as internally displaced persons, many of them have crossed Ukraine’s borders seeking refuge abroad. The number of children who have been separated from their families and taken far away cannot yet be calculated, while the growing number of orphaned children, as well as deaths of innocent children continue to break our hearts. We are weighed down by the images of massive destruction and the death tolls that the war has brought.
What we face today is a new kind of war. Although we have long dreaded the nuclear threat, in some ways the weapons of this war are no less horrific. We are faced with a “hybrid war,” – a war waged not only with traditional military weapons, but joined by an informational war and then an economic war, as well as acts of terrorism. One thing it is not, nor can it ever be, is a religious war.
We are particularly concerned that the narrative of war has been colored by religious connotations. The bellicose homilies of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow have left us appalled. At the same time, we are comforted by the stance of so many men of peace.
As early as March 13, 2022, less than a month after the start of the conflict, Pope Francis stated after the Angelus prayer, “God is only the God of peace, he is not the God of war, and those who support violence profane his name. Now let us pray in silence for those who suffer, and that God may convert hearts to a steadfast will for peace”. We know from the statements of the Moscow Patriarchate and those of sister churches who cannot recognize themselves in accepting and even blessing the war, that the war in Ukraine is also a cause of ecumenical division.
Two years ago the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople published the document entitled For the Life of the World. Toward a social ethos of the Orthodox Church. This is the first compendium of social doctrine written for the Orthodox world. In that text, we read that “while unequivocally condemning violence of any kind, it nevertheless recognizes the tragic necessity of individuals or communities or states, using force to defend themselves and others from the immediate threat of violence,” but without systematically defining the concept of a “just war.”
In the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, we read that “a war of aggression is intrinsically immoral. In the tragic case where such a war breaks out, leaders of the State that has been attacked have the right and the duty to organize defense even using force of arms.” This use of force, to be lawful, must meet precise characteristics, starting with the fact that “all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective. (n. 500)”
In the face of the war of aggression taking place in Ukraine, what comes to mind, reading these passages, is that one can work toward a social doctrine that integrates the Orthodox approach and the Catholic approach, thus giving an even firmer basis to this practical unity that we are experiencing in the course of this war.
Reflecting on the war in Ukraine, we cannot fail to notice that with the work of the Pan-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, a true ecumenism of charity has been set in motion, because everything, even divisions, become secondary in a war, and our task as men and women of faith is to make the exceptional unity that is realized in a time of crisis a long-lasting brotherly cooperation that moves us forward on the ecumenical path.
These are signs to be read. Today more than ever, Christian unity is a fundamental goal in order to ensure true unity of Europeans. Christian unity, indeed, could make it possible to overcome, through forgiveness, the wounds of history that are ever present in our battered lands, and especially in those, such as Ukraine, which historically have been lands that have bridged East and West.
If Christians were united, there could be no proclamations of just wars, but there would only be the justice of peace. If Christians were united, Europe itself would be more cohesive, rooted in those Christian values that the world wants to deny, but which are present and alive in every European nation.
Therefore, alongside the efforts of understanding and study needed in the ecumenical journey, alongside the ecumenism of charity, we must embody the Christian calling that is able to overcome any narrative of war: that we are all brothers and sisters, Fratelli tutti.
Our ecumenical efforts, our mutual understanding, our questions about how to be Christian in times of war, and modern warfare, are meaningless if we do not start from the main source from which we all drink, which is our common faith in Jesus Christ.
In Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life, differences are healed. It is in the spreading of his word that we find the strength to reconcile even with our enemies, and to build, amidst a thousand difficulties, a more just world.
And if there is one perspective that Christian denominations must take in times of war it is precisely to put Christ back at the center of their preaching. In Jesus we understand the profound dignity of the human being, and with Jesus we know that no war can be the solution – what we need is conversion of hearts and reconciliation. But for this to come about, we must continue to pray – to pray and to work for the miracle of peace.
Thank you!
+Gintaras Grušas
The Divine Mercy Summit 2022 begins with Mass from the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Vilnius on Sunday, October 2, and concludes the same way on the Feast Day of Saint Faustina, October 5, 2022.
Hosted by the Original Divine Mercy Institute, the summit will be broadcast LIVE from Vilnius, the First City of Mercy, featuring speakers, theologians, artists, musicians, historians, and experts from around the world. Also, join special guests, The Sisters of Merciful Jesus, and The Brothers of Merciful Jesus – the thriving religious orders Jesus asked for in His apparitions to Saint Faustina. List of speakers here.
This year’s theme is “The Art & Work of Mercy” – a prayerful exploration of what it means to receive, share, and cooperate with Divine Mercy in the world. Read more about this year’s theme.
Registration and the Summit is free.
On 14 September, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, following the invite of H. E. Msgr. Gintaras Grušas, Archbishop of Vilnius and CCEE President, a day of prayer will be celebrated to invoke peace for Ukraine.
Eucharistic Adoration is the common form of prayer chosen for this initiative: in all of the European Bishops’ Conferences liturgical aids and prayer schedules have been prepared for this appointment. Pastors and faithful, will gather together on their knees in front of the Blessed Sacrament to pray that the Lord will grant peace to Ukraine, taking up the very appeal of Pope Francis who called for each person to “be a builder of peace and to pray that thoughts and plans of concord and reconciliation will spread in the world”.
The European bishops have repeatedly joined their voice to that of the Pope in calling for a halt to arms, an immediate end to the war in Ukraine and efforts towards peace. They have made numerous appeals to the heads of nations and the international community to do everything in their power to end the current war that is destroying lives and causing untold suffering The Lenten initiative, called the ‘Eucharistic chain’, conceived as a sign of the Church’s closeness to the victims of covid and their families, this year also became an opportunity to pray for the victims of the war and invoke peace in Ukraine.
The Bishops’ Conference of the Roman Catholic Rite in Ukraine has declared 2022 the Year of the Holy Cross. In a letter published to mark the beginning of the Year of the Holy Cross, the Ukrainian bishops write: “Starting from February 24, since Russia attacked Ukraine, we are walking a painful road of the cross, on which innocent people suffer, are wounded and killed, there is a lot of evil, a lot of suffering! At this time, we feel more acutely than ever what violence against the innocent is, what the crucifixion of the innocent is. Now more than ever we understand Jesus Christ on His Way of the Cross, we understand His suffering and death as an innocent Lamb who was crucified by people who gave themselves to the service of evil”. The Year of the Holy Cross will end with a solemn Holy Liturgy and Way of the Cross with the participation of all Roman Catholic bishops of Ukraine on 14 September 2022, during the European Day of Prayer for Ukraine, at the Shrine of the Lord’s Passion in Sharhorod.
By Francesca Merlo, Vatican News
Lithuanian Archbishop Gintaras Grušas, President of the Council of European Bishop’s Conferences, describes the Bishops response to the military activity in Ukraine, as well as the positive response from the people of Lithuania who prepare to welcome thousands of refugees.
Archbishop Gintaras Grušas, President of the Council of European Bishop’s Conferences describes how “disheartened” he and his fellow bishops were when they heard of the beginning of the military actions in Ukraine. We are “joining in prayers for the people of Ukraine, for the Church in Urkaine, and we are calling for the cessation of military action”, he says.
Prayers for peace
Speaking to Vatican News’ Antonella Palermo, Archbishop Grušas of the Lithuanian Capital, Vilnius, stresses that the Bishops, and the people of Lithuania, are joining the Holy Father “in the call to prayer and fasting”, and are asking all Catholics, Christians, and people of good will to join, too, in this prayer for peace. The Holy Father has called for Wednesday 2 March to be a day of prayer and fasting for Ukraine who has been under military attack from Russia since Thursday.
The Presidency of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, giving voice to the Bishops of the European Continent in this dramatic moment of tension around Ukraine, wishes to express its closeness to the Churches in Ukraine and to all its people. They invite the international community to offer its support to the country in the face of the danger of a Russian military offensive.
While the entire international community interprets the actions of the Russian military forces as a real threat to peace throughout the world, we embrace – in this time of fear and uncertainty for the future of the country – our brothers and sisters in the faith and all the people of Ukraine.
We have heard the voice of the Holy Father Francis, who has repeatedly expressed his paternal closeness to the “beloved Ukraine”, urging the powerful in the world to resolve the crisis through “serious dialogue and not with arms” (Angelus of 12.12.2021). Moreover, in his recent Address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, he stressed that “Reciprocal trust and readiness to engage in calm discussion should also inspire all parties at stake, so that acceptable and lasting solutions can be found in Ukraine…” (Audience with the Diplomatic Corps on 10.01.2022).
We also, as shepherds of the European Continent, want to appeal to the Leaders of the Nations so that they do not forget the tragic World Wars of the last century and so that international law as well as the independence and territorial sovereignty of each country will be defended. Together with the Holy Father, we want to call on Governments to find“acceptable and lasting solutions” in Ukraine based on dialogue and negotiation and without resorting to arms.
At this extremely delicate time, we ask Christians to pray for the gift of peace in Ukraine so that those responsible may be filled with, and radiate, a peace that is “contagious” and that the crisis will be overcome exclusively through dialogue.
H.E. Msgr. Gintaras Grušas
Archbishop of Vilnius and CCEE President
www.ccee.eu
The Presidency of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, giving voice to the Bishops of the European Continent in this dramatic moment of tension around Ukraine, wishes to express its closeness to the Churches in Ukraine and to all its people. They invite the international community to offer its support to the country in the face of the danger of a Russian military offensive.
While the entire international community interprets the actions of the Russian military forces as a real threat to peace throughout the world, we embrace – in this time of fear and uncertainty for the future of the country – our brothers and sisters in the faith and all the people of Ukraine.
We have heard the voice of the Holy Father Francis, who has repeatedly expressed his paternal closeness to the “beloved Ukraine”, urging the powerful in the world to resolve the crisis through “serious dialogue and not with arms” (Angelus of 12.12.2021). Moreover, in his recent Address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, he stressed that “Reciprocal trust and readiness to engage in calm discussion should also inspire all parties at stake, so that acceptable and lasting solutions can be found in Ukraine…” (Audience with the Diplomatic Corps on 10.01.2022).
We also, as shepherds of the European Continent, want to appeal to the Leaders of the Nations so that they do not forget the tragic World Wars of the last century and so that international law as well as the independence and territorial sovereignty of each country will be defended. Together with the Holy Father, we want to call on Governments to find “acceptable and lasting solutions” in Ukraine based on dialogue and negotiation and without resorting to arms.
At this extremely delicate time, we ask Christians to pray for the gift of peace in Ukraine so that those responsible may be filled with, and radiate, a peace that is “contagious” and that the crisis will be overcome exclusively through dialogue.
L’Agenzia S.I.R., Italy. Nov.11, 2021. Interview with Msgr. Grušas (CCEE): “Migrants used as human shields. This is a hybrid attack on border integrity”
“They are not just migrants and refugees. They are persons used instrumentally by a governing regime. Trafficked for political purposes and used as human shields for political gains, and to destabilise the situation at the EU borders. This type of activity is known as a hybrid attack, because it uses non-traditional weapons (trafficking in persons, disinformation and other means) to orchestrate attacks on the integrity of other countries’ borders.” Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius, new president of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, denounced the ongoing crisis at the Belarusian-Polish border, where thousands of migrants are gathered. “It is a new form of human trafficking,” he added, exploited “not for personal financial advantage, but for political gains in an attempt to perpetuate an authoritarian regime.”
Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius, President of the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference, is the new President of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE). He was elected by the Presidents of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe, gathered together in Rome for their Plenary Assembly.
H.E. Monsignor Gintaras Grušas, 60, takes over as president from Italian Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, who led CCEE from 2016 to 2021.
The two new Vice Presidents were also elected: Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg, and H.E. Monsignor Ladislav Német, President of the International Bishops’ Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Belgrade.
At the end of the work, the bishops also approved the final message.
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Authorities,
Dear Monsignor Visvaldas,
Dear Priests and Religious,
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am very pleased to be here in Vilnius for this joyful occasion, the episcopal ordination of Monsignor Visvaldas Kulbokas, whom His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed as Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine and raised to the rank of Archbishop of the titular See of Martana.
On this eve of the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church also celebrates the memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, martyred by the Nazis and celebrated for his outstanding devotion to Our Lady. We are gathered in this Cathedral of Saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus, restored to the faithful in 1988, for an event of great joy for the Church in Lithuania, and in a special way for the Diocese of Telsiai and Monsignor Kulbokas’ native town of Klaipeda.
The ordination of a bishop is always a source of joy for the Church, because through the ministry of the apostles and the bishops, their successors, she can appear as most fully herself, endowed with the means of salvation entrusted to her by the Lord. Through the life of each individual bishop, the apostolic ministry continues uninterrupted throughout the generations, enabling the faithful to partake of the abundance of God’s grace.
The ancient rite of the laying on of hands by the consecrating bishops and the other bishops present vividly expresses the face that they are handing down the powers needed for building up the people of God. Through this gesture, familiar from the pages of the Old and New Testaments, the gift of the Holy Spirit is given to the new bishop for the sake of his own interior growth in holiness and for the fulfilment of his new mission. We see this clearly in the prayer of consecration that follows the imposition of hands: “Pour out now upon this chosen one that power which is from you, the governing Spirit, whom you gave to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the Spirit whom he bestowed upon the holy Apostles, who established the Church in each place as your sanctuary for the glory and unceasing praise of your name”.
The laying on of hands is also form of blessing. We ask God to bless the new bishop so that he can more readily enable all people to come to Jesus. In the passage from Matthew’s Gospel that we just heard, children were brought to Jesus so “that he might lay his hands on them and pray” (Mt 19:14). The Gospel warns us that we must never become obstacles or – God forbid – stumbling blocks. We must never stand in the way of those who, with the simplicity of children, seek to draw near to Jesus, to encounter him, to listen to his words, to experience his companionship and receive his blessing.
These few considerations suffice to make us appreciate the particular responsibility, burden and dignity proper to bishops. Theirs is the task of proclaiming the Gospel in all wisdom and patience, preserving and faithfully handing down the deposit of faith that they themselves have received. They are called to sanctify the faithful, so that, strengthened by the word of God and the Eucharist, the grace of the sacraments and acts of charity, they can attain the goal of our earthly existence, which is eternal life with God and all his saints. They are charged with governing a portion of the people of God, preserving its unity while ensuring that the rich diversity of its gifts and charisms is valued and encouraged.
In addition, a bishop who is an Apostolic Nuncio also receives the specific task of representing the Pope and the Holy See in those Churches, states and international organizations to which he is sent. He is called to work with commitment, perseverance and apostolic zeal in strengthening the communion between the universal Church and the Particular Churches. It is also his responsibility to keep the Holy Father informed of the life, hopes and difficulties of those Churches, and, in turn, to share with them the encouragement and guidance of the Successor of Peter.
The Holy Father now sends you, dear Monsignor Visvaldas, to Ukraine, where for centuries different Catholic ecclesial communities of the Greek-Byzantine and the Latin rites have lived side-by-side, together with great numbers of the Orthodox faithful. Ukraine is a country where rich and diverse cultures coexist, embracing citizens of various ethnic origins; at the same time, it experiences conflicts difficult to fully overcome.
It will be your primary task to make known the Holy Father’s message of peace and reconciliation, and his encouragement that everyone work generously to find a stable ground for mutual understanding. This is essential for the resolution of the bitter conflicts that have caused so much sorrow and destruction of valuable resources, and the dawn of a new season of cooperation and rebirth in the service of the common good, which is the good of each and of all.
Dear Monsignor Visvaldas, these tasks demand a great sense of responsibility. They can only be carried out well if, with confidence in God’s help and with great humility, you open your heart daily to his grace and devote yourself to constant prayer. A prayer that begins with praise and gratitude to the Lord for all his blessings and then intercedes for the aspirations and sufferings, the hardships and hopes of all God’s people.
Only with the strength that comes from prayer will you discern how to respond to pressing priorities and needs, as a faithful pastor in the image of the Good Shepherd. Only through prayer will your life be shaped by the deepest truths of our faith, so that you can come to see yourself, the Church and the world in the radiant light of God’s holy will and his eternal mercy.
During his meeting with Papal Representatives on 13 June 2019, Pope Francis proposed ten commandments concerning the life and identity of Nuncios. The Holy Father insisted that if a Nuncio wants to carry out the mandate he has received, he must always remember that he is a man of God, a man of the Church and a man of the Pope; a man of apostolic zeal and reconciliation, creativity and obedience; a man of prayer, practical charity and deep humility (cf. Address to the Apostolic Nuncios, 13 June 2019).
May these words of the Holy Father be the hallmark of your life and activity as a Papal Representative. May they help you to go about your duties joyfully, as a man of the Church who, conscious of his need for God’s grace, seeks to obtain that grace through holiness of life.
Dear Monsignor Visvaldas, you have been prepared for the mission entrusted to you by your studies and by serving in the Apostolic Nunciatures in Lebanon, the Netherlands and the Russian Federation, in the Second Section of the Secretariat of State, and finally in the Nunciature in Kenya. During these years, you have had the opportunity to confront the many and complex issues faced by the Church and by states. This is a precious store of knowledge and experience, from which you can draw as you strive to carry out your work with wisdom, competence and prudence.
There is one thing that you will surely have learned in these years. It is what Joshua shows us in the first reading. At the end of his life, Joshua recalled the saving works of God that he had personally experienced: the liberation from slavery in Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea and the settlement of Israel in the Promised Land. He clearly recognized the unfolding of the divine plan of salvation for his people.
Now, Joshua wants to hand on to all the people the most important lesson of all, which is to fear the Lord and serve him. He therefore has the assembly repeat its promise always to fear and faithfully serve the God whose eternal love they had experienced at first hand. For in truth, the only response to that utterly gracious gift of love is to persevere in the fear of the Lord, ever conscious of his closeness and striving daily to respond to his love.
Monsignor Visvaldas, you have personally experienced the Lord’s loving kindness and, like Joshua, you know that the only fitting response to that great love is to serve him, with constancy and devotion, in all your brothers and sisters.
Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe learned that lesson well. That is why, filled with apostolic zeal and love for the Blessed Virgin, he bore witness, even to the point of martyrdom, to his faith and his love of God and neighbour.
May the Holy Mary Mother of God, Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe, and Saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus, bless you and accompany you in your mission, so that you may bring to everyone the sweet fragrance of Christ and be a convincing sign of communion and of peace for all.
Amen.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Mass of Episcopal Ordination Of Monsignor Visvaldas Kulbokas Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine
Cathedral of Saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus
Vilnius, 14 August 2021
