Pope John Paul II

Over 100,000 worshipers have gathered on Sunday morning in Lithuania's second-largest city of Kaunas for the Holy Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.

Pope Francis has landed in Lithuania on Saturday at the start of his four-day Baltic tour during which he will show respect to the three nations' independence and pay homage to the victims of the Nazi and Soviet regimes.

Pope Francis will send an important message to the world from Vilnius when he will pay respect to victims of Soviet terror, Kaunas Archbishop Sigitas Tamkevičius says.

A cross marking the site where a church named after Pope John Paul II will be built in the Lithuanian capital's Pašilaičiai neighborhood will be blessed on Tuesday, on the 25th anniversary of the pontiff's visit to the country, Vilnius Archdiocese said.

Pope Francis will pay a state visit to Lithuania on Sept. 22-23, the Vatican said on Friday.

A visit by Pope Francis to Lithuania would help the country to reinforce its society and provide it with a better understanding of its objectives, says Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for relations with states within the Holy See's Secretariat of State, said during a visit in Lithuania.

Lithuania's Parliamentary Speaker Viktoras Pranckietis is meeting with Diana Varnaitė, director of the Cultural Heritage Department, on Wednesday to discuss preparations for the pope's visit.

Pope Francis is likely to focus not only on religious issues, but also on social exclusion and emigration problems during his planned visit to Lithuania next year, the country's former ambassador to the Holy See said on Wednesday.

Lithuanian officials have already discussed preparations for Pope Francis' planned visit in 2018, Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said on Wednesday.

Pope Francis plans to visit Lithuania in the autumn of 2018, the president's office confirmed to BNS on Wednesday.

Lithuania's Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis and Pope Francis on Friday discussed emigration challenges, humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, social compassion to the impoverished and affected, assistance to families and birth rate promotion issues, the government said.

Lithuania's Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis is scheduled to meet with Pope Francis in the Vatican on Friday.