(Before the Rosary)
Venerable Brother Bishops and Priests! Dear Brothers and Sisters!
For many centuries, this Shrine of the Gate of Dawn has daily witnessed many pilgrims bringing their joys and life’s burdens to the Mother of Mercy. Thus, these Gates have become a special place of encounter with the Mother of Christ and the Church, a site of unity for the faithful of the entire region. Christians from Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and other countries gather here so that, in the presence of the Virgin Mary, they may share the same faith, one hope, and true love as brothers and sisters.
In the Vatican, there is a Lithuanian Chapel adorned with the same Icon as here. From there, the Successor of Peter often joins in spirit with the prayer that rises to God from this place. Today, at the beginning of my apostolic journey to the Baltic countries, I rejoice to be here not only in spirit but in body. As the Shepherd of the Universal Church, accompanied by your prayers, I come to place my thanksgiving and petitions into the maternal hands of Mary.
The Pope spoke in Belarusian:
I thank the Mother of God, for I see that the dark clouds, after so many years of suffering and hardship, have moved away from Lithuania and its neighboring lands. They have endured occupation and persecution, times when God was silenced and fundamental human rights were trampled.
The Pope spoke in Polish:
O Holy Virgin, who dost brightly shine In Czestochowa and Ostra Brama’s shrine!
Thou who dost shield Nowogrodek’s castle wall With all its faithful people! …
As Thou didst bring me back to health…
(Adam Mickiewicz, Pan Tadeusz)
To the maternal intercession of the Most Holy Mother, I entrust you, and with you, my hope that in Lithuania and the neighboring lands—starting with the one in which I was born and baptized—there will be a rebirth of unyielding loyalty to the Gospel and a desire to receive Christ: God and man, crucified and risen out of love for humanity, as the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn 14:6).
(After the Rosary)
As I conclude this first day of my apostolic journey to the land of Lithuania and the Baltic states, I wish to most sincerely thank all who have prayed together and meditated upon the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary before the Icon of the Mother of Mercy. It is indeed a great consolation for everyone to be near our good Mother, to meditate upon the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and to reflect upon the Assumption of Mary and the glory bestowed upon Her, in which the Mother of Jesus—His first disciple—rejoices beside her Son.
The Pope spoke in Italian:
I wish to greet our guest Cardinals from various European cities and sees: from Paris and Berlin. I also wish to greet all the bishops who have gathered here for this solemn occasion from Europe, the USA, and the Americas. Furthermore, I wish to greet the representatives of our sister Orthodox Church, together with Archbishop Chrysostom.
The Pope spoke in Polish:
I greet my brother bishops from Ukraine. I greet the Cardinal Primate of Poland and all the bishops who have come for today’s celebrations, as well as all the pilgrims.
Dear brothers and sisters, return to your homes with hearts full of hope that life shall triumph over death, light over darkness, and freedom over captivity. You are accompanied by the love of the Pope, the Successor of Peter—that Peter who, having become a witness to the Resurrection, was entrusted by Christ with the mission to strengthen his brothers in faith (Lk 22:32).
The Pope spoke in Belarusian:
Tell those who could not join us in this evening prayer—your sons, parents, and all those who suffer and hope—that the Pope remembers them here and prays for them. May my Blessing, which I also send to all your loved ones, accompany you. Through the intercession of the Mother of Mercy, may God bring your lives to fruition and open your hearts to His effective Word.