Pope Francis received the Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, in an audience on November 13.
This was reported by Vatican News.
The Speaker of the Seimas presented the Pope with a facsimile copy of the oldest known image of Saint Josaphat, a lithograph preserved in the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences in Vilnius.
In return, Pope Francis presented Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen with a bronze sculpture and several pontifical documents, including the Apostolic Exhortation "Laudate Deum" on the topic of the climate crisis and the Message for World Peace Day 2023.
While in Rome and the Vatican, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen participated in events commemorating the 400th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Josaphat. She visited an exhibition dedicated to Josaphat Kuntsevych, organized by the Lithuanian Ambassador to the Holy See at the Pontifical Gregorian University. On Sunday, November 12, she attended the Divine Liturgy led by the Head of the UGCC, Sviatoslav, at the Basilica of Saint Peter.
It is worth noting that by the decision of the Lithuanian parliament, the country celebrated the year of Saint Josaphat at the state level.