Lithuania’s Ambassador to H.See presents Letters of Credence to Pope
(Nov.07,2008): “Lithuania has a long and noble Christian history, reaching back to
the days of St. Casimir and beyond, and the faith of the Lithuanian people has
sustained them through periods of foreign domination and oppression,” Pope Benedict
XVI told Lithuania’s new ambassador to the Holy See on Friday. Accepting the Letters
of credence of Mr.Vytautas Alisauskas, the Pope said “now that the Republic of Lithuania
has regained independence, it can offer a moving testimony to the values, which enabled
its people to survive those difficult years."The Pope observed however, that the
new generation that has grown up in the former Eastern bloc countries, and did not
share in the experience of the totalitarian government, may tend to take it’s political
freedom for granted and thus run the risk of losing true Christian values. Noting
the dangers facing today’s society, the Pope said: "It is important that Lithuania
and the whole of Europe, cultivates the memory of the history that shaped it, in order
to preserve it’s true identity". In this era of globalization, continued the Pope,
it is both a paradox and a tragedy that so many people feel cut off from one another.
He noted that the Church has a vital part to play through its message of hope and
love. Our society needs to rise above the allure of material goods and to focus instead
upon values that truly promote the good of the human person, he said. “The Holy
See values it’s diplomatic links with your country, marked as it is by centuries of
Christian witness”, Pope Benedict told the new ambassador of Lithuania. “Working together,
we can help to forge a Europe, in which, priority is given to the defence of marriage
and family life, to the protection of human life from conception to natural death,
to the promotion of sound ethical practices in medical and scientific research and
solidarity with the poor and needy. These values, the Pope stressed, will strike a
chord in all the people, especially the young, who are seeking answers to the meaning
and purpose of life. Praying that the diplomatic mission of the new ambassador
strengthens further the bonds of friendship that exist between the Holy See and the
Republic of Lithuania, the Pope assured the new ambassador of the support and help
of the various departments of the Holy See .