Pope Francis sought to ensure Church kept pace with life – Lithuanian president

VILNIUS – Pope Francis, who passed away this week, paid special attention to Lithuania and sought to ensure the Church kept pace with life, President Gitanas Nausėda said after signing the book of condolences on Thursday. 

"I believe he was a Pope who showed exceptional attention and respect to Lithuania – through his activities, through his 2018 visit, and through Cardinal Makrickas," Nauseda told reporters at the Apostolic Nunciature in Vilnius.

"He genuinely tried to bring the Church in step with life. He sought to question, or perhaps reconsider in a different light, certain Catholic dogmas – the dogmas of the Church. And he truly cared deeply about young people," he added.

According to the president, people will remember Pope Francis as a bright and great thinker.

"Of course, he didn't answer some questions – and perhaps he couldn't. One such question is this: can evil be fought with good? Can evil be stopped by appealing to morality and noble sentiments? Let's leave that question for future generations," he said.

Nausėda, who met the Pope twice, said Francis was someone who could easily lift the spirits of those around him.

"He was a Pope who could effortlessly bring a smile to his conversation partner's face," the president said.

Francis' funeral, which is expected to draw huge crowds, will take place on Saturday in the plaza in front of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. He will be buried in Rome's Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

The Lithuanian government has declared a day of national mourning during the funeral.

Nauseda and First Lady Diana Nausediene will attend the funeral in Italy. No official meetings with foreign dignitaries are planned during the visit.

"There will certainly be informal chances to talk with friends and colleagues during the Mass. But of course, in a moment like this, one wants to pause, reflect, and remember the Pope who has passed into eternity," the president said. 

Nausediene also signed the book of condolences, offering her sympathies to believers around the world.

"First of all, I want to extend my condolences to the faithful around the world and in Lithuania who are mourning Pope Francis. In my memory, he is someone who asked people to pray for him. So let us accompany his earthly journey with prayer and wish for ourselves the ideals and the light that guide us all forward," she said.

Pope Francis, 88, died on Easter Monday from a stroke, less than a month after returning home from five weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia.

The Argentine pontiff stirred both enthusiasm and controversy within the Church due to reforms aimed at opening the doors of the centuries-old institution to modern believers.