The Apostolic Nuncio extended his congratulations to Dalia Grybauskaitė on assuming the important duties of President of Lithuania. “A good president is a blessing to the nation,” Archbishop Bonazzi said.

Among the issues discussed during the meeting was the uneasy economic situation in Lithuania and the role of the church in public life and its assistance to the people.

The Apostolic Nuncio noted that the economic crisis had made more people leave their own land in search of a better life abroad. He pointed out that this tendency brought suffering on both the emigrants and their families. Therefore, he said, such people and and their close ones needed help and assistance.

President Grybauskaitė pointed out that in these times of difficulty the role of the church was very important in overcoming hardships. She thanked Archbishop Bonazzi for the concern of the church to those who were less fortunate and for its humanitarian assistance to all who needed it.

The meeting of President Grybauskaitė with all foreign ambassadors residing in Lithuania scheduled for this coming October was also discussed. The Apostonic Nuncio is the Doyan of the diplomatic corps in Lithuania.

Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi is the fourth apostolic nuncio residing in Vilnius since diplomatic relations were reestablished between the Vatican and Lithuania in 1991 after long years of Soviet occupation.