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WORLD NEWS Saturday 22 September 2018

Russia looms in background as pope travels to Baltics

By NICOLE WINFIELD 1943, when its remaining
LIUDAS DAPKUS residents were executed or
Associated Press sent off to concentration
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope camps by the Nazis.
Francis is heading to the But until Francis' schedule
Baltic countries this week- was changed three weeks
end amid renewed alarm ago, there were no specific
about Russia's intentions in events for him to acknowl-
the region it twice occu- edge the slaughter of some
pied for decades. 90 percent of Lithuania's
Francis' 25th foreign visit 250,000 Jews at the hands
comes a quarter of a cen- of Nazi occupiers and com-
tury after St. John Paul II plicit Lithuanian partisans
made the first papal visit to — a significant oversight for
the former Soviet Union and the leader of the world's 1.2
cheered as Lithuania, Lat- billion Catholics.
via and Estonia emerged At the last minute, the Vati-
from five decades of Sovi- can added in a visit to the
et-imposed religious repres- Ghetto, where Francis will
sion and state-sponsored pray quietly on the day
atheism. when the names of Holo-
Hopes were high back in caust victims are read out
1993 — the last Russian at commemorations across
troops had withdrawn from Pope Francis delivers his speech during his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the the country. Lithuanian and
Lithuania just days before Vatican, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. Italian Jewish communities
John Paul arrived. There is Associated Press had asked Francis to also
no such optimism for Fran- visit the official Paneriai Ho-
cis' Sept. 22-25 visit. "The pope will send a mes- clearly be front and center is majority Catholic, with locaust Memorial, in the for-
The three countries, which sage to the world that the during Francis' visit, his first about 80 percent of its ests 18 kilometers (11 miles)
each have ethnic Russian difficult history has not to the region. population practicing the outside Vilnius, where many
minorities, are sounding been forgotten and that it "He really comes to con- faith. of the capital's Jews were
alarms about Moscow's cannot repeat itself," Lithu- gratulate our countries on Latvia's population of some executed.
military maneuvers in the anian President Dalia Gry- the 100th anniversaries of 2 million is 25 percent Lu- "We wrote many letters and
Baltic Sea area following bauskaite told the Baltic our independence," Kaldo- theran, 19 percent Russian tried many ways, but seems
Russia's 2014 annexation of News Service. ja said. "And he is expected Orthodox and only about that this is not possible," Lith-
Ukraine's Crimean Peninsu- The Baltic countries de- to show profound respect 16 percent Catholic. Es- uania's Jewish community
la and its support of sepa- clared their independence for the struggle we've had tonia, meanwhile, is of- leader, Faina Kukliansky,
ratists fighting the Ukrainian in 1918 but were incorpo- to restore our freedom." ten considered one of the told The Associated Press.
government in eastern rated into the Soviet Union The trip, featuring Francis' world's most non-religious The Vatican spokesman,
Ukraine. in 1940 and remained part fondness for countries on countries. A whopping 76 Greg Burke, acknowl-
Russia will be something of of it until the early 1990s, ex- the periphery, and ecu- percent of Estonians pro- edged the lapse.
the elephant in the sacristy, cept for the 1941-1944 Nazi menical events with Luther- fess no religious beliefs "We realized it would have
however, given how the occupation during World an and Russian Orthodox whatsoever and Catholics been a gap not to do it,
Vatican has been loath to War II. All three joined the faithful will be a welcome number only 6,000. especially on this day," he
openly criticize Moscow European Union and NATO break for the Argentine The trip has already sparked told reporters. But he said
or its powerful Orthodox in 2004 and are strong pope. His credibility has controversy with Lithuania's the prayer in the Ghetto
Church. While seeking to backers of the military alli- taken a blow recently fol- tiny Jewish community, would be a "significant"
avoid offense, Francis will ance, which sees them as lowing missteps on the which was nearly wiped and "important" part of the
likely praise the sacrifices of a bulwark against Russian church's priestly sex abuse out during the Holocaust. pope's Baltic visit. Monika
those who fought for inde- incursions in Eastern Europe. scandal and recent allega- Francis will be visiting the Garbaciauskaite Budriene,
pendence a century ago Evelyn Kaldoja, head of tions that he covered up for Lithuanian capital of Vilnius the director of Lithuania's
during Russia's revolution, the foreign desk at Esto- an American cardinal. on the 75th anniversary of National TV, said the visit
and suffered again during nia's largest newspaper Of the three countries Fran- the final destruction of the to the museum will send a
Soviet rule. Postimees, said history will cis will visit, only Lithuania Vilnius Ghetto, on Sept. 23, message to Moscow.q