At the beginning of his trip to the Baltic countries, Pope Francis mentioned the 25th anniversary of Saint John Paul II’s visit. Lithuania has a population of around 2.9 million, 79 per cent of whom are Catholic. "Welcoming differences" is the model Lithuania experienced in its past, to be proposed today to the world. Young people "are not only the future but also the present of this nation, if they can remain attached to the roots of the people.”

Mgr Franco Mulakkal experienced chest pain on his way to hospital for medical examinations. For former Caritas India director, “The Church respects the law; it does not avoid it.” The president of the Bishops’ Conference has “full confidence in the judicial system of our country”.

Card Pietro Parolin also appears to have distanced himself from any imminent agreement on episcopal appointments. Mgr Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, praises China, calling it an influential power that respects human dignity and the planet. For him, the critics of the Sino-Vatican agreement are "a little minority", loud “but there are not very many of them.”