Pope Francis

Lithuania's police forces in Vilnius and Kaunas are holding a major exercise on Wednesday to prepare for the upcoming visit of Pope Francis.

The renovation of the Gate of Dawn Chapel and St. Theresa's Church will start in Vilnius this week, the Archdiocese of Vilnius said on Thursday.

Lithuanian hotels and other accommodation establishments expect additional profit from the upcoming visit of Pope Francis as the flow of tourists usually drops in fall, the Lietuvos Rytas daily writes.

Every euro spent from the state budget on the upcoming visit of Pope Francis will be accounted for to the public, Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis says.

The Lithuanian capitals' new "the G-Spot of Europe" advertising campaign has already received over 900 foreign publications, Inga Romanovskienė, head of the municipal business development and tourism agency, Go Vilnius, says.

Vilnius is on Thursday launching its advertising campaign abroad, introducing the Lithuanian capital as "the G-Spot of Europe".

Lithuanian institutions and the Catholic Church have started coordinating financial issues related to the upcoming visit of Pope Francis, with funds to be spent on stages, protection, decorations.

Over 1,700 people expressed their wish by the middle of July to volunteer during the upcoming papal visit to Lithuania, which is almost double than the organizers need.

Pope Francis' upcoming visit to Lithuania in September will cost the Catholic Church over half a million euros, Vilnius Archdiocese said.

Pope Francis' visit to Lithuania in September will cost the state almost 1.75 million euros, according to a preliminary estimate released by the government on Wednesday.

Pope Francis is interested in the independence centennial and experience of occupation of the Baltic countries, which he is scheduled to visit in September, Jack Valero, a Vatican expert, said in Vilnius on Monday.

An amnesty on the occasion of Lithuania's centenary and the upcoming visit of Pope Francis, proposed by Ramūnas Karbauskis, leader of the ruling Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, is worth discussing, Justice Minister Elvinas Jankevičius says.

Ramūnas Karbauskis, leader of the ruling Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, has proposed announcing an amnesty on the occasion of Lithuania's centenary and the upcoming visit of Pope Francis.

The official program of Pope Francis' upcoming visit to Lithuania has been announced on Thursday.

Vilnius and Kaunas plan to make public transport free during Pope Francis' upcoming visit to Lithuania.

Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Šimašius hopes to make use of Pope Francis' upcoming visit in September to promote the Lithuanian capital and attract more tourists.

Pope Francis will pay a state visit to Lithuania on Sept. 22-23, the Vatican said on Friday.

Pope Francis has been presented with a Lithuanian national flag as a symbolic gift marking the centennial of the modern state of Lithuania, the government said on Friday.

A visit by Pope Francis to Lithuania would help the country to reinforce its society and provide it with a better understanding of its objectives, says Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for relations with states within the Holy See's Secretariat of State, said during a visit in Lithuania.

Here are some of the major events to watch for in Lithuania's politics, culture and society in 2018: