John Paul II and Pivašiūnai
In 1988, Cardinal Vincentas Sladkevičius asked Pope John Paul II for permission to crown the celebrated image. The pope gladly granted the request, and the painting was solemnly crowned that same year on the feast of the Assumption. Mary’s image was granted the title “Comfort of the Afflicted”, recalling the difficulties faced by the Lithuanian nation and the entire People of God on the road to freedom, and also fostering the hope of reaching the home of our Heavenly Father, where he will wipe away every tear, where death will be no more, and where there will be no more sadness or lamentation or grieving, because the earlier things will have passed away (cf. Apoc. 21:4).
