John Paul II and Bl Jurgis Matulaitis
In 1987, as part of the jubilee events to mark the sixth centenary of Lithuania’s acceptance of Christianity, Pope John Paul II declared Jurgis Matulaitis blessed. During that ceremony, the Holy Father urged believers to “welcome a prophet as a prophet, welcome a holy person as a holy person – that is the catchphrase for this beatification (…) Saints have to be welcomed with heart and with faith, so that they might show us the way.”
