“Welcome to Vilnius, the City of Mercy!”—Archbishop Gintaras Grušas
By Chris Sparks
On the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and the Lithuanian Father’s Day, the 6th World Apostolic Congress on Mercy opened in the city of Vilnius on the Hill of the Savior on June 7, 2026. The current capital city of Lithuania is also where St. Faustina oversaw the painting of the first Divine Mercy Image, where that Image was first publicly displayed and venerated, and where St. Faustina received the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
At the beginning of the Corpus Christi Mass, The American-born Archbishop of Vilnius, the Most Rev. Gintaras Grušas, welcomed pilgrims from more than 50 countries:
Dear Pilgrims, Brothers and Sisters, with great joy I welcome you to Vilnius, the city from which the message of Divine Mercy once again resounded throughout the world. May this time of pilgrimage become not only a physical journey, but also an interior journey into the mystery of the Heart of God.
Mercy is not merely a form of devotion; it is a way of life that transforms the human person and builds a new world. The City of Mercy, into which you are invited to enter, is built not of stone, but of human hearts wherever people choose to forgive, to listen, to accept, and to love. Every prayer, every encounter, every gesture of silence or closeness becomes a living stone from which this city is raised. May these days in Vilnius be for you a time of grace, a time in which God touches the heart, strengthens faith, and inspires a renewed surrender to Him.
May every participant experience that he or she is loved, welcomed, and called to become a witness of mercy. As you depart from this city, take with you not only memories, but also a mission. Be apostles of mercy: proclaim the boundless mercy of God through your lives, words, and your deeds. May your families, communities, and the whole of society become places where the Culture of Mercy may grow and flourish.
I thank you for your faith, openness, and desire to seek God. May Merciful Jesus bless you, and may your journey be filled with peace, joy, and hope!
Archbishop Gintaras Grušas with Fr. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC.
Archbishop Grušas also welcomed by name Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect for the Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World of the Dicastery for Evangelization. WACOM operates under the auspices of the Dicastery.
Dear friends taking part in the Sixth World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, you are presented with a wonderful opportunity not only to reflect on the theme of mercy and to experience once again in your own lives how merciful God is toward each one of you, but also to renew your commitment and dedication to building an ever more credible city.
Our communities are in need of witnesses to mercy. “When your heart is touched, struck by the misery of another—then that is mercy,” wrote Saint Augustine, thus pointing to the most fitting understanding of mercy: a heart that is touched. Here, in a certain sense, the question of mercy is resolved: a heart that takes upon itself misery so that it may be overcome by love. The life of every believer should be lived in the light of this experience.
Mercy possesses a universal longing, for it embraces everyone and excludes no one. More than that, it reaches the point of transforming life so as to make it conformed to itself, and it does not leave the heart at rest until it has become an instrument of mercy. It is here, perhaps, that one rediscovers the closest connection of mercy to its source and inexhaustible wellspring: the Trinitarian love of God. Whoever practices mercy with their own hands experiences concretely the love of God.
I firmly hope that this World Apostolic Congress will bring light and support to all participants, and I pray to the Lord that, once you have returned home, you may be builders of a more welcoming society, capable of a beauty that awakens love, sharing with joy the good you have received.
The Archbishop also welcomed the Apostolic Nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, the Most Rev. Georg Ganswein, former private secretary to Pope Benedict XVI;
Fra’ John Dunlap, prince and sovereign grand master of the Order of Malta, was also in attendance. He’d been welcomed earlier in the day for an official state visit to Lithuania by President Gitanas Nausėda, the president of Lithuania. President Nausėda was also present for the opening of WACOM6.
WACOM participants joined the dignitaries and representatives of the parishes and shrines of the city, holding banners, in a Corpus Christi procession. In the evening, the Congress officially opened. Participants were greeted with traditional Lithuanian dancing, followed by addresses from the dignitaries.
Archbishop Fisichella spoke first, and introduced the Holy Father’s video message to WACOM:
Next was the president of Lithuania, reflecting on the roots of Christianity in Lithuania and welcoming all for the Congress, followed by Fra’ Dunlap. The Order of Malta has been outstanding across the world for centuries for practicing the works of mercy. He reflected on the work of mercy, and its origin in Christ. “Deus lo vult, God wills it: not conquest, as those words were once understood, but this, that mercy should have a home in the world, built by human hands, animated by Divine Love,” he said.
Next, the mayor of the city of Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, spoke, followed by a parade of flags representing each country from which participants had come.
Lastly, Archbishop Grušas took the stage. He spoke of the significance of St. Faustina’s legacy of Divine Mercy and how it finds expression today in the City of Vilnius and around the world. He then officially opened the Congress. The day closed with praise and worship music, followed by testimonies of Divine Mercy from recipients and practitioners of mercy.
