Pope to reach out to other Christians during Baltics trip

Pope Francis blesses the crowd as he recites the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter’s Square, at the Vatican on July 1, 2018.  AP

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican says Pope Francis will have two ecumenical meetings during his trip to the Baltics in September.

The Vatican on Thursday released details about the previously announced Sept. 22-25 pilgrimage.

In Lithuania, where Catholics are the majority, the pope will visit a Marian sanctuary. Then after being driven from the capital of Vilnius to Kaunas, Francis will celebrate Mass in a park on Sept. 23.

Many of Latvia’s Christians are Orthodox or Protestants. Francis on Sept. 24 will have an ecumenical encounter in Riga and will also visit the city’s Catholic cathedral.

In Tallinn, Estonia, Francis will young people in a Lutheran church before celebrating Mass in the city’s Freedom Square.

Last month, Francis went to Geneva to further strengthen ties with other Christian churches.