Lithuania summons Pope's diplomat over remarks on Russian empire heritage

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window at the Vatican, August 27, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/ File Photo

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Majority-Catholic EU member Lithuania has summoned the Vatican's top diplomat in the country after Pope Francis told Russian youths to remember they are the heirs of "the great Russian empire".

In response to the impromptu remarks Francis made on Friday in a live video address to Catholic youths gathered in St. Petersburg, the Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Ministry invited the Apostolic Nuncio for "a talk" after the archbishop returns from holidays, a ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.