President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis emphasised, “The visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Latvia in the focal year of the centenary of the state is a great honour for our country and its people. This year is the reference point for all the work done so far and the opportunity to lay a solid foundation for the future of the next generations at the same time. I am convinced that the visit of Pope Francis will encourage to stand for major universal human values and to fulfil the intentions to build a better, fairer, and more cohesive Latvia.”
During the visit, Pope Francis will meet with President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis, top officials of Latvia, and representatives of the society, as well as he will take part in the flower-laying ceremony at the Monument of Freedom.
During the visit, one plans that the Pope will participate in an ecumenical service at the Dome Church in Riga and will celebrate the Holy Mass in the Aglona Basilica.
The visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Baltic States will take place from 22 to 25 September 2018, during which he will also visit Vilnius and Kaunas in Lithuania and Tallinn in Estonia.
This year marks the 25th anniversary since Pope John Paul II visited Latvia.