Z Litwy ku Jasnej Górze

ENThe presentation of the panorama of pilgrim migration from Lithuania to Jasna Góra in Częstochowa shows how permanent this phenomenon, started in 1392, is. Representatives of various social groups, culture enthusiasts and the Church hierarchs were among the pilgrims. The phenomenon was not eliminated despite the tensions between the two Nations in periods of totalitarian power. The present pilgrim migration from Lithuania seems to have gained impetus in the rcalm of cultural and religious ties between European nations. This was indicated on 6 April, 2000 by Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, who visited Jasna Góra with ther representatives of Polish and Lithuanian authorities, and stated that pilgrimages are a certain contribution to the strengthening of the European Union, built as a union of nahons enriched by their own identities. The same role was also indicated by John Paul II, who encouraged the Polish and Lithuanian nations to overcome mutual resentments that are sometimes aggravated by the state authorities.