During June 2-10, 1979, the Holy Father John Paul II visited Poland. Although the Soviet government did not permit bishops, priests or believers from Lithuania to travel to Poland, nearly half of Lithuania was able to view the Pope's visit on television. The priests of Lithuania urged the faithful to at least follow the Holy Father's visit in Poland via television.
The Holy Father's visit to Poland left a deep impression not only on the faithful of Lithuania but also on atheists who had the opportunity to hear the Pope speak and witness how the authorities and millions of people of a communist state welcomed the head of the Catholic Church.
Lithuania's Soviet press printed only a few lines on the Pope's visit to Poland.
