Vilnius - Pope Leo XIV has sent a video message to the participants in the sixth edition of the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, taking place in Vilnius from 7 to 12 June 2026. It is an international gathering bringing together pilgrims, pastors, witnesses and communities from various countries to reflect on the meaning of mercy in the life of the Church and in human history.
The Pontiff greeted the participants in the congress, recalling Saint Pope John Paul II’s desire to promote the spread of the message of Divine Mercy. In his message, Leo XIV offered a special greeting to His Excellency Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius, who is welcoming to his diocese pilgrims from all over the world, as well as to His Excellency Mr Gitanas Nausėda, President of the Republic of Lithuania, and to His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who is present at the gathering.
The Pope referred to the words of Saint Augustine in the Confessions, where the Bishop of Hippo entrusts his hope to the greatness of God’s mercy. From there, Leo XIV developed the central point of his message: today’s world, marked by fears, wars, tensions and violence that poison relationships and destroy lives, needs to rediscover mercy as a concrete path of renewal. For the Pontiff, the mercy of God opens the way to love and forgiveness and becomes the very face of God manifested through the lives of believers.
“God never tires of showing His mercy,” Leo XIV said, inviting participants to unite their trust in God’s love with their own personal commitment to building a more welcoming and merciful society, beginning with their families. The Pope also underlined the deep bond between mercy and peace: the peace longed for by peoples, he observed, cannot be attained without mercy.
The Vilnius congress is taking place in the city which the tradition of Divine Mercy links in a particular way to Saint Faustina Kowalska and Blessed Michał Sopoćko. It was precisely in Vilnius that the message of mercy was renewed for our time through Saint Faustina. Here, in 1934, the first image of Merciful Jesus was painted according to the saint’s visions, and from here devotion to Divine Mercy spread throughout the world.
The theme chosen for this edition, “Building a City of Mercy”, seeks to present mercy as a living culture within families, communities and society. The congress is structured as a journey of prayer, listening, witness and action, with liturgical celebrations, conferences, moments of adoration, workshops, pilgrimages to places connected with mercy, and cultural events.
The programme
The opening took place this morning, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, with the registration of participants in Cathedral Square, Holy Mass in the same square, and the Eucharistic procession from the Cathedral to the Chapel of the Gate of Dawn and on to the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the evening, at Rasų g. 6, WACOM6 will officially begin.
The following days follow a thematic itinerary. On Monday 8 June, the congress will focus on memory, asking how God’s mercy works in personal life. The programme includes addresses by Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, the testimony of John Pridmore, and a contribution from Patriarch Bartholomew on the relationship between ecumenism and mercy. The day will also include Holy Mass, the Hour of Mercy, workshops in the historic centre of Vilnius, and a penitential celebration.
On Tuesday 9 June, the theme will be the Word, with a reflection on the proclamation of mercy in the contemporary world. The official programme includes, among others, contributions from Nicky Gumbel, John Canavan, Bishop Martin Igwe Uzoukwu, Rosy Chaanine and Matt Fradd. In the afternoon, the Hour of Mercy and the workshops in the city will continue; in the evening, Masses in various languages and a cultural programme in the centre of Vilnius are planned.
On Wednesday 10 June, the congress will address the theme of prayer as a way of remaining faithful and seeking God’s mercy. Speakers will include Professor Donna Orsuto, the Kissell family, Fr Pasqualino di Dio, Cynthia Leowardyn and Fr Chris Alar MIC. This day too will bring together conferences, testimonies, liturgy, workshops and evening events in the churches and other venues of the city.
On Thursday 11 June, the memorial of Saint Barnabas the Apostle, the theme will turn to action: how to act when guided by mercy. Among the speakers will be His Excellency Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Tetiana Stawnychy, Kathrine E. Mackie and David Mackie, Fr James Mallon and Kevin Hyland. The reflection will therefore broaden to include the works of mercy, war, justice, parish life and the fight against human trafficking. The day will conclude with Holy Mass, dinner and a concert by the gospel choir “GospelJonai”.
The congress will close on Friday 12 June, on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The final day will be dedicated to the heart, with a reflection on the Heart of Christ as a source of peace and hope for humanity. After the prayer of praise and the address by Fr Patrice Chocholski, the concluding speeches, the announcement of WACOM7 and the final Holy Mass are scheduled.
Leo XIV’s video message offers the congress the spiritual key to the whole week: mercy as the Christian response to the wounds of the world and as the foundation of a peace born of the conversion of the heart. From Vilnius, a city marked by the history of Divine Mercy, the Pope invites pilgrims to live these days intensely and to take back to their communities the richness of the encounter they have experienced.
fr.M.T.
Silere non possum