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The National Prayer Breakfast with the theme “Overcoming Indifference” organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took place in Vilnius on 11 November. Its focus was to encourage people of all religions and nationalities to overcome indifference and seek peace.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius accentuated the responsibility of every single individual, despite their nationality or religious belief, to open the heart and show good will and solidarity in pursuing a more peaceful and better world.

“We often wish each other comfort and peace on various occasions. However peace on earth is possible only when it is in one's heart. Peace cannot be created in a split of a moment. It is built gradually by daily small deeds,” said L. Linkevičius.

The Minister also emphasised the dangers of indifference in the modern world.

“Usually people feel pain when it befalls them. Letting pain go unnoticed or ignoring pain that does not concern us personally would be dangerous. Indifference allows to fuel conflicts that could overflow and reach our homes. This is why Lithuania has showed and will continue showing its support to Ukraine fighting the aggressor. We must remind ourselves that we need to express solidarity with refugees, who are looking for shelter from wars and conflicts,” noted the Minister.

L. Linkevičius encouraged to keep a reminder of the fact that all people are united by a common purpose – to understand each other and not to remain indifferent when the time is ripe.

During the breakfast, Gintaras Grušas, the President of the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference and the Metropolitan Archbishop of Vilnius, read his invocation. Lionginas Virbalas, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Kaunas, Vitalijus Mockus, the Archpriest of the Church of St. Paraskeva in Vilnius, and Romualdas Krinickis, the Mufti Assistant of the Spiritual Centre of the Lithuanian Sunni Muslims, also voiced their opinion at the breakfast meeting.

The speakers emphasised that in the eyes of God people of all religions and nationalities are equal, and that every life is precious. They encouraged to overcome indifference inside us and try to get to know other people, because it is the only way to grow closer.  “Every one of us is able to contribute and change more than we think,” the Archpriest V. Mockus called to remember.

Tobias Jafetas, a child Holocaust survivor from Lithuania, and Ghulam Mohammad, a refugee from Afghanistan presently living in Lithuania, shared their personal experiences. They were grateful to people in their lives who did not remain indifferent, who showed understanding and lent a helping hand at the time they needed it the most.

The 16^th National Prayer Breakfast was attended by Loreta Graužinienė, the Speaker of the Seimas, Prof. Vytautas Landsbergis, the Speaker of the Reconstituent Seimas, Gediminas Kirkilas, the Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, Andrius Kubilius, the Leader of the Opposition of the Seimas, Juozas Olekas, the Minister of National Defence, members of the Seimas, leaders of the Lithuanian religious communities, foreign ambassadors, representatives of business, cultural and academic communities and other guests.

The Prayer Breakfast in Lithuania had been previously organised by the President's Office, the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The tradition of the prayer breakfast emerged in the mid-20^th century as a response to new challenges. The roots of this tradition go back to 1942, when several US Senators introduced informal meetings, seeking to share the vital power of the teaching of Christ and communication based on Christian values. The first National Prayer Breakfast took place in the USA in 1953, which was attended by the President of the United States.

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