On his second day in Lithuania, Pope Francis traveled 65 miles to Kaunas, the country’s second largest city, to celebrate Mass in Santakos Park for more than 100,000 people.

Pope Francis arrived in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, to celebrate the centenary of the country’s independence.

In a historic breakthrough, the Holy See has signed today, Sept. 22, “a provisional agreement” with China on the appointment of bishops.

He is the second pope to visit these Baltic nations. John Paul II came to the region in September 1993, after the collapse of communism, and was welcomed as a hero. Pope Francis comes exactly 25 years later, but much has changed since that first papal visit.

It will be the pope’s fourth visit to Asia, the continent where he foresees growth for the Catholic Church in the 21st century.

The Feb. 21-24, 2019 meeting is believed to be the first of its kind.