Sigita Maslauskaitė-Mažylienė, an artist, art historian, and director of the Church Heritage Museum, who is proposed for Lithuania’s ambassador to the Holy See, vows to use her position in the Vatican to further raise awareness about Russia’s war against Ukraine.
On Wednesday, the government decided to submit her nomination to the president. She is due to assume her new position on September 19.
Maslauskaitė-Mažylienė is not a career diplomat. She studied painting at Vilnius Academy of Arts and later church heritage at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
She is a member of the Lithuanian Art Historians’ Society and the Artists’ Union, a lecturer at Vilnius Academy of Arts and Vilnius University, and an art historian for the Archdiocese of Vilnius. She has worked as director of the Church Heritage Museum since 2009.
Introducing herself to the cabinet, Maslauskaitė-Mažylienė pointed out that ever since the start of the war in Ukraine, public discussions have been taking place in Rome and the Vatican on ways to bring peace back to Ukraine but conferences “have often ended with resolutions and letters that sometimes seem to have been dictated by Putin”.
“I think that as a person of science, I will be useful in this position for Lithuania, as I can attend these kinds of events and discussions to express [Lithuania’s position]. [...] We see that all kinds of winds are blowing certain opinions towards the Pope’s ear,” she said.
Maslauskaitė-Mažylienė would take over as Lithuania’s ambassador to the Vatican from Petras Zapolskas whose term expired earlier in August.
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