BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Have a look at "</s>CNN 20": the pope and a pilgrimage seven years ago.</s>ANNOUNCER: Bringing you the world for 20 years, this is CNN.</s>BRIAN CHRISTIE, CNN ANCHOR: Pope John Paul II is visiting the former Soviet Union, a place where the Catholic Church hasn't always been welcome. His seven-day tour of the Baltic states began today in the Lithuanian capital. CNN's Claire Shipman has more.</s>CLAIRE SHIPMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first pope to set foot in the land that was the former Soviet Union. And for this Polish pope, coming to neighboring Lithuania was almost like coming home. "It's with great emotion that I've just kissed the soil of Lithuania," he said. "How deeply I've longed to visit your land, which is particularly dear to me." Lithuanians crowded the airport and lined the streets for a chance to catch a glimpse of the pontiff. He went immediately to the city's historic cathedral to meet with clergy from around the country. Lithuania is almost 75 percent Roman Catholic and the people here had to struggle to keep their faith under communism. The pope was twice turned down when he tried to visit Lithuania in Soviet days. The visit is part of a week-long pilgrimage to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. But Catholic populations in the other two Baltic states are only a small minority. Pope John Paul II plans an open-air mass on Sunday in Vilnius. He'll also pay respects at the graves of 13 nationalist demonstrators who lost their lives to Soviet troops in 1991. Claire Shipman, CNN, Vilnius.
CNN 20: Pope John Paul II Visits Fmr. U.S.S.R., September 4, 1993